Raman Tkachou, Belarus
MPA candidate, class of 2016
Intern, International Service for Human Rights (ISHR)
I have been interested in the topic of human rights for a long time, and am especially eager to learn about new ways to promote human rights in my home country, Belarus. I did my internship at the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) in Geneva, an independent NGO dedicated to promoting and protecting human rights.
ISHR employs a variety of strategies to promote its agenda – supporting human rights defenders, strengthening human rights systems, and leading and participating in coalitions that are working for human rights changes. I was kept busy at ISHR with many administrative tasks related to the organization's daily activities. I was also assigned a research project focused on analyzing the impact of the civil society organizations that promote human rights at the African Commission Non-Governmental Organizations Forum.
One of the attractions of the Open Society Internship for Rights and Governance (OSIRG) program is the chance to participate in a two-week workshop in June. It was a great motivator. Just imagine being able to spend two weeks with 22 exceptionally smart, courageous, and dedicated individuals many of whom have already made significant achievements in human rights promotion. Getting to know people who have faced far greater dangers than I have made me want to work harder.
I learned a lot during the workshop about current human rights trends in the world. One of the things that surprised me was discovering how often and how effectively activists in some parts of the world use courts to advance the human rights agenda. This may seem obvious to some people, but it wasn't for a person like me who comes from a region where governments and courts often support each other. The whole OSIRG experience was great. Truth be told, I liked it so much that I am thinking this might be something I want to do after I graduate from SPP.
Raman Tkachou was one of three SPP students selected for the OSIRG program. Mark Bui and Mahitab Mahgoub also participated in the workshop, which Mahgoub describes as "a fantastic learning experience."