Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS)

Member Description

The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) is an independent non-governmental organisation, founded in 1993, that advocates for human rights and democracy in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) through the empowerment and elevation of local civil societies. With a head office in Tunis, CIHRS is also present in Cairo, Brussels, Geneva and New York. While CIHRS’ mandate covers the entire MENA region and is developing work on the Maghreb region, its current focus countries are: Egypt, Libya, the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), Syria and Yemen.

CIHRS’ main objectives are to:

• Increase the visibility and capacity of local human rights and democracy activists to engage and advocate on rights issues on the national, regional and international levels.
• Foster solidarity, enhance coordination, and build networks between human rights and democracy defenders across the MENA region.
• Support effective national, regional and international advocacy campaigns on rights issues.
• Nurture and spread a culture of respect for human rights principles among the future generation of leaders in the MENA region.

CIHRS pursues these objectives through different channels that include direct training and capacity-building, networking, and advocacy with UN bodies, EU institutions, as well as US and European governments and parliaments.

For more information, please contact Leslie Piquemal