The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) 2023 Full-time Fellowship, New York Office

The International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) is an independent, non-profit organisation with offices in Geneva and New York. This fellowship offers an unique opportunity to view the United Nations human rights system at work. It provides hands-on experience working for an international non-governmental organisation (NGO) as well as the opportunity to contribute to our work supporting human rights defenders, strengthening human rights systems, building and leading human rights coalitions, and responding to significant and systemic human rights concerns. The position: ISHR seeks to host a postgraduate law Fellow to support our work in New York. The Fellow will have the opportunity to collaborate with ISHR staff in all locations. Working in a small team, the Fellow will have the opportunity to learn at very close hand what it means to work for an international human rights advocacy organization. In a year’s work with ISHR, the Fellow will gain experience monitoring a number of deliberations and negotiations at the United Nations 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 human rights law in a multilateral human rights system, including advocacy on normative and policy advances for the protection of human rights defenders. 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 regional level with the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights. Key tasks: Through a combination of research and analysis, advocacy, capacity building, and media work, the Fellow will work closely with the ISHR New York Office Co-Directors and program staff, contributing to our work supporting human rights defenders, strengthening human rights systems, building and leading human rights coalitions, and responding to significant and systemic situations of concern. Key tasks include: Supporting legal counsel in preparing submissions to national, regional and international human rights mechanisms and courts; Assisting with research in relation to international human rights mechanisms, including the Universal Periodic Review and the UN treaty bodies; Representing ISHR at meetings and in coalition work with other NGOs and UN contacts; Assisting with ISHR’s work with regional human rights defenders’ networks and human rights bodies at the regional level; Monitoring and taking minutes at UN human rights meetings; Contributing to ISHR’s publications, including through drafting and editing online web articles, briefing papers, and other reports as needed