Inauguration of the Asia Pacific Master of Human Rights and Democratisation (APMA)
The Asia Pacific Master of Human Rights and Democratisation (APMA) Program for the academic year 2022/2023 was inaugurated on February 17, 2023, at the Senate Hall, College House. The event began with the welcome address from Professor (Chair) Wasantha Seneviratne, the Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights, followed by addresses from Professor Sashika Manoratne, the Director of the International Unit, Professor Nishantha Sampath Punchihewa, Dean of the Faculty of Law, and Senior Professor (Chair) H.D. Karunaratne, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo.
The Asia Pacific program was launched in 2010, and 2023 marks the 13th consecutive year of the program. The program is currently being run in partnership with five universities, including Mahidol University in Thailand as the coordinating partner, the University of Colombo in Sri Lanka, Universitas Gadjah Mada in Indonesia, Kathmandu School of Law in Nepal, and Ateneo de Manila Law School in the Philippines. The APMA programme is co-funded by the European Commission through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights.
The APMA degree offers students a unique opportunity to engage first-hand with regional and international human rights and democratization issues and to interact with internationally acclaimed academics, practitioners, and experts. This year, five international students from India, Nepal, Indonesia, Myanmar, and the Philippines took advantage of studying with a group of local students by joining the University of Colombo for the second semester. The event was concluded with a vote of thanks by Hakeem Abu Backar, the Deputy Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights.
