Founded in 1989, the Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP) is a unique and successful model of human rights capacity building. HRAP capitalizes on its affiliation with Columbia University and its location in New York City to provide grassroots leaders the tools, knowledge, access, and networks to promote the realization of human rights and strengthen their respective organizations.
HRAP’s comprehensive program of advocacy, networking, skills-building, and academic coursework provides advocates the opportunity to hone practical skills, develop a deeper understanding of human rights, and foster mutually beneficial relationships with organizations and individuals in their respective fields.
Since 1989, more than 350 advocates from nearly 100 countries have participated in HRAP.
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Before I came to HRAP, I knew that people were suffering in Bosnia and that people were dying in Sudan. But when I came to HRAP, I met Advocates from Bosnia, Sudan, and other countries - people who are living and making a difference in their countries.
- 2010 Advocate Colette Lespinasse, Haiti
News
ISHR Professor Jo Becker Publishes New Book
ISHR Professor Jo Becker has published a new book titled “Lessons from Long-Haul Activists: How 25 People Changed the World—and What They Teach Us About Persistence, Strategy, and Hope.”
2010 Advocate Susan Aryeetey Reflects on The Lasting Impact of HRAP
Read 2010 Advocate Susan Aryeetey's reflection on her time at ISHR in the Human Rights Advocate Program (HRAP)
Advocate from El Salvador Awarded Literary Prize
2016 Advocate Carlos Santos, the Salvadoran author, journalist, and former political prisoner, was awarded the 2026 Literary Prize in the category of testimonial literature from the Casa de las Americas for his work "Dr. Muerte: Confessions."