The centre was officially inaugurated on February 24, 2025, at INES-Ruhengeri, the center aims to help individuals understand and effectively exercise their rights, contributing to sustainable development.
Officially inaugurated on February 24, 2025, at INES-Ruhengeri, the center aims to help individuals understand and effectively exercise their rights, contributing to sustainable development.
The initiative was introduced by Dr. Nfor Nyambi, a law lecturer, in collaboration with INES-Ruhengeri.
He was inspired to establish the center after observing similar initiatives successfully operating in various African universities, particularly at the University of Pretoria.
Dr. Nyambi noted that, apart from existing centers at the University of Rwanda, there was a gap in other universities regarding dedicated human rights initiatives.
Consequently, INES-Ruhengeri took the lead in establishing CHRIS to advance human rights and sustainable development.
As the newly appointed Executive Director of CHRIS, Dr. Nyambi explained that the center will operate based on four main pillars: education and training, research, advocacy, and collaboration with civil society organizations.
Emphasizing that human rights are everyone's responsibility, Dr. Nyambi highlighted CHRIS's role in raising awareness and empowering citizens to understand and exercise their rights.
CHRIS consists of law students from INES-Ruhengeri who will engage in evidence-based research, conduct training sessions, and collaborate with various institutions to enhance human rights protection.
The center is expected to significantly contribute to improving the well-being of citizens and collaborating with the government on policy development related to human rights protection and preservation.
The Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission, Umurungi Providence, expressed strong support for the initiative, describing it as a commendable effort with great potential to advance human rights advocacy.
She further stated that the center will enable young law students to play a crucial role in educating and promoting human rights awareness within Rwandan society.
Tim Nkurunziza, the head of the law students' association at INES-Ruhengeri, emphasized that CHRIS will help students enhance their research skills and deepen their understanding of effective human rights advocacy.
The majority of CHRIS members are faculty and students from the law department at INES-Ruhengeri.
Additionally, CHRIS has an advisory committee composed of renowned human rights experts from Africa and beyond.
Among them are Prof. Antoinette Elia, a Spanish human rights specialist, and Me Felix Nkongo Agbobala, a prominent Cameroonian lawyer known for his work in human rights law, among others.
IGIHE
