California university UCLA opens human rights institute in The Hague

The University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA) opened a human rights institute in The Hague. Promise Europe, as the institute is called, will focus on advancing international human rights policy “at a time when the world needs it most,” the university said.

Promise Europe director Kate Mackintosh, a veteran human rights activist and international lawyer, described The Hague as a “hub of international human rights policy and law.” The city hosts several international courts, including the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.

According to UCLA, the institute will collaborate with institutions, policymakers, practitioners, and academics and offer new opportunities for students in the field of human rights. Promise Europe already agreed to collaborate with the University of Amsterdam, which will provide classroom space for UCLA law students at its Asser Institute in The Hague. x

“Now more than ever, we must claim the authority of international law to protect civilians and remedy injustice, redoubling our efforts to train the advocates and generate solutions to human rights crises around the globe,” Mackintosh said.