About Us

The Human Rights Implementation Centre is a leading institution for the implementation of human rights, that works in collaboration with a number of organisations and bodies, including those in the United Nations, the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights, the Council of Europe, governments and organisations at the national level.

    What we do

    The Human Rights Implementation Centre (HRIC) was established in 2009, within the Law School of the University of Bristol, to enhance the implementation of human rights worldwide through research, education and discussion. The HRIC’s work encompasses a range of activities, including:

    • conducting internationally recognised research aimed at enhancing human rights;
    • attending and hosting international conferences, workshops and events on human rights in law and practice
    • providing expert advice on human rights directly to treaty bodies, special procedures, governments, national human rights institutions and civil society organisations;
    • providing training on human rights law to practitioners, including government officials, and representatives from national human rights institutions and civil society organisations;
    • developing tools that can be used to facilitate implementation;
    • assisting in the development of standards and documents that help interpret human rights law obligations;
    • offering advice on human rights litigation at the national and regional levels;
    • providing opportunities for students to gain experience in human rights law, including through pro-bono legal research assistance under the Human Rights Law Clinic.

     

    Themes

    The HRIC works across a number of themes that aim to create a better understanding of, and ultimately strengthen, the implementation of human rights law. These include: 

    • Business and Human Rights
    • Children’s Rights and Rights to Education
    • Climate Justice and Human Rights
    • Critical Legal Studies and the Theory of Human Rights
    • European Convention on Human Rights
    • Gender, Sexuality and Human Rights
    • Human Rights in Africa
    • Human Rights in Armed Conflict
    • Labour and Human Rights
    • Mental Health and Human Rights
    • Migration, Statelessness and Refugee Rights
    • Repatriation
    • Trade, Sustainability and Human Rights
    • Torture Prevention and the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention Against Torture (OPCAT)
    • UK Human Rights Act and the protection of civil liberties (inc. Preserving democracy, privacy, family, freedom of expression, association and access to Justice)

     

    The HRIC is keen for its research to be practically applicable and relevant to a variety of academics, lawyers, policy-makers and other stakeholders. We hold various events in collaboration with others. Staff at the HRIC include leaders in international human rights law and are often sought for expert advice. They are recognised as being at the forefront of human rights research and have contributed major academic publications to leading journals. The HRIC also welcomes a number of visiting staff who are human rights experts and practitioners.  

     

    As a human rights organisation, the HRIC stands against those who contributed to slavery and other human rights violations, both past and present.

     

     

    Funding

    Funding for the work of the HRIC has come from a range of different sources both internal and external: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Oak Foundation, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Ministry of Justice, European Commission, Leverhulme Trust, and Open Society Foundations among others.