IHRC Travels to the United Nations for the 60th Session of the Human Rights Council
International work done by student attorneys in the United Nations
Student attorneys Shahid Jaber and Chouinard Chimniak had the opportunity to attend the 60th Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council as part of their work in the International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Law.
Their attendance was part of the clinic’s support of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights relating to a Communications by the Mandate regarding human rights violations in Tsumeb, Namibia. As part of their attendance, the student attorneys had the opportunity to share their work as students in the IHRC during the Geneva Toxic Free Talks held in Geneva this past September 17, 2025.
According to student attorney Chouinard Chimniak, “Our Clinic allows us as student clinicians to directly engage in human rights advocacy under the supervision of faculty at both the domestic and international level. Our work consists of investigating, reporting, and engaging in advocacy to protect vulnerable communities, promoting human rights and documenting human rights violations in the United States and abroad; collaborating with other human rights organizations on cases and projects; and publishing and presenting reports, papers, and other materials related to the protection of human rights.”
Shahid Jaber, also a student attorney in the clinic, shared, “There’s 1-on-1 client representation as well as projects looking at systemic change. Our work can encompass a diverse range of human rights work from legal literacy campaigns to documenting human rights abuses and writing reports to educate the judiciary. There is both the opportunity to go before national courts representing immigrants and asylum seekers for example; as well as international human rights courts or bodies such as the UN and the Inter-American system. We also conduct research on issues such as the rights of vulnerable populations, human rights defenders, and environmental rights. What makes it truly unique is the immersive training we receive as student clinicians. We center the client in everything that we do, and work to build skills in trauma-informed lawyering, understanding the implications of legal ethics in the public interest sector, and conducting fact-finding investigations just to name a few. Thus, overall seeking to narrow the access to justice gap for those most marginalized.”
The work of the International Human Rights Clinic at UIC Law has been impactful within Chicagoland as well as globally. The clinic’s domestic and international work has centered on narrowing the access to justice gap and providing critical legal advocacy in the context of human rights work. The clinic’s environmental human rights work is at the forefront of advocacy, engaging with UN mechanisms and civil society to have impactful change for communities around the world.