Conflict, Human Rights & Criminal Justice Clinical Programme

In the dynamic and rapidly growing field of international law and human rights, international courts and human rights bodies are increasingly benefiting from legal services provided by universities, think tanks and non-governmental organizations. Utrecht University is uniquely positioned, both in terms of its close proximity to The Hague and its close relationship with international courts and human rights bodies, to provide this quality legal assistance. 

The Clinical Programme on Conflict, Human Rights and International Justice of Utrecht University’s School of Law provides pro bono legal services to Hague-based international judicial institutions, as well as to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, in order to prepare students for future careers in international law by providing them with the necessary skills training and development to succeed.

The Clinical Programme is supported by the Utrecht University’s Willem Pompe Institute, a leading centre for criminal law and criminology, and the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights (SIM), a highly-regarded human rights research institute. Both institutes have long-standing reputations in the fields of criminal justice, international law and human rights. 

The Clinical Programme gives students unique accessibility to the relevant institutions, allowing them to gain first-hand knowledge of institutional dynamics, become involved in legal developments as they unfold, establish a wide-range of professional contacts and learn how to cope with the challenges typically faced by international lawyers.  The students receive intensive supervision from academics and practitioners, enabling them to expand their academic competence and nurture their research, drafting, strategy and advocacy skills. By becoming a leading academic provider of pro bono legal services to Hague-based international courts and tribunals, as well as to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, the Clinical Programme aims at facilitating the development and implementation of international human rights and international criminal justice.

Description of the Programme (pdf)