BRUSSELS — 29 January 2026 — Human-rights education efforts supported by the Church of Scientology through United for Human Rights (UHR) and Youth for Human Rights International continue to frame the UDHR as an easy-to-use reference for daily community life, particularly for youth, teachers and community leaders across Europe.
The approach rests on a simple idea: understanding rights helps strengthen respect for them. Adopted on 10 December 1948 by the UN General Assembly, the UDHR lists 30 articles describing basic rights and freedoms.
Programme partners highlight a common challenge: many people endorse human rights as a principle but do not know the UDHR’s specific articles, including topics such as equal treatment, due process and freedom of conscience.
United for Human Rights says it was launched around the 60th anniversary of the UDHR to provide educational tools that broaden awareness and encourage news eugene implementation of the Declaration. Youth for Human Rights International, founded in 2001 by Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, focuses on introducing young people to the UDHR and strengthening everyday tolerance and peace.
Both initiatives emphasise education, aligning training and media resources with each of the UDHR’s 30 articles. The organisations are described as nonreligious, while being sponsored and supported by the Church of Scientology, and their resources are used by schools, civic groups and local partners depending on national context.
A recurring feature is a “toolkit” approach: adaptable media resources and structured learning tools designed for classrooms, youth groups and community settings. The package includes “The Story of Human Rights” documentary and a series of PSAs aligned to each UDHR right, known as “30 Rights, 30 Ads”. Resources are available across 17 languages to support local delivery and age-appropriate use.
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 reinforced when people can recognise them, explain them and apply them in daily life—especially in schools and neighbourhoods where diversity is lived every day. 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.”
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.