NYU Center for Human Rights & Global Justice

What NYU Center for Human Rights & Global Justice does

The NYU Center for Human Rights & Global Justice (CHRGJ) is an academic research and advocacy center housed within NYU School of Law, founded in 2002 to operate the International Law and Human Rights (ILHR) Fellowship Program and expanded since into a multi-program action-research hub. It pursues scholarship, education, field building, advocacy, and legal practice across six issue areas: climate and environment, technology and human rights, inequalities, prevention and conflict, the human rights movement, and the future of rights and governance. Core programs include the Global Justice Clinic (GJC) for social-movement lawyering, the Earth Rights Research & Action (TERRA) Program for ecological emergencies, the COMPASS initiative on AI governance, and the Prevention Project for upstreaming efforts to prevent mass atrocities.

CHRGJ's "products" are not commercial offerings but programmatic outputs: open-access publications (notably the International Human Rights textbook by Philip Alston and "Climate Change on Trial" by César Rodríguez-Garavito), strategic toolkits (Climate Law Accelerator, Right to a Healthy Environment database, PEPP Framework for nonhuman animal communication technologies), clinical legal education for NYU Law students, and convening events including the MOTH Festival of Ideas, FORGE Gatherings, and the Emilio Mignone Lecture Series on Transitional Justice. The portfolio is supported by 21 staff, four Faculty Directors, an Executive Director, and program directors across each vertical, with leadership credentialled by prior UN service (notably Pablo de Greiff, former UN Special Rapporteur).

The center operates as a non-profit unit within NYU, with no commercial revenue model. Operations are funded through NYU School of Law institutional support, external foundation grants, and individual donations. Distribution occurs via open-access digital platforms, dedicated sub-brand websites (humanrightstextbook.org, clxtoolkit.com, mothrights.org, r2heinfo.com, forge-program.com), NYU academic programs, and partnerships with UN agencies (UNDP, DPPA, OHCHR, UNEP) and grassroots civil society organizations in Haiti, Guyana, the Dominican Republic, and across Africa.

Name

NYU Center for Human Rights & Global Justice

Legal name

Center for Human Rights and Global Justice

Website

https://chrgj.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The NYU Center for Human Rights & Global Justice is a non-profit academic research center at NYU School of Law, founded in 2002, conducting scholarship, education, advocacy, and legal practice on climate, AI governance, inequalities, and conflict prevention for students, practitioners, and civil society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human rights research and advocacy services

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Law School Research Centers & Institutes (e.g., Law & Economics, Human Rights) (EDAHAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rule of Law & Justice Sector Reform (BPADAGAB), Rule of Law, Justice & Corrections Support in Conflict Settings (BPADAFAI), Democracy, Human Rights & Governance Assistance (BPADABAG)

Keywords

• Human rights research
• Legal education
• Policy advocacy
• Transitional justice
• Climate litigation

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) is an academic action-research hub that produces scholarship, training, advocacy, and legal practice in human rights and global justice. Its offering centers on legal clinics (Global Justice Clinic, TERRA Program), research and policy initiatives (Prevention Project, COMPASS, MOTH, R2HE), educational programs (fellowships, internships, transitional justice leadership program), and open-access publications such as the International Human Rights textbook.

Product overview

NYU Center for Human Rights & Global Justice is an academic research and advocacy hub comprising multiple interconnected programs. The core offerings include the Global Justice Clinic (GJC) for social justice legal work, the Earth Rights Research & Action (TERRA) Program for ecological emergencies, COMPASS for AI governance, and the Prevention Project for preventing mass human rights violations. Key sub-products include the Climate Law Accelerator (CLX) for climate litigation, the More Than Human Life (MOTH) Program for nonhuman rights, Right to a Healthy Environment (R2HE) toolkit, Transformer States digital government research, and FORGE future of rights program. Educational offerings include the International Human Rights Textbook, International Law and Human Rights Fellowship, Transitional Justice Leadership Program, and IHFFC Internship. The portfolio is unified by scholarship, education, field building, advocacy, and legal practice across climate, technology, inequalities, and conflict prevention.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Global Justice Clinic (GJC): A clinic at NYU Law that partners with social movement and community organizations to prevent, challenge, and redress economic, racial, climate, and migration injustice while training the next generation of social justice lawyers.
• Earth Rights Research & Action (TERRA NYU Law)
• COMPASS (Commons on Machines, Policy, Automation, and Society)
• The Prevention Project
• Digital Welfare State and Human Rights Project

Products and services

• Global Justice Clinic (GJC) A clinical program at NYU Law that partners with social movement and community organizations to prevent, challenge, and redress economic, racial, climate, and migration injustice while training the next generation of social justice lawyers. Includes projects on Climate Justice and Reparations, Mining Justice, Indigenous Land Rights, Haitian Immigrant Rights, and the Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative.
• Earth Rights Research & Action (TERRA) Program An interdisciplinary research, legal action, and advocacy program on ecological emergencies combining international environmental law and human rights tools to preserve conditions for life on Earth. Includes the Climate Law Accelerator (CLX), the More Than Human Life (MOTH) Program, and the Right to a Healthy Environment (R2HE) initiative.
• Climate Law Accelerator (CLX) A global collaborative hub that catalyzes legal strategies, tools, and ideas needed to secure urgent climate action. Hosts a strategic litigation tracker, global case database, casebook, and educational videos on climate law and rights-based climate litigation.
• More Than Human Life (MOTH) Program An interdisciplinary initiative advancing rights and well-being for humans, non-humans, and the web of life. Includes the MOTH Festival of Ideas, the Crossing the River podcast, and legal frameworks for nonhuman animal communication technologies (NACTs), including the PEPP Framework.
• Right to a Healthy Environment (R2HE) A collaboration with the UN Environment Programme documenting and analyzing trends in the implementation of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Includes a case database, casebook, strategies, and publications.
• Prevention Project A project dedicated to broadening and upstreaming global efforts to prevent mass human rights violations. Develops evidence-based prevention strategies through thematic workstreams including Constitutional/Legal Tools, Security, State Capture, Civil Society, Psychosocial Support, and Culture.
• COMPASS (Commons on Machines, Policy, Automation, and Society) An initiative dedicated to bridging the gap between rapidly advancing AI and the legal, ethical, and policy frameworks needed to govern it. A collaborative commons bringing together researchers and practitioners from law, social sciences, technology, natural sciences, design, journalism, and civic leadership, with focus on large language models, generative AI, and algorithmic decision-making systems.
• International Human Rights Textbook Open-access international human rights textbook by Philip Alston providing a critical approach to international human rights law. Used by students, educators, researchers, and practitioners worldwide; the 2026 version is available for free digital download.
• Transitional Justice Leadership Program Annual program selecting incoming NYU Law LLM students for engagement through coursework, scholarship, and internships with the Prevention Project. Led by Pablo de Greiff, former UN Special Rapporteur.
• International Law and Human Rights (ILHR) Fellowship Fellowship program operating since 2002 that offers NYU Law students specialized training in international law and summer internship placements at leading human rights organizations. Includes participation in the Emerging Scholars Conference.
• IHFFC Internship Internship program with the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission for NYU JD students, running part-time (6.5 hours/week) over 14 months and providing experience in international humanitarian law and fact-finding.
• FORGE Program (Future of Human Rights and Governance) A platform for dialogue, collaboration, and innovation in human rights and justice, providing gatherings, talks, and experiments for change. Addresses challenges including politics of rights, funding, data and technology, and narrative strategies.
• Transformer States A research series on digital government and human rights featuring in-depth interviews with practitioners and academics. Includes case studies on digital welfare states, surveillance, and algorithmic decision-making across countries including India, Kenya, Australia, China, and the EU.

Quantifiable outcome

• Since 2002, the ILHR Fellowship Program has trained enrolled NYU School of Law students in international law and human rights
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability7 records

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• NYU School of LawcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe center is housed at and supported by NYU School of Law, benefiting from academic, intellectual, and institutional resources including staff and operational support.
• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with UNDP on the Joint Programme on Building National Capacities for Conflict Prevention, including integration workshops and policy development.
• United Nations Department of Political Affairs (DPPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint programming on prevention efforts and integration workshops for conflict prevention at national levels.
• UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in prevention workshops and collaboration on advancing human rights frameworks at international level.
• International Center for Transitional JusticemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosts the Emilio Mignone Lecture Series on Transitional Justice and collaborates on program development.
• Institute for International Law and JusticemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with the ILHR Fellowship Program to provide international law training and internship placements.
• Kolektif Jistis Min (Justice in Mining Collective)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLongstanding partnership since 2013 with Haitian social movement organizations to build power of communities affected by mining and promote accountability.
• South Rupununi District Council (SRDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership since 2016 with the legal representative body for the Wapichan people of Guyana for territorial monitoring, legal empowerment, and earth defense activities.
• Bernstein Institute for Human Rights at NYU LawmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on the Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative and collaborative legal advocacy programs.
• Legal Empowerment Advocacy HubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative for legal empowerment and incarcerated individuals.
• MOTH FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the More-Than-Human Life Festival of Ideas exploring rights and well-being for humans, non-humans, and the web of life.
• Project CETI (Cetacean Translation Initiative)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research collaboration on understanding whale communication and its legal implications for nonhuman rights.
• UN Environment ProgrammemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the Right to a Healthy Environment (R2HE) initiative documenting trends and developments in environmental rights.
• Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA LawmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research partnership on climate justice in Haiti and the case for reparations.
• Centro MontalvomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Dominican social justice organization to support community self-determination in facing mining expansion.
• Forest Peoples ProgrammemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDevelopment of introductory materials on carbon markets for Indigenous communities worldwide.
• Amnesty InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership (2017-2020) on research investigating legal accountability measures to address state surveillance of human rights defenders.
• NYU Hemispheric Institute of Performance and PoliticsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative project Rights without Borders supporting Haitian immigrant rights across the Americas.
• Haitian Bridge AlliancemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on advocacy efforts for Haitian migrants including FOIA requests and deportation challenges.
• Institute for Justice and Democracy in HaitimajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on legal advocacy and accountability efforts in Haiti.
• Technology Law and Policy Clinic at NYU LawmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on commercial spyware research alongside Robert L. Bernstein Institute for Human Rights.
• Public Interest Law Center at NYUcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministers stipends for the International Law and Human Rights Fellowship Program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ): International NGO focused on transitional justice, accountability, and prevention — areas directly overlapping with CHRGJ's Prevention Project and Transitional Justice Leadership Program. ICTJ is also an existing CHRGJ partner.
• Bernstein Institute for Human Rights at NYU Law: Sister NYU Law institute also focused on human rights scholarship and advocacy. Direct peer within the same parent institution, with overlapping thematic areas and joint initiatives (e.g., Jailhouse Lawyer Initiative).
• Harvard Human Rights Program: Harvard Law School center advancing human rights research and practice with a comparable blend of scholarship, training, and practitioner engagement. Highly comparable in institutional setting and outputs.
• University of Minnesota Human Rights Center: University-based human rights center producing interdisciplinary research and policy engagement. Comparable in mission and academic-center operating model.
• Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA Law: UCLA Law-based human rights center conducting research and advocacy on accountability and justice — directly comparable as a peer law school institute. Already a research partner with CHRGJ on climate justice in Haiti.
• Georgetown Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law: University-based law school center producing scholarship, training, and advocacy on human rights and humanitarian law. Direct analog to CHRGJ as a peer-tier academic hub with similar convening and clinical training functions.

Emerging players

• Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL): Inter-American human rights organization focused on strategic litigation before regional and UN bodies. Comparable to CHRGJ's Global Justice Clinic approach of partnering with movements on rights-based litigation in Latin America.

Regional players

• Forest Peoples Programme: International NGO supporting Indigenous peoples' rights, including on land, resources, and carbon markets. Comparable to CHRGJ's Indigenous Land Rights work; already an existing partner on carbon-market materials.

Broad incumbents

• Amnesty International: Global human rights NGO with research, advocacy, and litigation capabilities overlapping CHRGJ's areas (e.g., surveillance of human rights defenders — past CHRGJ partner). Significantly larger scope and global footprint.
• Human Rights Watch: Large, established international human rights organization that conducts investigations, advocacy, and litigation across the issues CHRGJ researches. Overlapping themes but operating at much greater scale and with a broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@humanrightsnyu
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/humanrightsnyu
• Instagraminstagram.com/humanrightsnyu

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NYU Center for Human Rights & Global Justice