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The report, submitted in July 2026 by the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA), Aula Abierta, the University of Ottawa Human Rights Research and Education Centre, and Scholars at Risk, documents violations of academic freedom and university autonomy and presents recommendations to the Venezuelan State as part of the fourth cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR).

HRREC Director Penelope Simons has received a SSHRC grant for a three-year project on non-judicial remedies (NJRMs) and business-related human rights harms in Canada, with a focus on resource extraction and energy infrastructure.

Amanda Dale, HRREC Fellow and Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), has been elected to serve as an independent expert on the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) for the 2027–2030 term.

Canadian Civil Society Organizations Unite in Call for Human Rights Action at Minister’s Forum Joint statement demands accountability, federal infrastructure, and binding commitments to make human rights real for everyone in Canada.

Associate Director Viviana Fernandez attended the Scholars at Risk (SAR) International Advisory Committee meeting that took place at King's College London (U.K.), on 6-7 May, 2026.

Budget 2025 isn’t subtle. The federal budget’s priorities are loud and clear: strengthening Canada’s economic and political sovereignty in an increasingly unstable world. At a recent University of Ottawa Brown Bag Lunch on public policy, two panelists with very different backgrounds converged on the same message: the pace, scale and expectations around research have been supercharged.

In February, the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) and the International Justice & Human Rights Clinic at the University of British Columbia, submitted a brief to the UN Human Rights Committee in advance of Canada’s seventh periodic review under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) entitled "Academic Freedom in Canadian Higher Education".

The Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA) invites submissions for its fifth conference to be held in October 2026 at the University of Ottawa.

The University of Ottawa, the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC) and the Scholars at Risk (SAR) uOttawa Committee are delighted to welcome a new visiting researcher!

We are pleased to share that Associate Director Viviana Fernandez has been appointed to the SAR Canada (SARCAN) National Steering Committee for a two-year mandate starting in November 2025.