The Institute for the Study of Human Rights (ISHR) is pleased to welcome the 2024-25 HRAP cohort to campus this January.
Ten advocates working on critical issues of human rights around the world, including LGBTQI+ rights, Indigenous Peoples’ rights, labor rights, disability rights, women's rights, and environmental justice, attended skill-based workshops online in the fall of 2024 led by organizations including Human Rights Watch. During the spring 2025 semester, they are joining us on the Morningside campus. They will participate in academic courses, network with the human rights community in NYC and DC, and share their work with students and faculty at Columbia and other institutions. They will also participate in opportunities at the United Nations including the Commission on the Status of Women and the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.
Joseph Slaughter, Director of ISHR, says the institute is delighted to host another fantastic cohort: “Bringing these remarkable advocates to ISHR each year is an incredible opportunity for all of us at Columbia to learn from people fighting for human rights and social justice throughout the world and on the ground.”
More than 350 advocates from 100 countries have attended the program. HRAP alumni have served as UN special rapporteurs, in the ministries of their governments, and at leading human rights organizations around the globe. They have been recognized with honors including the Rafto Prize, the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award and the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, the highest acknowledgment from the international human rights community. Stephanie V. Grepo, Director of Capacity Building at ISHR, said that more than 95 percent of the HRAP alumni body continues to work in human rights, a testament to their commitment to making the world a better place.
