TORONTO, ON, January 24, 2026 – Observed annually on January 24 and proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly, the International Day of Education affirms education as a fundamental human right, a public good, and a shared global responsibility essential to peace and justice. Education in genocide and human rights is especially vital because it serves as a powerful tool for prevention by equipping individuals with the knowledge to recognize and engage in activities that confront the conditions that enable mass violence. This field of study promotes meaningful intervention to stop human rights violations worldwide.
As GHRUP Course Director, Professor Alex Alvarez notes in the introduction of the Special Issue of Genocide Studies International, titled “The Future of Genocide Education”:
“Genocide education is an important tool for raising awareness about the threats posed by authoritarianism, prejudice, xenophobia, exclusionary nationalism, and all of the other facilitators of genocidal violence and destruction. At its best, education has always been a powerful force for helping students and citizens develop the intellectual tools necessary to make sense of the world around them and for confronting and challenging exclusionism, intolerance, and hatred.”
To advance this mission, the Zoryan Institute annually hosts its Genocide and Human Rights University Program (GHRUP) at the University of Toronto. This intensive interdisciplinary graduate-level program brings together 14 leading scholars across psychology, political sciencee, history, antropology, and international law for a two-week, 65-hour curriculum designed to equip emerging researchers with the intellectual tools necessary to confront genocide, mass atrocities, and human rights violations. At its core, GHRUP’s mission is to cultivate a new generation of scholars committed to research, teaching, and public engagement in Genocide and Human Rights Studies. This academic opportunity presents students with both scholarly grounding and moral responsibility for engaging with these heavy topics.
For interest in applying to the 2026 GHRUP and learning more about the program, please visit www.genocidestudies.org.
To mark the International Day of Education, the Institute invites everyone to watch its promotional reel, offering a closer look at this unique academic experience. Formally recognized by the Governor General of Canada for its contribution to Canada’s role as a destination for human rights education, the GHRUP provides an intensive academic experience for admitted graduate students.
