The Global Strategic Litigation Council (GSLC) helps advocates and organizations – including those with forced displacement backgrounds – share knowledge, collectively identify priorities, and execute litigation and legal advocacy strategies to advance the rights of refugees and migrants. In doing so, it aims to support the consistent and progressive development of international law relating to displacement worldwide.
Today, the rights of people on the move – including more than 32.5 million refugees – are under attack around the world. Since its launch in September 2021, the GSLC has connected over 300 litigators, advocates, organizations, and researchers from every continent of the globe working to defend and expand those rights.
To date, the GSLC has also offered direct support for its members, including litigation strategy, brief writing, and drafting pleadings. For example, the Council filed a legal intervention (amicus curiae) in the Constitutional Court of Colombia on a case relating to the mass cancellation of citizenship documents of approximately 42,000 Colombian-Venezuelans. The Council also co-filed an amicus brief in the Mexican Supreme Court with the International Detention Coalition regarding Alternatives to Detention (ATDs).
In 2023, the Global Strategic Litigation Council is co-convening a series of regional consultations to create knowledge-sharing and collaboration spaces and identify new strategic litigation to support. Each regional consultation is co-convened with members of the Council – NGOs working directly with refugees and migrants around the world.
You can find more information about the current work of the GSLC, upcoming priorities, and how you can get involved below:
Founding Documents
The Concept Note
LEGAL SUPPORT & ADVOCACY
The Council can assist members with ongoing litigation or legal advocacy. We regularly support tasks such as litigation strategy, amicus interventions, brief writing, legal research, drafting/reviewing pleadings, and more. To request the GSLC’s support on a case, please join the Council and fill out this form (disponible aquí en español).
If you are a lawyer or expert interested in providing support to other members of the Council, please join the Council and get in touch.
You can read the Council’s most recent amicus briefs here:
You can read the Council’s most recent statements here:
EVENTS & Trainings
REGIONAL CONSULTATIONS
In 2023, the Global Strategic Litigation Council is co-convening a series of regional consultations to create knowledge-sharing and collaboration spaces focused on strategic litigation. The purpose of these in-person consultations is to bring together key litigators, advocates, refugee leaders and organizations working to advance human rights through strategic litigation and legal advocacy in the region. The convenings will allow participants to build partnerships, strengthen their network, learn new strategies, and discuss and refine a vision for strategic litigation work in their region and beyond.
East Africa – Nairobi, January 2023 (co-hosted by Kituo Cha Sheria)
Central America – Mexico City, March 2023 (co-hosted by Asylum Access Mexico)
South America – Bogota, March 2023 (co-hosted by Refugiados Unidos)
Additional regional consultations will be scheduled.
TRAININGS
Proceedings Before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights
English
Español
Co-sponsored by the Central & Latin America regional networks of the Council, this training by Helen Kerwin and Gabriela Oviedo at CEJIL, provides an overview of bringing proceedings before the Inter-American System.
Good Practices & Strategic Opportunities: Using African Human Rights Mechanisms
Co-sponsored by the Africa regional network of the Council, this training by Michael Nyarko at the Litigation & Implementation Unit, Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria provides an overview of the nature of submissions that can be made to international and regional human rights mechanisms, with particular focus on African human rights bodies.
View the training slides here.
The Externalization of Asylum
Co-sponsored by the Council’s Working Group on Legal Status & Lawful Stay, this training by David Cantor at the Refugee Law Initiative provides an overview on the externalization of asylum and how to challenge externalization policies.
Communications Training: Messaging and Media Engagement
Training by Meredith MacKenzie de Silva and Samantha Kupferman partners of West End Strategy on using Messaging and Media Engagement in your strategic legal work to advance refugee and migrant rights.
CO-SPONSORED EVENTS
Decolonizing Refugee Law (Co-Hosted by the Refugee Solidarity Network), Mar 2023:
The Courts, Climate Change, Migrant and Refugee Rights – (Co-Hosted by the American Society of International Law), Mar 2023: View Here.
9th Annual UNHCR Strategic Litigation Roundtable, Oct 2021: Recap.
THEMATIC PRIORITIES
To set priorities and identify issue-based areas of work, the GSLC convenes Working Groups (WGs). Currently, the GSLC’s two WGs focus on Legal Status & Lawful Stay and Detention & Due Process.
In 2022, strategy sub-committees drawn from the membership of each of the two WGs identified a set of affirmative litigation priorities for the Council’s support and collaboration. These priorities can be found below:
Legal Status & Lawful Stay
- Access to long-term residency status/rights and citizenship
- Discrimination among and between groups of refugees and refugees and other migrants
- Non-refoulement (including extraterritorial application of the norm and broadening its scope via human rights law)
- Rights related to integration (including privacy and family life/unity)
Detention & Due Process
- Detention of children (including family detention)
- Conditions of detention (including medical care)
- Access to legal counsel
- Alternatives to detention (and accompanying conditions and restrictions)
Council Members have access to a private hub, which contains information about the working groups, Steering Committee meetings, and other pertinent information. This hub is password protected to ensure only Council Members have access.
Newsletters
The GSLC will send quarterly newsletters to all who are interested in receiving updates.
Interested in joining the GSLC? Complete the below form.
Steering Committee
Members of the GSLC
* denotes founding member
~ denotes member of the Steering Committee
+ denotes current Working Group co-chair
~ denotes member of the Secretariat
Organizational Members
- ABA ROLI
- ACLU National Prison Project
- ACLU Immigrants’ Rights Project
- African Center of Excellence for Access to Justice
- AFSC
- Alma Migrante, A. C.
- Al Otro Lado
- ALEF – Act for Human Rights
- AMERA International
- Amnesty International
- Aso. REdmujeresNicaraguensesen Costa Rica
- Asociación Pro Derechos Humanos de España (APDHE)
- Association des Femmes Juristes du Burundi
- Association for Legal Intervention (SIP)
- AsyLex
- Asylum Access*+~
- Asylum Aid
- Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights
- Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust*
- Berkeley Law, Center on Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law, Immigrant Justice & Climate Refugees
- Cardozo School of Law Immigration Justice Clinic
- Caribbean Centre for Human Rights
- Casa Monarca
- Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
- Center for the Human Rights of Children, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
- Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL)
- Center for Legal Aid Voice in Bulgaria
- Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria
- Centro de Derechos Humanos, Universidad Católica Andrés Bello
- Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales*
- Clínica Jurídica de Refugiados “Alaíde Foppa,” Universidad Iberoamericana
- Consejo Noruego para Refugiados (NRC)
- Cornell Law School Migration & Human Rights Program*~^
- Cristosal*
- Dejusticia*
- DIGNITY Kwanza
- DLA Piper
- Duroo Public Interest Lawyers*
- East African Centre for Forced Migration and Displacement
- Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Asia
- Equilibrium CenDE
- FIDA Uganda
- FONAMIH
- Fountain of Justice South Africa
- Front-LEX*
- Fundación Munasim Kullakita
- Georgetown Law
- Global Legal Action Network*
- Global Refugee Led Network
- Global Rights Advocacy
- GMIES
- Haitian Bridge Alliance
- Hexayurt Project
- HIAS*+~
- Human Rights Research League
- Hungarian Helsinki Committee
- Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migración*
- International Detention Coalition*+
- International Refugee Assistance Project*
- Justice Center Hong Kong*
- Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law
- Katiba Institute
- Kituo Cha Sheria*+~
- Lebanese Center for Human Rights*+
- Legal Clinic for Migrants at University of the Andes
- Legal Services NYC
- Migrant Center for Human Rights
- Migration & Asylum Project*+~
- NANSEN – The Belgian Refugee Council
- NAV Consultores
- Neighbors Link
- New Women Connectors
- NoPhotoZone Organization
- Open Society Initiative for West Africa*
- Open Society Justice Initiative*
- Out & Proud Disability Support Association
- PICUM – Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
- Pilgrim Center for Reconciliation Uganda
- PILNet
- Profesional Venezolanos en Argentina PROVEAR
- Progetto Diritti Onlus
- Project Demokratie Cafe Reutlingen
- Refugee Consortium of Kenya*
- Refugee Council of Australia*
- Refugee Legal Network
- Refugee Legal Support
- Refugee Rights Litigation Project*
- Refugee Solidarity Network
- Refugiados Unidos*~
- Refugee Welfare Association Cameroon (REWAC)
- Research Centre for Climate Law (ClimLaw), University of Graz
- Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
- Save My Identity
- Selendy and Gay
- Servicio Jesuita para Migrantes Costa Rica
- Sin Fronteras IAP
- South African Bar Association
- South Africa Refugee Led Network
- The National Justice Project
- The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy — Legal Unit
- University Network for Human Rights
- University of Cape Town, Refugee Rights Unit
- University of San Francisco Immigration & Deportation Defense Clinic
- USC Law International Human Rights Clinic
- Wayne State Asylum & Immigration Law Clinic
- Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility*~^
Individual Members
- Abiy Ashenafi
- Adaeze Anah
- Alex Tarzikhan
- Alexandra Sideri
- Alfredo Sánchez
- Allan Cerim
- Amanda Camargo
- Amanda Weston K.C.
- Amelia McGowan
- Ana Sofía Flores Gómez
- Andrew Boyle
- Anna Lodeserto
- Anna Shea
- Antonina Cherevko
- Arlene Amarante
- Arnold Oginga
- Bastien Charaudeau Santomauro
- Bronwen Manby
- Camila Robalino
- Carlos Armando Coria Garcia
- Carlos Palomino Paredes
- Carmen E. Atkins
- Carole Simone Dahan
- Carolene Kituku
- Cavidan Soykan
- Chelsea Bell
- Chomwa Mbewe
- Christopher Boom
- Cindy Galway Buys
- Coline Schupfer
- Cristina Garcia
- Christine Savino
- Dana Schmalz
- Danai Angeli
- Daniel Naujoks
- Daniel Van Lehman
- David Omondi
- David Thronson
- Denise Gilman
- Dorothy Omboto
- Dr. Kepha Natolooka
- Eileen Ma
- Esperance Timothy Ogola
- Evin Ekaete Umanah
- Fabian Oriri
- Fabi Fugazza
- Fatima Khan*
- Fazal Abdali
- Felisah Kilembe Mitambo
- Fikire Birhane
- Fiona McKinnon
- Francesca Romana Partipilo
- Giulia Raimondo
- Gloria Wangui Kimani
- Grecia Guzman
- Grecia Pillaca Burga
- Helen Zein Eddine
- Hillary Kipnis
- Itamar Mann*
- Ivonne Garza
- Jackson Chin
- Jacob van Garderen
- Janine Prantl
- Javier Contreras Arreaga
- Javier Ignacio Moreno Gómez
- Jennifer Moore
- Jill Alpes
- Jinan Bastaki
- Jittawadee Chotinukul
- Joan Zhu
- Jocelyn Getgen Kestenbaum
- Jonathan Klaaren
- Jose Sieber
- Julie Kornfeld
- Justin Antonides
- Justine Stefanelli
- Kamran Sheikhi
- Kate Ogg
- Keri Pflieger
- Kif Augustine
- Kirsteen Lau*
- Leah Kanyangi
- Leila Asadi
- Linet Opiyo
- Lou-Salomé Sorlin
- Lupe Alberto Flores
- Margaret Boyce-Furey
- Margaux Bia
- Maria Jose Peña Ospina
- Maria Osullivan
- Mariam Jamal
- Mariana Olaizola Rosenblat
- Marilyn Dayana Oviedo Villarreal
- Martha Balaguera
- Mary Hansel
- Mary Nalwoga
- Mathari Manyisa
- Matthew Boaz
- Max B.
- Megan Hauptman
- Mekonnen Ayano
- Melissa Stewart
- Miriam Achaloi
- Miriam Syrjänen
- Mirjam Twigt
- Mohamed Farahat
- Moshood Olanrewaju
- Nik Tan
- Paloma Griffin
- Paras Zafar Samo
- Peace Adebola Okeshola
- Peace Ikiring
- Penelope Mathew
- Philip Collins
- Philippe De Bruycker
- Ranit Mishori
- Raza Husain
- Rebecca Mahabir
- Regine Lotlikar
- Reni Biswas Axelrod
- Richard Towle
- Roksanna Keyvan
- Rosanna Eugenio
- SangYeob Kim
- Sarah Dobbie
- Sarah O’Keeffe
- Sarah Paoletti
- Shana Tabak*
- Sharon Giardina
- Sheila Nambooze
- Sheldon Novick
- Shikha Garg
- Shreya Gautam
- Shterna Isseroff
- Siân McGibbon
- Simona Capisani
- Stacy Caplow
- Tania Agosti
- Tien Wei Yang Chen
- Trevor Rice
- Vicente Rodriguez
- Ximena Suarez
- Yonas Nebiyeloul-Kifle
- Yukari Ando
- Zohal Khan
