CAHR announces details of the Sam Pegram Scholarship for the 2025/26 academic year
The Sam Pegram Scholarship provides one international student with full funding to pursue an LLM in International Human Rights Law and Practice offered by the York Law School and the Centre for Applied Human Rights.
Funding: Full tuition fee waiver, travel and visa costs, accommodation and living costs, and overseas placement.
Academic year: 2025/26
Open to: International (including EU) students
Qualification level: Postgraduate taught
Number available: 1
This is a full scholarship that covers tuition fees, accommodation, travel and visa costs, including an overseas placement to South Africa, and a monthly living stipend for one individual student.
The scholarship is generously provided by The Sam Pegram Humanitarian Foundation in memory of Sam Pegram, a caring, kind and talented young man who tragically died in the Ethiopian Airlines’ Boeing 737 Max crash, in 2019, en route to Nairobi.
After spending two years volunteering and working for humanitarian NGOs in Jordan, Sam came to the University of York to study the LLM in International Human Rights Law and Practice. After graduating, he secured a role as a research policy assistant for the Norwegian Refugee Council in Geneva, where he was working when he died.
Sam was a wonderful presence in the classroom. He was committed, thoughtful and reflexive in his fieldwork. He was deeply committed to humanitarianism, the rights of people on the move, and social justice in a broad sense. He remains deeply missed by his friends and family here at York, in Lancashire where he was from, and around the world.
Through this scholarship, others will have the opportunity to study on this course and make a positive difference for the rights of people on the move and human rights more generally.
Eligibility
Open to International (including EU) students only.
have applied to study on the LLM in International Human Rights Law and Practice at the University of York on a full-time basis
demonstrate that you have limited financial resources and that you need the scholarship to pursue your postgraduate studies
demonstrate a passion for human rights, either through your previous academic studies, professional work, or volunteer activities
have a demonstrable specific interest in migration issues, and that you wish to pursue or consolidate a career working on issues affecting people on the move, including generally and in relation to their social exclusion
have some lived experience of human rights challenges or migration issues.
How to apply
Apply online before the deadline on Saturday, 31st May 2025, 11.59pm BST
The European Master’s Programme in Human Rights and Democratisation (EMA)EMA is a one-year, full-time interdisciplinary programme that reflects the indivisible links between human rights, democracy, peace and development. The programme offers an action- and policy-oriented approach to studying human rights and democratization as well as offering an interdisciplinary approach to the intellectual frameworks that underpin human rights and democratization such as law, international relations, philosophy, history and anthropology.
While studying in a multicultural environment, students have the opportunity to be taught by leading academics representing the 43 EMA participating universities, representatives of international organizations (including the European Union, the United Nations and the Council of Europe), NGO experts and activists and human rights defenders.
EMA is both a residential and an exchange programme, structured in two semesters. Students spend their first semester (September to January) at the Global Campus of Human Rights headquarters in Venice. During the second semester they are hosted by one of the participating universities where they follow courses and prepare a research thesis.
The call for applications for the academic year 2025/2026 is now open
Deadline for both scholarship and self-funded applicants: 2 February 2025
Objectives of AfriSIG. AfriSIG’s primary goal is to give Africans from multiple sectors and stakeholder groups the opportunity to gain knowledge that will enable them to participate confidently and effectively in national, regional and global internet governance processes and debates. AfriSIG seeks also to give fellows the opportunity to participate actively at the AfIGF as speakers, moderators, and rapporteurs. The dates and location of this year’s AfIGF are still to be confirmed.
Curriculum
The School will run throughout six days, and will be structured to include intensive learning and knowledge sharing that covers: An overview of internet governance concepts, issues and institutions; Internet architecture, infrastructure, standards and protocols and management of internet names and numbers; Internet governance and social issues: gender, human rights and development; Cybersecurity, multistakeholder approaches and emerging issues in internet governance such as algorithms and the “internet of things”; The highlight of the school is a practicum in which participants have to tackle an actual internet-related policy challenge and come up with an agreed solution or statement.
Eligibility
The School will accept applications from a wide range of professionals including human rights defenders and NGO leaders.
Costs and Scholarships
Applicants can apply for a scholarship to attend the school. However, given the limited number of scholarships, self-funded and sponsored applicants are encouraged to apply. The full course fee, which covers accommodation, meals, course material, and tuition, is USD 2,000. This excludes travel. Scholarships will cover air travel, shared accommodation and meal costs for the duration of the School. Successful applicants have the option of staying in a single room, but they would need to cover the additional cost themselves. The deadline for applications is Saturday, 1 June 2019.
The Scottish newspaper the National reports that a human rights fellowship has been launched in Scotland:
Equalities Secretary Angela Constance welcomed the move
Two international human rights defenders will come to Scotland for three months to study under a new research fellowship. Participants will soon be invited to apply for the scheme which will combine study at the University of Dundee with the opportunity to build relationships and share expertise with Scottish human rights and equality organisations. The Scottish Human Rights Defender Fellowship will be a partnership between the Scottish Government and the University of Dundee, supported by the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and campaign groups Front Line Defenders, Amnesty International, Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund and Beyond Borders.
The Scottish Government said it is part of on-going work to promote human rights. Equalities Secretary Angela Constance MSP said: “Across the globe there are people defending basic human rights that everybody should be able to take for granted. From standing against torture, arbitrary detention and discrimination, to campaigning for access to housing, health care, education, food and water. “Often this requires great self-sacrifice in the face of persistent difficulties, abuse and even threats to personal safety. As a country that firmly believes in human rights and equality, we will stand shoulder to shoulder with them and offer practical help where we can. “This fellowship provides a place of safety so participants can carry out research, develop new skills, build networks and return better equipped to continue their work fighting for the fundamental rights we need to demand for each other.”
The initial 2018 fellowship, with two recipients visiting from September, will cost £35,000.
Professor Nick Fyfe, Dean of the School of Social Sciences at the University of Dundee, said: “We are proud to be the host partner for the Human Rights Defenders Fellowship.“With significant expertise in human rights and an interdisciplinary approach championed by our Institute for Social Sciences Research, we are confident that the fellows will find a strong and welcoming community of human rights researchers ready to help them make the most of the three months they will spend working with the Scottish Government, Scottish universities and Scottish civil society organisations.”
The Daughters for Life Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2017 Scholarships Program. The Foundation is looking for outstanding female students, who would like to take their education to the next level. It is offering up to 10 scholarships for the next academic year for students to follow their dreams at universities in North America, South Asia, and the UK. The foundation’s goal is to represent the interests of young women of all nationalities, ethnicities, and religious affiliations across the Middle East. So far, more than 30 young scholars have enrolled in universities and colleges across North America, the United Kingdom, and Bangladesh. Submission deadline: December 16, 2016
Izzeldin Abuelaish started the Daughters for Life organization after his daughters were tragically killed. Since then he’s devoted his life to promoting the higher education of young women in the Middle East and around the world. He has helped nearly 400 girls since 2010 achieve their dreams. He said seeing these remarkable women move to change the world is keeping his daughters memory alive. I reported earlier that even this kind of approach was considered ‘controversial’ by some [https://humanrightsdefenders.blog/2016/04/13/human-rights-museum-controversy-izzeldin-abuelaishfor-palestinian-doctor-gallery/]
Some support structures suffer from a lack of general knowledge. Here is one that I came across recently.
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH), in conjunction with the Scholars at Risk (SAR) Germany Section, convened the 3rd Workshop on the Philipp Schwartz Initiative (PSI) in Berlin, bringing together SAR staff, Philipp Schwartz Fellows, representatives of universities and research institutions in Germany supporting threatened scholars, and representatives from partner organizations.
As a part of AvH and supported by the German Federal Foreign Office and other private funders, the PSI provides universities and research institutions in Germany with the means to host at-risk foreign researchers with two-year, fully funded fellowships. Since the summer of 2016, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation has invited applications to the PSI on behalf of scholars regardless of country of origin, current location, or academic field, as long as a demonstrable threat can be confirmed. The PSI is currently sponsoring more than 60 researchers, 34 of whom are SAR scholars. This number will undoubtedly grow, as the PSI has recently confirmed funding for an additional 30 grants. Applications in the context of the Philipp Schwartz Initiative cannot be submitted at this time. Applicants in the 3rd round will be informed of the outcome by 30 June 2017.
For more information about the important work being done, visit the Philipp Schwartz Initiative’s homepage and consult the most recent issue of AvH’s magazine, Humboldt Kosmos.
Who can apply? Please note that researchers cannot apply on an individual basis only through host institutions in Germany.
Research-performing institutions in Germany in the following categories may apply:
public and state-recognised universities, including universities of applied sciences (“Fachhochschulen”)
Max Planck Institutes, Helmholtz Institutes, Leibniz Institutes, Fraunhofer Institutes
Federal and State Research Institutes
other research-performing institutions that can convincingly demonstrate their research focus and infrastructures
Successful applicants will be able to grant a Philipp Schwartz Fellowship to a threatened researcher. In detail:
institutions that were successful in the 1st or 2nd call for applications (no submission of support concepts in 3rd call; only nomination of researcher)
institutions that applied but were not successful in the 1st or 2nd call for applications
institutions that have not applied for Philipp Schwartz funding before
Who is eligible for a Philipp Schwartz fellowship?
Threatened researchers from any academic field and any country of origin who
have completed their doctorate or a comparable academic degree (PhD, CSc or equivalent)
have not been resident outside their own country for more than three years; researchers who hold German university entrance qualifications (“Bildungsinländer”) are not eligible
possess the language skills required to successfully conduct their research projects
possess potential to be integrated into the (research-related) job market
who have not yet been funded in the context of the Philipp Schwartz Initiative
persons that have access to residence in safe countries due to multiple citizenship and German citizens are not eligible for nomination
multiple nominations of one person by several institutions are not permitted
The Humboldt Foundation imposes no restrictions with regard to country of origin or current location if the threat can be confirmed in accordance with the programme guidelines.
What does the funding include?
fellowship funds including subsidies of 3,500 EUR/month for up to 24 months
a one-off lump sum of 12,000 EUR for the host institution
How can a threat to a researcher be confirmed in the context of the Philipp Schwartz Initiative?
In the context of the Philipp Schwartz Initiative, a pertinent threat of researchers who are demonstrably threatened in their countries can be confirmed in two ways:
by way of a residence status in the context of an asylum-granting procedure that confirms a recognised threat
by way of a credible threat assessment from a third party, such as the Scholars at Risk Network, the Scholar Rescue Fund, or the Council for At-Risk Academics
Giselle Portenier (CNW Group/Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma)
Independent documentary-makers and freelance journalists working to expose human rights abuses can compete for a bursary to help them obtain hostile environment training, more usually made available to journalists working in war zones. The 2016 Portenier Human Rights Bursary competition, offered by the Canadian Journalism Forum on Violence and Trauma, opened on 16 May and closes on June 30. The annual bursary, introduced last year, is sponsored by the documentary-maker Giselle Portenier. Read the rest of this entry »
The European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and the Kreuzberger Kinderstiftung, the scholarship sponsor, recognize that there continue to be barriers to entry into the human rights profession that go against the spirit of our work, i.e. when economic or social considerations prevent potential participants from taking part. Therefore they offer young people with limited financial means and/or from underrepresented geographic and social backgrounds the chance to gain professional experience in human rights work.
The call for applications is aimed at students and young professionals (max one year after graduation) who wish to apply for ECCHR’s Legal Training Program but whose personal and financial situation would make it impossible to participate on an unpaid basis. Candidates from the Global South as well as refugees and others with a migration background are especially encouraged to apply.
“Defending Human Rights” is a part-time distance learning programme delivered wholly online in a fully supported environment by the Centre for Applied Human Rights at the University of York in the UK. The programme was piloted successfully last year, with the support of the Sigrid Rausing Trust and Open Society Foundation. Students can take one, two or three modules as a continuing professional development student, without academic credit, or complete all three modules as a postgraduate student, with academic credit. Postgraduate students who complete all three credit-bearing modules are awarded a Postgraduate Certificate in Defending Human Rights.
Scholarships available to cover 50% of fees (especially several people sign up from one organisation).
Online teaching by tutors and guest lecturers with practical field experience
Modules in International Human Rights Law and Advocacy, Working Safely: Managing Risk and Strengthening Protection, and Leading and Managing Effective Human Rights Organisations.
How can human rights defenders lead and manage human rights organisations well? How can human rights defenders practice rights-based approaches and principles in their workplace? What key issues do human rights defenders face when working in organisations? These are the questions that inspired the Centre for Applied Human Rights, University of York, United Kingdom, to run a 10-week course from 23 April to 1 July 2014. This module is aimed at human rights defenders and practitioners interested in leading and managing organisations more effectively.
This course is part of CAHR’s Defending Human Rightsdistance learning programme delivered wholly online in a fully supported environment. Students can take one, two or three modules as a continuing professional development (CPD) student, without academic credit, or complete all three modules as a postgraduate student, with academic credit. Postgraduate students who complete all three credit-bearing modules are awarded a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) in Defending Human Rights.
Partial scholarships (50 percent of fees) are available for both types of students in non-OECD countries who are:
actively involved in human rights work; and
either hold a leadership position in a civil society organisation or demonstrate strong potential for such leadership.
Hans Thoolen on Human Rights Defenders and their awards 