Center for Global Law and Justice Brings Students to Forefront of International Human Rights Advocacy
11.10.2025 — Amy Van Zyl-Chavarro, legal program manager at Northeastern Law's Center for Global Law and Justice (CGLJ), recently represented the center at two significant international law events in New York, bringing students to engage with pressing global human rights issues, including climate change, human trafficking, access to food and housing, access to adequate healthcare and accurate health information, the right of children to maintain ties to their families, and the right to liberty and security of persons, and the right not to be arbitrarily or inhumanely detained.
“Hearing directly from affected individuals reminded students of the importance of centering their advocacy on the hopes, needs and perspectives of impacted communities and victims. Students also learned from seasoned practitioners and scholars how to grapple with these complex challenges and work toward developing legal responses to them,” said Van Zyl-Chavarro. “Including law students in these academic and professional conversations is vital for developing a deeper understanding of the issues, for strengthening the analytical skills they'll need as practicing attorneys and for preparing them to inherit and advance this critical human rights work.”
Van Zyl-Chavarro and Lauren Resner ’27 participated in the Peoples’ UPR, an event organized by University of Illinois and St. Louis University law school clinics and co-sponsored by multiple organizations, including CGLJ. The event centered on the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the United States before the United Nations Human Rights Council, which was scheduled for November 7. The UPR is a peer review mechanism where all UN member states take turns being evaluated by fellow countries. The Peoples’ UPR was organized pursuant to an announcement by the US that it would not participate in its UPR, as an alternative venue where testimonies of victims of human rights violations in the United States could still be heard. More than 30 directly impacted persons testified (in person and via video) in a room overlooking the UN headquarters in New York City. In addition to members of civil society, law students and advocates, representatives of the press and of Permanent Missions to the UN were also present, both in person and online, along with UN experts. Upon the failure of the US to show for its review on November 7, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a decision urging the US to resume cooperation with the UPR process, with a view to rescheduling the review to 2026. Should the US continue to boycott the UPR, this will mark the first time in almost 20 years of UPR history that a UN member state refuses to attend its own review.
Van Zyl-Chavarro also attended International Law Weekend (ILW), hosted by the American Branch of the International Law Association at Fordham Law School. She was accompanied by Ebyan Abshir ’28 and Resner.
“Attending the Peoples’ UPR and ILW conferences was both sobering and inspiring,” said Resner. “It was a reminder of the immense human toll of injustice, cruelty and apathy. Yet, it was also a reminder of the power of collective action to reclaim our shared humanity through action and care.”
In reference to the ILW conference, Abshir said: “I really enjoyed the opening panel ‘2025 Emerging Voices’ and how it set the tone of young voices leading the conference. I also appreciated the different talks discussing the increasing need to recognize climate change and environmental law as inherently connected to international human rights law.” Both students were excited to learn more about recent jurisprudence from international and regional courts that solidifies the link between climate change and human rights.
The ILW conference also coincided with the 80th anniversary of the United Nations. This milestone provided a valuable opportunity to hear international law experts, UN officials and career diplomats reflect on the international community's achievements and shortcomings over these eight decades, while also imagining how the UN might evolve to meet today’s pressing challenges as well as those still to come.
About Northeastern University School of Law
The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country. Northeastern guarantees its students unparalleled practical legal work experiences through its signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. More than 1,100 employers worldwide in a wide range of legal, government, nonprofit and business organizations participate in the program. With a focus on social justice and innovation, Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experiences to successfully practice law.
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