The Promise Institute for Human Rights (Los Angeles)
Who We Are
Founded in 2017 at the UCLA School of Law, The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA advances cutting-edge human rights education and scholarship, empowering the next generation of lawyers, scholars and leaders to make meaningful impact in the world.
The Institute serves as UCLA’s hub for human rights education, research and advocacy, with two locations at the UCLA School of Law and in Europe. Our vision is to promote globally inclusive approaches that connect people across borders and cultures, through a common mission to promote universal human rights for all.
Annual Report
We are proud to present The Promise Institute for Human Rights 2025 – 2026 Annual Report. The work represented by this report comes at a time when the international human rights system is under strain worldwide. Through education, legal advocacy, and scholarship, The Promise Institute is striving to meet this moment.
Thank you for being allies in this work,
The Promise Institute Team
Symposium Record of Proceedings Out Now
Featuring a keynote from Dr. Albert Barume, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, our 2026 symposium featured a stellar lineup of panelists and speakers, and sought to engage the structural forces shaping our world in this moment and critically explore the role and relevance of human rights as a moral, political, and legal force for social action and transformative justice
It is our hope that the conversations inspired a new way of thinking or imagining human rights for the future, informing our practice and collaborative efforts to build a world of human dignity in line with an ethos of care for each other and the planet.
Watershed Ruling
A federal court issued a major ruling in favor of the Plaintiffs in Garcia v. City of Los Angeles, which challenges the City’s longstanding practice of seizing and destroying unhoused people’s property.
In a rare move, the judge issued terminating sanctions after finding that the City had engaged in repeated misconduct over the seven-year case — including fabricating and altering key evidence.
Student Opportunities
We equip students with a suite of opportunities and resources so that they can take their place among the best human rights lawyers in the world.
Publications
An ever-growing body of work from across our team and areas of impact.
Our Origin Story
The Promise Institute owes its founding to Dr. Eric Esrailian, producer of the film The Promise. As the first feature film to tell the story of the Armenian Genocide, The Promise is a powerful example of the way art can connect history to action.ts and our research to drive positive real-world impact.
Press/Media Appearances
See why The New York Times, NPR and ABC News are just a few of the outlets reaching out to our experts for their insights.
Faculty/Experts
Our professors, lecturers, speakers, fellows, and researchers represent the vanguard of human rights thinking.
Your support powers our human rights education, research, and advocacy.
You must be logged in to post a comment.