BRUSSELS, Belgium — 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 continue to present the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as an accessible, practical reference for day-to-day civic life, with a focus on youth, schools and community organisations throughout Europe.
The programmes are built on a clear premise: knowledge of rights supports respect for rights. Adopted on 10 December 1948 by the UN General Assembly, the UDHR sets out 30 articles describing core rights and freedoms.
Programme partners highlight a common challenge: many people support the idea of human rights but are not familiar with the UDHR’s text and the 30 rights it contains, including topics such as non-discrimination, education and freedom of conscience.
United for Human Rights describes itself as created on the UDHR’s 60th anniversary, offering educational materials to expand awareness and support implementation. Youth for Human Rights International, founded in 2001 by Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, focuses on introducing young people to the UDHR and strengthening everyday eu news brexit tolerance and peace.
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 recurring feature is a “toolkit” approach: short videos, PSAs and teaching materials designed for schools and community presentations. The package includes a short documentary titled “The Story of Human Rights” and a series of PSAs mapping each right through “30 Rights, 30 Ads”. Materials are hosted online across 17 languages, supporting adaptation to local needs and age groups.
The Church of Scientology links its support for human-rights education to wider prevention- and education-based community initiatives. Church materials reference L. Ron Hubbard’s writings and the Code of a Scientologist as underscoring support for humanitarian work, including human-rights education.
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 democratic culture benefits when young people learn the UDHR’s principles early and see respect, equality and non-discrimination as practical responsibilities.”
Looking into 2026, organisers stress practical usability—clear language, short formats and modular content that supports educators and community leaders without specialised legal training. In practice this includes training sessions, youth workshops, community discussions and partnerships with civil-society organisations engaged in 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.