The Specialised Courses Programme is an international training initiative, launched by UNICRI in 2012 with the first edition of the Summer School on Human Rights. Over the years, the programme has grown significantly in scope, partnerships, and thematic focus, welcoming more than 1,100 participants from over 100 countries.

Designed for a wide and diverse global audience — including university and postgraduate students, PhD candidates, UN personnel, and both young and senior professionals — the programme provides advanced learning experiences grounded in some of the most pressing issues of international relevance within UNICRI’s mandate, including artificial intelligence, disinformation, hate speech, migration, human rights, environmental crime, the protection of cultural heritage and other emerging challenges.

Courses are offered in person, in hybrid format, and online, ensuring accessibility and flexibility for participants worldwide. High academic standards and continuous updates to course content ensure that participants engage with the latest developments shaping global policy and research.

A distinctive strength of the programme lies in the excellence of its teaching faculty: a diverse and distinguished group of leading scholars from international universities, practitioners from the United Nations system, experts from governmental, international and civil society organizations. This diverse faculty enables the programme to offer a dynamic educational environment that combines rigorous academic knowledge with practical perspectives.

Participants benefit not only from advanced methodologies and interactive learning, but also from unique opportunities to connect with peers and professionals across regions and sectors, fostering a vibrant international network that extends well beyond the duration of each course.