Teaching staff from these universities visited the UIC Faculty of Law to attend a tailor-made course on the human rights system in Europe and environmental law in Spain.It is the second time that the faculty has hosted a training event of this kind; the first was held in September 2011, when around 30 magistrates from a Brazilian association of federal judges came to the UIC for a course on the latest developments in environmental law.

Additionally, students from the faculty had the opportunity to attend a talk, "The Peruvian Inter-American Human Rights System", given by three of the academics attending the course. These were Mario Raúl Gutiérrez Canales, who is a lecturer in Constitutional Law, the Research Office Coordinator at the Law School of Universidad César Vallejo and a key advisor to the Peruvian Congress; Ricardo Velásquez Ramírez, who is the Executive Director of CEDDAL, a lecturer in Constitutional Law at Universidad Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and the Director of the Master’s Degree Programme in Constitutional Law at Universidad Nacional Federico Villarea; and César Oswaldo Contreras Arias, who lectures in Civil and Commercial Law at Universidad Nacional San Luís Gonzaga de Ica.  

During their talk, the Peruvian experts spoke about the links between human rights treaties in Peru and other Latin American countries, the basic right of free enterprise and the connection between human rights and national and supra-national justice. With regard to free enterprise, the speakers underlined the fact that the Peruvian constitution specifically defines it as a basic right. “This has turned our country into a strategic location for business and commerce, which has boosted its economic and social development. New markets have opened up, such as the property and construction markets, and are being developed by consortiums of companies. The consumer market has also been lifted by the increased purchasing power of the Peruvian people, as evidenced by the increased use of credit cards. The presence of companies has enabled people to choose between different kinds of activities”, the speakers explained. “Right now, Peru is getting its self-confidence back as a country, which is vital for businesses, employment and consumption.”