Executive Education

Strategic Human Rights Litigation Summer School 2023: Focus on climate change and digital technology

The summer school provides a unique opportunity for human rights lawyers to brainstorm and network within a community of practice and to develop their skills to successfully bring cases to domestic, regional and international courts as well as mechanisms to achieve practical change. The 2023 summer school focused on human rights issues arising in two particular contexts: climate change and digital technology including digitisation of the State and access to services.

There is no fee to attend. The Open Society Justice Initiative (OSFJ) covers the participation fee, accommodation and travel costs including visas.

Purpose and priorities

The course aims to provide 20 participants with the opportunity to gain and share knowledge on human rights legal frameworks and developments within the context of climate change and digital technology; and to consider litigation strategically, as one step in the process of achieving social change. The curriculum combines presentations from leading academics and practitioners together with group discussions to “workshop” participants’ case ideas. This includes considering how to build a strong evidential record in support of a case, how to develop campaigning and advocacy to raise awareness of the issues involved, and how to implement a successful judgment.

The course enables participants to brainstorm and receive peer and expert feedback on their case ideas or ongoing work, with a possibility of further collaboration with the Open Society Justice Initiative (OSJI) in the form of continuing technical support and partnership. The course encourages the participating litigators to network with their worldwide peers who share their subject-matter interests and ambitions.

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Eligibility criteria

Eligible candidates must be practising lawyers, ideally with a minimum of three years’ post-qualification experience in human rights.

Instruction is in English. Participation fee, accommodation, food and travel costs including visas are paid by OSJI.

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Stay informed for the next summer school

Information about an upcoming summer school will be posted here.

Previous participants

In previous years, the summer school has included participants from Argentina, Antigua and Barbuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Turkey, United States, Nepal, Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, South Africa, Uganda, Iran, South Korea, Russia, Belarus, Macedonia, Montenegro, Peru, Sierra Leone, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, India, Germany, Mexico, Cambodia or the Phillipines. Once again the summer school is open to participants from across the world and we encourage applications from professionals coming from marginalised and underrepresented communities. Learn more about the 2023 edition of this programme here.

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Faculty

Summer school faculty consists of OSJI strategic litigators and external academics and practitioners in the fields of climate change and digital technology who use community engagement, in-court action and out-of-court advocacy to seek systemic change on emerging human rights issues.

 

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