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International Human Rights Program

FROM OUR STUDENTS ...

Steven Hoffman (left) with WHO Director-General Margaret Chan
International Human Rights Program intern Steven Hoffman (left) with WHO Director-General Margaret Chan.

"My work for the World Health Organization has been rewarding, challenging and inspiring, and has proved to be one of the most valuable learning experiences of my life. The opportunity to engage in meaningful, hands-on work in an international context has brought new relevance to my academic studies." 

Read more >>

Read other student letters >>

The International Human Rights Program (IHRP) of the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law is dedicated to promoting global human rights through legal education, research and advocacy.  The mission of the International Human Rights Program is to mobilize lawyers to address international human rights issues and to develop the capacity of students and program participants to establish human rights norms in domestic and international contexts. 

Established by Professor Rebecca Cook in 1987, the IHRP has involved hundreds of J.D. and graduate students, past and present, and dozens of Faculty members in internships, courses and working groups across issues ranging from international women's rights to aboriginal and minority rights, and from international trade law to development law.  

  • The IHRP welcomes human rights lawyers to the Faculty from diverse countries and cultures and provides them with the opportunity to broaden their knowledge, gain new perspectives, sharpen their skills, and build the networks of relationships needed to meet the demands of justice on a global scale.  
  • The IHRP uses its teaching and research capacity to equip and inspire graduates to recognize, employ and advance international human rights law and principles in their work. 
  • The IHRP uses its advocacy capacity to provide high quality, dedicated and imaginative legal services through the international human rights clinic and in select international cases and consultancies.  
  • Finally, the IHRP uses its public profile to create a safe space for students, human rights organizations, activists and practitioners to forge new partnerships, engage in constructive dialogue and increase our society's collective pool of knowledge and understanding of human rights.

Elements of the Program

IHRP News and Events

IHRP Rights Review Volume II, Issue 2, Fall 2009:  Read electronic version (pdf)

May 22, 2009:  The International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Programme and The International Human Rights Program co-present: LESSONS FROM CEDAW FOR ADVANCING WOMEN'S RIGHTS.  Shanthi Dairiam,CEDAW member 2002-2008.  84 Queen's Park, Solarium, 12:30-2pm.

International Human Rights Program releases report on the pre-trial hearing of Omar Khadr

This fall, the IHRP obtained US security clearance to permit two of the program’s clinical students to travel to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to observe what was intended to be Omar Khadr’s final pre-trial hearing under the Military Commission system.  During their time at Guantánamo Bay, the students closely observed the pre-trial hearing before Military Judge Parrish, and prepared a report describing the motions that were argued, and evaluating the proceedings’ compliance with international fair trial standards.  Read Report (pdf)

IHRP Rights Review Newsletter Volume 2: Read electronic version (pdf)

March 19, 2009: IHRP Year End Wine and Cheese.  78 Queen's Park, Faculty Lounge, 6-8pm.  Author Karen Connely will be discussing her award winning book The Lizard Cage and the IHRP will be launching the second edition of the IHRP Rights Review.

February 26, 2009: "A test of ethics: One former prosecutor's story of resignation from Guantanamo." Lt. Col. Darrel Vandeveld. 78 Queen's Park, FLB.

February 12, 2009:  “Rights-Based Organizations for Social Justice and Development: Legitimacy and Sustainability.”  James Ron, Carleton University. 84 Queen's Park, Solarium.  Read more (Word doc).

Working Group Report:  An IHRP working group report on the eviction of subsistence farmers from the land of Mopani Copper Mines—a Canadian/Swiss owned mine located in Zambia—has now been posted on the OECDwatch website.  The case study highlights some of the challenges in ensuring compliance with OECD guidelines on the ground. See: http://oecdwatch.org/publications-en/Publication_2748/ 

IHRP Rights Review Newsletter: In the autumn of 2008 the IHRP introduced the newsletter entitled Rights Review.  It is a forum for students involved in the International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.  Read the electronic version (pdf)

October 28, 2008:  "From Olive Groves to Courtrooms: Redressing Israel's Settlement Policies in Canadian Courts" Maysa Zorob, Dylan Smith and John Reynolds from the Legal Research and Advocacy Unit, Al Haq and Mark Arnold, Lawyer Representing the Palestinian Village of Bil’in, 78 Queen's Park, BLH: Read more (Word doc).

October 21, 2008: Two students from the International Human Rights Clinic travelled to Guantánamo Bay to observe the final stages of Canadian Guantánamo detainee Omar Khadr's pre-trial.  They observed the pre-trial hearing as part of the clinical education program. Read their blogs.

September 22, 2008: Students Tony Navaneelan, Kate Oja, and Judith Rae, members of the Omar Khadr Project, write "It’s time to repatriate Omar Khadr" in The Varsity.

September 18, 2008: Launch of the '08-09 IHRP Speaker Series featuring: Naresh Singh, Executive Director of the Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, "Legal Empowerment of the Poor: an integrated human rights and markets approach to poverty reduction". 12:30-2:00pm, FLB (Flavelle House, 78 Queen's Park). A light lunch will be served.  Jointy sponsored with the Munk Center for International Studies.  The webcast of this lecture is available at the following link: Webcast September 18th event.

May 23, 2008: A number of Faculty of Law faculty and students contributed to an important Supreme Court of Canada judgement regarding Omar Khadr, the Canadian currently being held by the U.S. government in Guantanamo Bay.  

April 2008:  The International Human Rights Program is pleased to announce that, for the second year in a row, one of our IHRP internship students has been awarded a Helton Fellowship from the American Society of International Law to contribute to the cost of her summer internship.  Kate Oja (II) was selected from a pool of over fifty applicants from around the world.

November 21, 2007: JD student Judith Rae wrote a commentary published on the Globe and Mail website, "Child 'rescue' in mass emergencies: illegal, unrealistic and unethical." In the summer of 2007, Rae worked as an IHRP intern for the UNHCR in Sudan on the subject of separated and unaccompanied children.

November 12, 2007:  Former IHRP intern Judith Rae took part in a student panel discussion at the conference Combating Hatred in the Twenty-first Century: Balancing Rights, Freedoms and Responsibilities. Watch a webcast of the panel discussion.

Contact Information

For additional information, please contact the Acting Director of the IHRP: 

Diana Juricevic
University of Toronto Faculty of Law
39 Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario, Canada  M5S 2C3

Telephone: 416-946 8730
Fax: 416-978 7899
Email: d.juricevic@utoronto.ca

Admission Information

The IHRP is not a distinct academic program from the Faculty of Law's JD Program, and participants do not receive an official designation of specialization on their degree.  The IHRP does not conduct its own admissions process. All admission inquiries for the Faculty of Law should be directed to:

For JD admission:

Admissions Office
Faculty of Law
University of Toronto
84 Queen's Park
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
M5S 2C5

Tel: (416) 978-3716
Fax: (416) 978-7899
E-mail: law.admissions@utoronto.ca
Web: Prospective Students - JD program

For LLM and SJD admissions:

law.graduate@utoronto.ca
Web: Prospective Students - Graduate Programs