The following candidates (pictured above with Justice Kate O’Regan) were granted 2012 Oxford Pro Bono Publico (OPBP) Internship Fund Awards to enable them to undertake an internship at public interest organisations around the world.

Shreya Atrey – United Nations Development Programme, New York

Shreya worked with the UNDP headquarters in the New York City from July-September 2012.  She assisted the human rights team in the implementation of the UN Partnership to promote the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Multi-Donor Trust Fund.  Her primary task was to assess the country applications made for the Fund in accordance with the international legal standards embodied in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Toby Collis – Centre for Capital Punishment Studies, University of Westminster 

Toby completed a three-month internship at the Centre for Capital Punishment Studies, University of Westminster, during which time he traveled to Malawi to assist on a variety of death penalty-related issues.  His duties included raising local awareness about the inadequacy of the death penalty; meeting with representatives from the government, judiciary and academia to disseminate information about the death penalty; assisting civil society organisations to address breaches of international human rights standards; drafting legal opinions and reports; and devising training programs for local lawyers and students.

Ingrid Cloete – Centre for Child Law, Pretoria 

Ingrid undertook a two month internship with the Centre for Child Law, Pretoria, South Africa.  The Centre uses strategic litigation to promote the rights of South African children and is involved in a diverse array of cases, ranging from the rights of child detainees to children’s rights to freedom of expression.  Ingrid’s work involved researching the National Register of Sex Offenders and children’s rights under customary law.  She also assisted the Centre with its annual Child Law Moot programme. Read about Ingrid’s experience here.

Darryl Hutcheon – International Labour Organisation, Geneva 

Darryl undertook a 4-month internship with the ILO in Geneva.  Darryl’s work involved contributing to the ILO Guides that advise States on how to fulfil their duties to promote collective bargaining.  He also studied draft labour law legislation in various countries, and helped draft comments that will then be passed on to relevant government departments.  Read about Darryl’s experiences here.

Grace Sullivan – United Nations Dispute Tribunal, Nairobi 

The UNDT resolves UN employment disputes. In the course of her four-month internship, Grace conducted research on relevant legal issues, assisted with the preparation of draft orders and judgments, and attend hearings of the tribunal.  Read about Grace’s experiences here.

Giovanni Gruni – World Trade Organisation, Dispute Settlement Appellate Body, Geneva 

Giovanni provided legal research assistance to the Secretariat of the WTO Dispute Settlement Appellate Body in Geneva over a three month period. Giovanni will use his experience at the WTO to build on his doctoral thesis work, in which he will argue for a human rights approach to international trade law, particularly from the perspective of the right to adequate food.

Yvonne Kramo – AIRE Centre, London

Yvonne undertook a three-month internship with the AIRE Centre in London.  Her duties included legal research in support of litigation, corresponding with clients, accompanying the legal team to Strasbourg and undertaking research for the AIRE Centre’s publications and other journals.  Read about Yvonne’s experiences here.

Jackie McArthur – Human Rights Watch, Washington DC

Human Rights Watch is one of the most prominent human rights advocacy organisations in the world, documenting human rights abuses and targeting oppressive laws and regimes.  As a legal intern, Jackie assisted senior counter-terror ism counsel. She conducted legal research on human rights law and policy which was used to draft memoranda for circulation among permanent staff.  Read about Jackie’s experiences here.