About the Center

Opportunities for Deferred Graduates and Furloughed Associates

Fellowship with the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions

About the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions
Professor Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, is responsible for investigating and responding to unlawful killings in countries throughout the world. His work is supported by the Project on Extrajudicial Executions, at the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, NYU School of Law. The Project is directed by Sarah Knuckey, and its Senior Adviser is Hina Shamsi. The Special Rapporteur and Project on Extrajudicial Executions activities include: research into allegations of unlawful killings; provision of training and organization of conferences and research directed at understanding and reducing unlawful killings; extensive consultation with domestic and international civil society and UN actors on issues within the Special Rapporteur's mandate; fact-finding missions and preparation of reports on country situations; critical and theoretical study of the law and policy related to unlawful killings; legal and policy research to inform reform measur es.

More information on the mandate of the Special Rapporteur and about the work of the Project is available at www.extrajudicialexecutions.org.

Fellowship with the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial executions
The fellow would work closely with Professor Philip Alston, the UN Special Rapporteur, and with the Project Director and the Project's Senior Adviser. The fellow will assist in the conceptualization, research and implementation of two specific projects. The first project will examine "targeted killings" under international law, with an anticipated focus on targeting based on alleged “direct participation in hostilities” in non-international armed conflict. It aims to assess the human rights and humanitarian law implications of recent legal and political developments. The second project is on the methodology, nature, and problems of human rights fact-finding. This project aims to assess, from a multidisciplinary perspective (including forensic science, anthropology, criminal justice etc.), the current methodologies employed by human rights advocates, the obstacles to effective fact-finding, the problems with the approaches employed, and how fact-finding can be improved. Each project will culminate i n a conference or consultation of experts, and the publication of research and findings.

Fellows should submit a resume, statement of interest, and two recent writing samples to Sarah Knuckey, sarah.knuckey@nyu.edu. Applications will be accepted and considered on a rolling basis.

Fellowships on Caste Discrimination, FOIA Litigation, and Business and Human Rights Database

The CHRGJ has opportunities for deferred graduates and furloughed associates to come work on one or more of the following projects at the Center. All of the projects are under the rubric of the CHRGJ and/or its project, the International Human Rights Clinic. Please note that these are the three core projects; if you or your firm has someone who is extremely interested in being placed at the Center but would like to work on one of our other key thematic areas of work, we would consider this.

Caste Discrimination
The Center has consistently worked to widen the human rights movement’s anti-discrimination agenda to move beyond the race paradigm to also look at discrimination based on caste, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, immigration status, as well as race. To date, the Center has published a number of landmark reports pertaining to caste discrimination in South Asia (India and Nepal) and continues to engage in a number of research and advocacy projects related to caste discrimination. Specifically the work involved in this project entails: developing and implementing strategies to ensure that caste-based discrimination is addressed in Nepal’s new constitution and other transitional justice mechanisms; developing a U.S. advocacy strategy on caste discrimination; research caste-based discrimination in other countries in South Asia; and identifying “best practice” models for addressing caste-based discrimination.

FOIA Litigation
In 2007, along with Amnesty International USA, and the Center for Constitutional Rights, the International Human Rights Clinic, a project of the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at New York University School of Law, filed suit in the Southern District of New York against the CIA and other federal government agencies for failing to properly respond to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests seeking information regarding the U.S.'s “black site” and extraordinary rendition program. Since then, Plaintiffs have been litigating through intensive motion practice and negotiating the government's searching, processing, and release of responsive documents. The work involved includes development of strategy, oral and written negotiation, legal research and brief writing, media and public advocacy.

Business and Human Rights Documentation Project
CHRGJ along with the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) is developing a dynamic web-based advocacy and educational resource called the Business and Human Rights Documentation Project (B-HRD.org). B-HRD.org utilizes a rights-based framework to identify the impact businesses have across industries and regions on the full spectrum of rights embodied under international law. In addition to providing a user-friendly tool for locating reliable reporting and other sources of information on business activity that affects human rights, B-HRD.org will provide users with updated information concerning certain key, ongoing situations of human rights abuses, draw attention to relevant case law and media coverage, highlight the work of organizations or individuals who have attempted to seek redress for the alleged abuses, and promulgate urgent action messages as appropriate. Finally, B-HRD.org will also link users to scholarly working papers on issues surrounding business and h uman rights as part of an effort to disseminate such scholarship and to encourage additional contributions to the field.

Interested candidates should submit a resume, statement of interest, and furlough/deferral terms to Veerle Opgenhaffen at opgenhaffen@exchange.law.nyu.edu. Applications will be accepted and considered on a rolling basis.

Internships

The Center for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHRGJ) at NYU School of Law is currently accepting student applications for unpaid internships working on the following projects.

• Center Website Project

  As part of our efforts to better highlight the Center's projects and events we are looking to add more dynamic features to our website, including videos and photo galleries. The intern for this project would work closely with the Center Program Assistant to reformat media files and develop HTML language for posting. Some necessary updates would be dictated, but the ideal applicant would also offer dynamic proposals for improving the website out of their own initiative. Currently all website updates are made using FTP Commander. One intern is sought to help with this project.
  Applicants are not required to be NYU students. Hours are flexible and will be agreed upon between the Program Assistant and Applicant. Interest in promoting human rights is also a welcome and appreciated asset.

Please send a resume and cover letter indicating your website project interest to:

Kelly Ryan
ryank@exchange.law.nyu.edu
40 Washington Square South, 310
New York, New York 10012

For the remaining projects list below please send a resume and cover letter indicating your project interest to:

Veerle Opgenhaffen
Opgenhaffen@juris.law.nyu.edu
110 West 3rd Street, Suite 203
New York, New York 10012

• Business and Human Rights Database Project

  As part of our focus on Economic, Social and Cultural rights, the Center is working with the International Network for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ESCR-Net) to create a Business and Human Rights Database—a searchable database that uses our innovative rights-based framework to aggregate and organize a comprehensive body of human rights reports that detail business impacts on human rights. The site will feature “In Focus” pages that highlight particular case studies and soft and legal remedies pursued to seek accountability for corporate abuses. Two interns are sought to help research, input, summarize, and organize the database content for a Fall 2009 launch.
  A two semester commitment is preferred. Applicant must be a (NYU or non-NYU) law student or an international affairs student focusing on corporate accountability. 6-15 hour/week commitment preferred.

• Human rights and counter-terrorism

  The Center’s focus on the international and human rights law implications of counter-terrorism and national security policies has led to cutting-edge scholarship published in law reviews, books, and online forums as well as reports published by the Center on the issues of informal transfers of terrorism suspects; the intersection of human rights and other bodies of law, such as aviation law; and norms governing inter-State collaboration in intelligence activities. Through the International Human Rights Clinic we also undertake ground-breaking representation of two former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) “black site” detainees. The International Human Rights Clinic is also a plaintiff, along with the Center for Constitutional Rights and Amnesty International USA, in a Freedom of Information (FOIA) litigation. One intern is sought for help with media tracking, research, and analysis around the U.S. rendition, secret detention, and coercive interrogation programs. The internship will also require some as sistance with investigative missions to be conducted by Center staff during Fall 2008.
  Swahili and/or Arabic skills a strong plus. 6-15 hour/week commitment preferred. Applicant must be a (NYU or non-NYU) law student.

• Gender and Counter-Terrorism

  In March 2009, the Center will host a high-level expert consultation meeting of prominent scholars to inform a U.N. report on the topic of gender and counter-terrorism and an associated book project. The intern working on this project would identify and undertake a rigorous analysis of the existing scholarly work on this topic, assist in proposing and developing topics and case-studies for the project, assist with organizing the consultation (including through outreach to expert participants), and generally assist the Center’s Jayne Huckerby in additional related research, writing, and outreach tasks.
  Applicant must be a (NYU or non-NYU) law student. 6-15 hour/week commitment preferred.

General

CHRGJ offers part-time (Fall, Spring and Summer) and full-time (Summer) unpaid internships. We welcome applications from both NYU and non-NYU undergraduate and graduate students from a wide range of disciplines. The Center may also additionally seek interns to work on specific projects for specified time periods.

Interns generally provide both administrative support and undertake substantive work on key projects and research areas of the Center. The particular work undertaken by an intern will depend both on Center need and intern expertise.

Internships are advertised on the Center’s website and distributed through relevant listserves at NYU and other academic institutions. The Center also accepts unsolicited internship applications that contain a statement of interest and curriculum vitae. These applications should be sent to: Veerle Opgenhaffen, Program Director, CHRGJ at opgenhaffen@juris.law.nyu.edu

Due to the large volume of internship applications received, the Center will only reply to successful applicants.