Human Rights Internet
Over the past decades, Human Rights Internet (HRI) in Ottawa has been serving as an unofficial depository for the documentation produced by non-governmental human rights organizations (NGOs) throughout the world. During these years the organization has gained Consultative Status with the United Nations and Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and People's Rights. The effective worldwide network in which Human Rights Internet operates, ensures the availability of a vast amount of material that otherwise would not be retrievable from the country of origin. It brings together a wide variety of reports on human rights issues, which would otherwise be very difficult to locate, obtain and consult. Many of the publications originate directly from countries where human rights are challenged. The collection which HRI has amassed over the last twenty-five years includes publications by more than 350 non-governmental organizations.
Human Rights Internet was affiliated with Harvard University's Faculty of Law from 1985 until 1990 (the organization was independent but worked in cooperation with the faculty's Human Rights Program). In 1990 HRI moved to Ottawa and was initially affiliated with the University of Ottawa (again, the organization was independent, but worked in cooperation with the university's Human Rights Research and Education Centre). In 1994 HRI left the university premises and now works entirely independently from its office in Ottawa.