Centre for Human Rights

The Centre for Human Rights Research (Private) Limited (CFHR) was founded in 2012 by law professors at Universal College Lahore (UCL) to bridge the gap between research, policy, and practice in human rights. In 2025, CFHR, in partnership with the Centre for Governance and Research (GCR), registered the Centre for Governance and Human Rights (CGHR), a non-profit organisation. As a youth and women-led independent legal research and advisory organisation, CFHR advances human rights, climate justice, education, rule of law, organised crime, technology, artificial intelligence, and criminal justice reform in Pakistan. Incorporated as a private limited company in 2021, it remains housed at UCL. CFHR develops innovative strategies to address contemporary human rights challenges. It has published journals, policy papers, and research reports, led advocacy campaigns, and hosted legal fellows. Through legal clinics, moot courts, and interdisciplinary training, it supports emerging human rights defenders. Engaging lawyers, parliamentarians, judges, government bodies, and justice actors, CFHR drives evidence-based interventions through consultations, workshops, and conferences. It has contributed to combating trafficking, smuggling, firearms proliferation, and promoting fair trial rights in Anti-Terrorism Courts. Its climate justice work examines displacement and legal responses to environmental crises, while the Institute for Responsible AI & Human Rights promotes ethical innovation. Through publications, campaigns, and international collaborations, CFHR shapes policy, strengthens protections, and advances systemic reform grounded in integrity and inclusion.