BRUSSELS — 29 January 2026 — Human-rights education efforts supported by the Church of Scientology through United for Human Rights and Youth for Human Rights International continue to highlight the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as an accessible, practical reference for everyday civic life, especially for young people and educators throughout Europe.
The approach rests on a simple idea: understanding rights helps strengthen respect for them. Approved by the UN General Assembly on 10 December 1948, the UDHR sets out 30 articles describing basic rights and freedoms.
Organisers point to a persistent “knowledge gap”: many people agree with human rights in principle but have limited familiarity with what the UDHR actually says, including topics such as equal treatment, due process 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 tolerance and peace.
Both programmes focus on education and public information, using structured learning that corresponds to the UDHR’s 30 rights. 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 key feature is a toolkit-style approach: short films, public service announcements and structured learning materials designed for educational and civic contexts. The package includes the documentary “The Story of Human Rights” and a series of PSAs often described 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. Official materials also cite L. Ron Hubbard and the Code of a Scientologist in relation to supporting humanitarian endeavours in the field of human rights.
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.”
Into 2026, the emphasis remains on usability: clear language, news euro 24 modular content and training formats that support lesson plans and community discussions without requiring specialist legal knowledge. 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.