The Hauser Center’s work with justice and human rights NGOs extends worldwide, embracing influential grassroots organizations from Colombia to Kenya, as well as the leading international NGOs in the field.

Our projects strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations and networks, promote learning and debate on critical questions for the field, and foster strategic alliances between nonprofit practitioners, scholars, students and other key actors working to advance justice and human rights.

We focus on creating timely, strategic opportunities for exchange – and providing effective infrastructural support – to leading justice and human rights NGOs who are confronting immediate community demands for justice, and are working to protect and strengthen human rights. Our overarching vision is that collective reflection and learning among NGO leaders and scholars on issues of strategic importance lays essential groundwork for more effective joint action and advocacy to advance peace, justice and human rights around the world. 
 

Areas of focus in our recent projects with NGO leaders, scholars and students include strategic planning and work plan development, leadership development, strengthening global and regional collaboration and networks, and measurement of organizational performance. Examples of our activities include:

·         Providing access to vital information by facilitating connections with significant justice and human rights actors including domestic and international human rights and justice NGOs, leaders of the International Criminal Court, and issue experts working in the same domain;

·         Supporting NGO network development by helping to coordinate the provision of mutual assistance (south-south) between domestic NGO participants from the global south, and supporting NGO leaders interested in serving as leadership for emerging networks and coalitions; 

·         Organizing cross-training workshops in which NGO leadership and governing officers participate in focused professional training programs and learning exchanges with each other and with invited experts and skill-providers;

·         Facilitating innovative joint ventures by assisting two or more NGOs to plan and implement experimental pilot projects to advance strategies identified in their work;

·         Increasing publicity and visibility by which we help boost the legitimacy and credentials of NGO participants through press releases and use of strategic communications and media;  

·         Producing working papers such as the 3-year work plans and strategies of the key actors in the international justice system, to guidelines for NGOs in countries where Rome Statute Crimes occur who would like to draw on the knowledge and learning from earlier NGO pioneers in this effort;

•      Conducting research initiatives in which selected Harvard faculty and graduate students collaborate with NGOs to produce research that can enhance analysis, assessment and learning among NGO networks, contribute to spirited discussion and support joint advocacy and focused projects, and provide comparative studies;

•     Amplifying and extending impact of scholar-and-practitioner exchange to the wider field through the domain blog, development and promotion of interactive media and tools, hosting of seminar and workshop series, curricula development, and outreach to other schools, allies, and sectors;