Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance's global pro bono client programme to support some of the world's leading human rights NGOs

Leading international law firm Clifford Chance today announced that it will donate £55,000 per year for three years and provide pro bono support to Human Rights Watch as part of its global Non-Government Organisation (NGO) engagement programme. The programme has to date seen the firm develop ongoing global pro bono relationships with 12 NGOs, including A4ID, the Grameen Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Asylum Access, PEN International and Room to Read.

The Human Rights Watch funding, which comes from the Clifford Chance Foundation, will be used to support a project being run by the NGO's International Justice programme that will look at various issues connected with the prosecution of the most serious crimes under international law. In particular the project involves legal research on recent acquittals at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), on the "universal jurisdiction" rules in certain European countries, and on national trials of crimes in the countries in which the violations have been committed.

Thijs Alexander, Clifford Chance's relationship partner for Human Rights Watch, said: "We have in the past worked with Human Rights Watch to provide advice on a range of issues. We are pleased to be able to support them in connection with their International Justice programme. This is an important initiative which we are supporting through an integrated team from many offices and jurisdictions."

Richard Dicker, International Justice director at Human Rights Watch, said: “Human Rights Watch is grateful to Clifford Chance for its support of our International Justice programme. Clifford Chance’s grant will enable us to continue the fight to ensure that those responsible for the world’s worst crimes are brought to justice, either in the country where the crimes were committed or in other jurisdictions. Our work aims to increase access to justice for the victims and to ensure that human rights abusers cannot find safe haven anywhere.”

Two other NGOs, Fair Trials International (FTI) and the Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB), will also respectively receive funding of £30,000 per year for three years from the Clifford Chance Foundation, as well as pro bono support from the firm.

Fair Trials plans to use the funds to develop their Justice in Europe campaign which works to uphold the right to a fair trial in criminal proceedings across Europe. The campaign focuses on pre-trial detention, the right to a lawyer and the right to interpretation and translation – basic rights which are frequently denied across the EU.

IHRB aims to fund a project to improve the capacity of national human rights organisations to engage with and disseminate the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in relation to the development of the mining industries in east Africa.

These donations come on the back of Clifford Chance Foundation's funding to Asylum Access and Room to Read announced last year to support the expansion of their operations. Under the global programme each NGO may benefit from funding from the Clifford Chance Foundation as well as pro bono support from lawyers and business services staff with a range of skills and expertise in the firm's 35 offices globally. Each NGO partnership is led by a dedicated relationship partner within the firm.

The selection of NGOs is based on criteria which aim to ensure that each NGO benefits from the partnership as much as possible and that the relationship fits into the firm's own CR strategy. The criteria include the potential to engage the firm's client base, an international presence, and a close alignment with at least one of the firm's three community themes: access to justice, access to finance and access to education.

Roger Leese, Clifford Chance's pro bono partner, said: "We are excited to have established relationships with these twelve NGOs. We aim to take a similar approach to these partnerships as we do with our fee-paying clients, ensuring them of our top notch quality and breadth of service at all times."