NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS
UNHR Summer Fellowship Program
We are excited to announce that applications for our Summer Fellowship Program for 2026 are now open!
Summer fellows will spend eight to ten weeks in Lisbon, Portugal, where they will contribute legal research, writing, and organizing on UNHR’s community-based human rights projects under the supervision of expert attorneys and advocates.
Responsibilities
Legal Research: Draft memos, briefs, and contributions to submissions to human rights bodies.
Research and Advocacy: Support human rights fact-finding through desk research and data analysis; prepare concise backgrounders, country summaries, and thematic briefs; prepare materials for public-facing events, briefings, and meetings with partner NGOs.
Program Support: Help with coordination and materials for UNHR’s educational programs; support communication and collaboration between UNHR supervisors, our European and U.S. university partners, and student cohorts.
Writing and Communications: Contribute to reports, briefs, social media, and website content; assist with writing and editing reports, articles, and blog posts; support news and social media tasks by drafting posts and creating accessible updates that translate UNHR’s advocacy and project work for the general public.
Application Process
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
To apply, send an email to thomas@humanrightsnetwork.org with the subject line Summer Fellowship Application – [NAME]. Include the following in your email:
Brief statement of interest
CV
Contact details for two references
Links to any publications, if applicable
Please note that UNHR can provide funding in exceptional cases, based on demonstrated need and unique skills or experience. We expect students to seek additional funding through their university, external scholarships, and other sources where possible.
Current Projects
Fellows may participate in one or more of the following projects, as well as other projects as they arise:
Ethnic Cleansing and Erasure of Nagorno-Karabakh
In September-October 2023, Azerbaijan forcibly displaced all of the more than 100,000 remaining Armenian inhabitants in Nagorno-Karabakh. UNHR has been documenting rights abuses against Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenians from before, during, and following the 2023 ethnic cleansing. Students will continue this work by conducting desk research and writing for amicus briefs in international cases and submissions to United Nations mechanisms, contributing to a database of open-source evidence of atrocity crimes from the conflict, and organizing events among civil society organizations on ongoing abuses.
Environmental Justice in Panama
The construction of an AES Corporation hydroelectric dam in 2005 has resulted in serious human rights violations to the communities of Charco la Pava, Valle Rey, Guayabal, and Changuinola Arriba, located in Bocas del Toro, Panamá. UNHR has worked with NGOs and communities involved in a petition before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). Students will support the preparation of written submissions, briefs, and other key documents to the IACHR; assist in evidence organization and expert identification; and develop materials for community outreach.
Disappearances in Mexico
Disappearances in Mexico undoubtedly represent the most serious human rights crisis in the country, as well as one of the most critical in the region. UNHR and partners are working to implement a commission on disappearances in Mexico. Students will analyze hybrid mechanisms, legal interpretations, and legal reforms relevant to the creation and operation of this commission.
Massacres in Bolivia
In 2019, following a coup d’etat, the de facto Bolivian government carried out two massacres of Indigenous protestors during what has been called “Black November.” UNHR has assisted the families of those killed since the massacres. Students will help develop a case against Bolivia’s former president for her role in the killings.
