BRUSSELS — 29 January 2026 — Human-rights education initiatives supported by the Church of Scientology through United for Human Rights (UHR) and Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) continue to highlight the UDHR as an accessible, practical reference for everyday civic life, particularly for youth, teachers and community leaders in diverse European communities.
The programmes are built on a clear premise: knowledge of rights supports respect for rights. Adopted by the UN General Assembly in Paris on 10 December 1948, the UDHR defines 30 articles describing core rights and freedoms.
Organisers point to a persistent “knowledge gap”: many people support the idea of human rights but do not know the UDHR’s specific articles, including topics such as non-discrimination, due process and freedom of thought.
UHR states it was founded on the UDHR’s 60th anniversary, with a goal of helping individuals and organisations promote and apply the Declaration’s principles. Youth for Human Rights International, founded in 2001 by educator Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, focuses on teaching young people about the UDHR and encouraging tolerance and peace in everyday settings.
Both initiatives present their work as education and public information, mapping learning modules and media resources to the UDHR’s 30 articles. With backing from the Church of Scientology, the nonreligious initiatives report their resources being used by educators and civic groups, with delivery shaped by local partnerships.
A key feature is a toolkit-style approach: short videos, PSAs and teaching materials designed for educational and civic contexts. The package includes a short documentary titled “The Story of Human Rights” and a series of PSAs often described as “30 Rights, 30 Ads”. Interactive websites host resources in 17 languages, helping educators adapt delivery to local audiences.
The Church of Scientology links its support for human-rights education to wider prevention- and education-based community initiatives. Its published materials reference Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard on the importance of safeguarding fundamental rights and human dignity, and cite the Code of news eu parlament a Scientologist as encouraging humanitarian engagement in the field of human rights.
Ivan Arjona-Pelado, Scientology’s representative to the European Union, the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the United Nations, said:
“Human rights are not strengthened only by legal texts; they are strengthened when people can recognise them, explain them, and apply them in daily interactions—especially in schools and neighbourhoods where diversity is a lived reality. Europe’s civic culture is reinforced when young people learn the UDHR’s principles early and view respect, equality and non-discrimination as practical responsibilities.”
For 2026, the focus is on making materials easy to use in real settings—clear language, modular tools and training that supports educators and community discussions without specialist legal expertise. Typical delivery includes educator briefings, youth workshops, community sessions and partnerships with civil-society groups working on inclusion, anti-bullying, equal treatment and intercultural dialogue.
The Church of Scientology, its churches, missions, groups and members are present across the European continent. Scientology Europe reports a continent-wide presence through more than 140 churches, missions and affiliated groups in at least 27 European nations, alongside thousands of community-based social betterment and reform initiatives focused on education, prevention and neighbourhood-level support, inspired by the work of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.
Within Europe’s diverse national frameworks for religion, the Church’s recognitions continue to expand, with administrative and judicial authorities in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany Slovakia and others, as well as the European Court of Human Rights, having addressed and acknowledged Scientology communities as protected by the national and international provisions of Freedom of Religion or belief.
Read the full release here: Human Rights for Youth: Scientology’s Community Focus.