Summer Interns for 2009 are working at the following organizations:
Asociación por los Derechos Civiles (ADC, Association for Civil Rights)
Argentina
ADC is a non-profit, non-governmental and non-partisan organization. It was founded in 1995 in Argentina with the purpose of contributing to the
establishment of a legal and institutional culture that would guarantee fundamental rights to the inhabitants of our country, based on respect for
the Constitution. It promotes and advocates for respect for the fundamental rights and defends the rights of the inhabitants of Argentina as well as
aiming to contribute to the strengthening of democratic institutions, with special emphasis on the justice system
CEEweb
Hungary
The mission of CEEweb for Biodiversity is the conservation of biodiversity in Central and Eastern Europe through the promotion of sustainable development. CEEweb works through advocacy, influencing decision making, common projects, capacity building, networking and awareness raising. It targets its members, local, national and international decision makers, NGOs and NGO networks, companies and the scientific community.
Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS)
Argentina
The Center for Legal and Social Studies is a non-governmental organization that has been working since 1979 in the promotion and protection of human rights and to strengthen the democratic system in Argentina. The institution’s main objectives focus on: reporting human rights violations; influencing the policy-making process based on respect for the fundamental rights; promoting legal and institutional reforms designed to improve the quality of democratic institutions; and promoting an increased exercise of these rights by the most vulnerable sectors in society.
Centro de Implementación de Políticas Públicas para la Equidad y el
Crecimiento (CIPPEC)
Argentina
Center for the Implementation of Public Policies Promoting Equity and Growth is a private, non-profit organization that strives to create a more just,
democratic, and efficient State in Argentina to improve the quality of life for all Argentine citizens. It works to turn sound ideas into concrete
policies in the areas of education, public health, justice, transparency, and public spending. Its focus is on alleviating factors like deterioration
of education and public health; scarce access to justice; weak political institutions; corruption; and fiscal insolvency.
El Centro por la Justicia y el Derecho Internacional (CEJIL)
Argentina
The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) is a non-governmental organization (NGO), founded in 1991 by a group of prominent human rights defenders in Latin America and the Caribbean. CEJIL's principle objective is to achieve the full implementation of international human rights norms in the member States of the Organization of American States (OAS) through the use of the Inter-American System for the Protection of Human Rights and other international protection mechanisms. CEJIL’s mandate is fulfilled through work in three program areas: the Legal Defense Program, the Training and Dissemination Program, and the Campaign to Strengthen the Inter-American System.
Council of Europe Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights
France
The Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights plays a major role in promoting the rule of law and defending human rights in the Parliamentary Assembly. It is also responsible for a whole variety of activities that make it, de facto, the Assembly's legal adviser.
DeJuSticia
Colombia
DeJuSticia participates in debates on law, institutions, and public policies in Colombia and Latin America through research and advocacy that promote human rights and social equity, and deepen democracy and the rule of law.
EarthRights International
Thailand
EarthRights International is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization that combines the power of law and the power of people in defense of earth rights. We specialize in fact-finding, legal actions against perpetrators of earth rights abuses, training grassroots and community leaders, and advocacy campaigns. Through these strategies, ERI seeks to end earth rights abuses, to provide real solutions for real people, and to promote and protect human rights and the environment in the communities where we work.
La Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN)
Argentina
The Environment and Natural Resources Foundation was founded in 1985. It is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization, [without partisan] whose main objective is to promote sustainable development through politics, law and the institutional organization of the company. The beneficiaries of FARN’s work are mainly public and private decision-makers.
HIV/AIDS Unit of the Lawyers Collective
India
The mission of the HIV/AIDS Unit is “[to] contribute to controlling the HIV/AIDS epidemic by protecting and promoting the rights of people affected by HIV/AIDS, through law reform, legal aid and allied services of advocacy, training and research.”
Human Rights and Law Defenders
India
Under the banner of Sahyog, HRLD works to protect the rights of the poor and underprivileged by increasing their access to the justice system and basic resources. HRLD also fights to reduce discrimination and enact wide ranging reforms of the Indian legal system, including making human rights law a part of mainstream education.
Human Rights Education Institute of Burma
Thailand
Human Rights Education Institute of Burma envisions a society where human rights education is institutionalized as a potent tool for building a peaceful, tolerant and democratic Burma that respects and promotes all aspects of human rights for all. Its mission is to empower people through human rights education to engage in social transformation and promote a culture of human rights for all.
Human Rights Law Network (HRLN)
India
The Human Rights Law Network is a collective of lawyers and social activists dedicated to the use of legal system to advance human rights. HRLN collaborates with social movements, human rights organizations, and grass-roots development groups to enforce the rights of children, dalits (members of oppressed Hindu class), people with disabilities, farmers, HIV positive people, the homeless, indigenous people, prisoners, refugees, religious and sexual minorities, women, and workers, among others. HRLN provides pro bono legal services, conducts public interest litigation, engages in advocacy, conducts legal awareness programs, investigates violations, publishes 'know your rights' materials, and participates in campaigns.
International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
Netherlands
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) is a United Nations court of law dealing with war crimes that took place during the conflicts in the Balkans in the 1990’s. Since its establishment in 1993 it has irreversibly changed the landscape of international humanitarian law and provided victims an opportunity to voice the horrors they witnessed and experienced.
International Organization for Migration
Switzerland
An intergovernmental organization established in 1951, IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. IOM works to help ensure the orderly and humane management of migration, to promote international cooperation on migration issues, to assist in the search for practical solutions to migration problems and to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants in need, including refugees and internally displaced people.
International Refugee Rights Initiative (IRRI)
Uganda
IRRI is dedicated to addressing human rights in conflict and displacement in Africa. We seek to enhance the protection of vulnerable populations, particularly the displaced, before, during and after conflict. We ground our advocacy in the rights accorded in regional and international human rights instruments and strive to make these guarantees effective at the local level.
Irish Centre for Human Rights
Ireland
The Irish Centre for Human Rights is one of the world’s premier university-based institutions for the study and promotion of human rights and humanitarian law. Since its establishment in January 2000, the Centre has developed a global reputation for excellence in the field of human rights teaching, research and advocacy, which has enabled the institution to attract high quality students to its acclaimed Masters programmes and to build a thriving community of doctoral researchers.
Justice and Peace Commission/Carter Center
Liberia
The Carter Center, in partnership with Emory University, is committed to advancing human rights and alleviating unnecessary human suffering. Founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, the Atlanta-based Center has helped to improve the quality of life for people in more than 70 countries. The Carter Center’s Justice and Peace Commission was launched in partnership with Liberia's Ministry of Internal Affairs, the National Traditional Council, and the Ministry of Gender, to conduct workshops for Liberia's local leaders on how to strengthen the rule of law and expand the role of women in local governance in each of the country's fifteen counties.
Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN)
Thailand
KESAN is a non-profit, grassroots organization created by Karen individuals who share a
concern for the future of Indigenous land. KESAN addresses environmental concerns from a local, Karen point of view. Kesan
holds that the preservation of Indigenous knowledge can protect rivers, forests and lands
for the future. Furthermore, they believe that indigenous lands and indigenous culture are
inextricably linked, and that environmental and cultural protection begins with
empowerment.
Pact
Sudan
Pact began working in Sudan in 2002, leading a coalition of local and international partners in the implementation of the Sudan Peace Fund. Since then, Pact's Sudan Country Program has designed and implemented numerous programs in the areas of community security, civil security strengthening, CPA dissemination, peacebuilding, local government recovery and development and infrastructure rehabilitation across Southern Sudan. Pact works through local partners to support Sudanese aspirations for peace, stability and development through the successful implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).
Unidos por la Justicia
Argentina
Unidos por la Justicia is a non-profit, civil society organization that was founded in 2003. Its primary aims are to design, implement, disseminate and
promote public legal and judicial policies; to promote and encourage the study of all topics linked to legal and judicial system improvement; and to
disseminate scientific research and formulate legislative bills related to the functioning and improvement of the judicial and legal systems.