Based at the USC Gould School of Law, the Donna and Spencer Gilbert Global Justice & Human Rights Center engages students, scholars, and practitioners in interdisciplinary education, research, and projects that advance human rights and justice for all. The Center seeks to strengthen international law and institutions for atrocity prevention and accountability, refugee rights, and transitional justice in the wake of serious human rights violations worldwide.
Train and expand the next generation of human rights advocates with a deep understanding of how antisemitism, racism, and all forms of xenophobia and hate lead to violence and atrocity.
Engage in critical scholarship and thought leadership that fosters respect for universal human rights and counters injustice through international law and institutions.
Develop impactful policies and programs with victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression to seek protection, accountability, and transitional justice.
A. Peter Kezirian Jr. ’89 Fellowship in Public Service and International Law: Each year, the Center will award funding for students pursuing opportunities for work with non-governmental organizations, intergovernmental organizations or governments that advances human rights, accountability and the public interest through international law.
Distinguished Lecture on the Human Rights Legacy of the Holocaust: The Center will host a distinguished lecture honoring an international law jurist or scholar who will speak on the legacy of the Holocaust for the development of modern-day human rights and international criminal law at the national and international levels.
Nuremberg to The Hague (N2H) Summer Course: Participating students will have the opportunity to travel to Poland and Germany in July to learn about the history of the Holocaust, the Nuremberg Tribunal, and international criminal justice and human rights law.
Speaker Series: The Center will host or co-sponsor public lectures, academic and practitioner panels, career events, and film screenings locally, nationally, and globally to disseminate knowledge on human rights, and international criminal justice, and foster interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue across the university.
Established in 2011, the International Human Rights Clinic trains the next generation of human rights advocates by engaging student attorneys in cases and advocacy that advance global justice for atrocity crimes, human trafficking, refugee rights, fair trial rights, and racial justice.
The Justice and Accountability Initiative documents war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression; engages in strategic litigation; and promotes progressive development of international law and institutions.
“We are deeply honored to help establish a center that will empower future generations of lawyers and scholars to champion human rights around the world. Our family’s vision is to make the world better, more peaceful and more just, in every way we can.”
— Donna Gilbert
Hannah Garry
Clinical Professor of Law
Faculty Director, Gilbert Global Justice and Human Rights Center
Founding Director, International Human Rights Clinic
Faculty Director, Justice and Accountability Initiative
