The Director of DIHR, Dr Jonas Christoffersen, expressed his pleasure over the appointment of Ms Mie Roesdahl as head of the new unit and underlined the importance of education in promoting human rights:
“I believe that one of the most fundamental requirements for the effective protection of human rights is that we as individuals are aware of our rights. This applies to Denmark, just as much as it applies to developing countries and conflict zones,” he said.
Mie Roesdahl, who has been working in the field of education, human rights and conflict management for more than a decade, is looking forward to tackling the challenges associated with her new position:
“I am very happy to have been selected for this position. In my opinion, competence building efforts on human rights and related issues are only useful if they provide new insights and tools that are directly applicable to the work of those involved. For many of our participants in education this means that they must be effective in human rights situations in assisting the most vulnerable groups. We must work very strategically and innovatively to promote human rights compliance,” she said, and stressed that DIHR's education work will therefore be oriented towards developing and promoting effective and innovative learning processes that enhance the practical application of human rights.
Before her appointment to the new position, Mie Roesdahl spent a year working as a senior consultant at DIHR. During this time her work focused primarily on studying and promoting access to justice. She conducted, for example, a UN study on informal justice systems and piloted a community mediation programme in Malawi.
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