The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) is an independent, non-profit organisation
with offices in Geneva and New York. This fellowship offers a unique opportunity to view the
international and regional human rights systems at work. It provides hands-on experience
working for an international non-governmental organization (NGO) as well as the opportunity
to contribute to our work supporting human rights defenders, strengthening human rights
systems, legal frameworks, building and leading human rights coalitions, and responding to
significant and systemic human rights concerns.
About the position
ISHR seeks to host a postgraduate Fellow to support our work within the Africa
Programme.Working in a small team, the Fellow will have the opportunity to learn at close
hand what it means to work for an international human rights advocacy organization. The
Fellow will also have the opportunity to collaborate with ISHR staff in all locations.
In a year’s work with ISHR, the Fellow will gain experience monitoring a number of
deliberations and negotiations of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights
(ACHPR) and lobbying and advocating in those fora in line with ISHR’s mandate and
priorities. The Fellow will gain hands-on experience on the application of international and
regional human rights law in a multilateral human rights system, including advocacy on
normative and policy advances for the protection of human rights defenders in Africa.
The Fellow will also contribute to our work on capacity development and legislative protection
of defenders at the national level. There may also be opportunities to work at the
international level with the United Nations human rights mechanisms.