International Human Rights Program, University of Toronto Faculty of Law

06/03/2026

Today, a community member from Kyauk Phyu, together with the International Human Rights Program (IHRP), EarthRights International, and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) submitted a complaint to Canada’s National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct (NCP) alleging that Canadian company Hatch Associates Ltd. (Hatch) breached guidelines established by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) through its role in a major development project in Myanmar. The project is advancing despite being located within an active conflict zone.

Hatch is the technical advisor and project management consultant for the Kyauk Phyu Special Economic Zone (KPSEZ) Deep Sea Port Project – a Chinese-backed port planned for development in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Among other things, Hatch is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

The complaint to the NCP raises concerns that Hatch may be violating the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the leading global framework for responsible business conduct. The complaint details alleged failures of the company to consult the local community and exercise due diligence in assessing and mitigating the project’s human rights and environmental impacts – indispensable in the context of operating in an active conflict zone. The submission requests urgent action by the NCP to address the deficiencies in the EIA and prevent further adverse impacts on human rights and the environment given the worsening human rights situation in Myanmar.

Read the full complaint here:https://ihrp.law.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/20260603_NCP%20Complaint_Hatch_Final%20%282%29%20%281%29_0.pdf

06/01/2026

We are honoured to welcome Diane Goodman as Acting Director of the University of Toronto Jackman Law’s International Human Rights Program during Sandra Wisner’s parental leave.

Diane is an accomplished international human rights lawyer with more than three decades of experience working in some of the world’s most complex humanitarian contexts.

Diane brings a wealth of leadership experience to the IHRP, built through a distinguished career at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where she served in senior leadership roles across Asia, Africa, and Europe. Beyond the UN, Diane has contributed to leading human rights and civil society organizations, including Human Rights Watch. She holds a BA from the University of Western Ontario, as well as an LLB and an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Toronto.

Diane’s extensive expertise in the safeguarding of human rights will be invaluable to advancing our work in promoting accountability for human rights violations and supporting the communities we serve.

Please join us in welcoming Diane!

05/28/2026

NEW REPORT: How is Canada and Ontario upholding its international human rights commitments in the rush for critical minerals?

Today, the International Human Rights Program (IHRP) and the Anishnawbe Business Professional Association (ABPA) released a joint report evaluating Ring of Fire resource development through the lens of international and domestic law.

The publication calls on governments to demonstrate their commitment to reconciliation, environmental protection, and human rights, by strengthening the enforcement of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC), aligning development policies with international human rights standards, and supporting the demands of First Nations for equitable economic structuring and environmental stewardship in the Ring of Fire.

As noted by IHRP Director, Sandra Wisner, "Canadian law should more robustly recognize and enforce FPIC as defined under UNDRIP, ensuring that Indigenous communities are meaningfully consulted and only mutually agreed developments are carried forward".

Explore the full 89-page report and legal appendix here: https://ihrp.law.utoronto.ca/news/immediate-release-new-joint-report-alleges-human-rights-and-capital-markets-risks-ontarios-ring

05/08/2026

📢 We are pleased to welcome our three International Human Rights Program (IHRP) In-House Fellows for summer 2026!

Meet Zoe Dutta, Asha Saha, and Mishal Amer (featured L-R). This incredible team of Jackman Law students will be working closely with us to advance our work in corporate accountability, Indigenous rights, and climate justice.

Get to know them below:

👋 Hi! My name is Zoe Dutta! I just completed my 1L year at Jackman Law and particularly enjoyed learning about constitutional and property law. I earned my undergraduate degree in Political Science with a minor in Classics from McMaster University, where I developed interests in women’s rights, international law, and political theory. This summer at the IHRP, I am looking forward to progressing my legal research skills, applying the law to real world issues, and learning from inspiring people!

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👋 Hi! My name is Asha Saha. I just finished my first year at Jackman Law. Before law school, I completed an Honours Bachelor of Arts at Western University in English and Humanities. I’m interested in a social justice-oriented legal career where I can address inequality and advocate for vulnerable communities, with a particular interest in advancing women’s rights. As an IHRP fellow, I am excited to develop my legal research and writing skills while working on projects that tangibly impact communities affected by human rights abuses.

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👋 Hi! My name is Mishal Amer and I just completed my 1L year at Jackman Law. Prior to law school, I earned my Honours Bachelor of Arts in Political Philosophy at McMaster University along with an Interdisciplinary Minor in Sustainability, which allowed me to explore various topics in international governance and human rights. This summer I’m excited to contribute towards corporate accountability and Indigenous rights through the meaningful work carried out by the IHRP in collaboration with partners and impacted community members.

05/05/2026

Today, the International Human Rights Program requests the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) investigate Brazil Potash: a Canadian-owned company that plans to mine for potash in the Amazon Rainforest.

This request, written on behalf of many Mura Indigenous communities, accompanies a corresponding submission to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filed by the Benjamin B. Ferencz Human Rights and Atrocity Prevention Clinic at Cardozo School of Law. Both reports and supporting materials were developed in collaboration with our partners at the Universidade Federal do Amazonas and the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul.

Our request highlights what the IHRP views as misrepresentations that Brazil Potash has made to its investors about its mining project. We explain the clinic’s characterization of the true risks of the ongoing litigation that Brazil Potash faces in Brazil and the social and environmental risks of the project.

Investors deserve to know about risks that could significantly delay or end the mining project and cause the company—and them—to lose money.

👉 Read the press release and full OSC request here: https://ihrp.law.utoronto.ca/news/immediate-release-new-submissions-canadian-and-us-securities-commissions-allege-canadian-mine

04/27/2026

“Forced or coercive labour can exist anywhere when people lack real choice, protection, or power. Discussions about forced labour tend to focus on global supply chains in the Global South, so in factories in Southeast Asia or agricultural fields in Latin America. But the use of forced or prison labour in the U.S., including under deeply coercive and abusive conditions, receives far less attention, especially here in Canada.” Our Director, Sandra Wisner, told .

The Canadian Press interviewed the IHRP team about our recent complaint to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) alleging that goods imported from Alabama carry a high risk of forced and/or prison labour, in violation of our national bans.

See more via the links below:

The Canadian Press article (distributed by CTV News): https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/lawyers-urge-federal-ban-on-us-forced-labour-imports-cars-built-by-prisoners/?taid=69ebdc367f2a6a0001b183b2&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

The Canadian Press video coverage and interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=CqmgmG8BfpdlLPKx&v=kWPojVcT8PY&feature=youtu.be

You can read our complaint to the CBSA here: https://ihrp.law.utoronto.ca/news/immediate-release-ihrp-submits-evidence-us-prison-labour-canadian-supply-chains-cbsa

Human rights lawyers are calling on Ottawa to ban American imports that stem from forced labour, specifically auto imports from Alabama.

04/24/2026

We continue our advocacy for the protection of Indigenous rights, this time in the U.S. and Canada.

Today, the International Human Rights Program (IHRP) filed a request for precautionary measures with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) against Canada, to protect Indigenous communities of the Great Lakes against the threat posed by the continued operation of Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline.

Line 5 is a 70-year-old pipeline that pumps 23 million gallons of crude oil and natural gas daily, cutting through the traditional territories of the Anishnaabe Indigenous Peoples.

Due to aging infrastructure and the alleged failure of Enbridge to maintain Line 5, the pipeline poses a serious risk of a catastrophic oil spill that would destroy the water, fish, wildlife, and land near the Great Lakes. This ecosystem is central to the livelihoods and cultural survival of the Indigenous Tribes of the Great Lakes, including those represented in our request.

The requests urges IACHR to order Canada to regulate Enbridge, end its support of the pipeline, and decommission Line 5 — urgent precautionary measures that are necessary to ensure the protection of Indigenous communities and the Great Lakes from irreparable harm.

Read the full request to IACHR here: https://ihrp.law.utoronto.ca/news/immediate-release-ihrp-files-request-precautionary-measures-against-canada-protect-indigenous

📷: The Great Lakes region viewed from space, August 2010 (NASA, Public Domain).

04/14/2026

Today, the International Human Rights Program took action to fight for a Canadian economy free of modern slavery.

We filed a complaint with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) alleging that goods imported from Alabama carry a high risk of forced and prison labour, in violation of the national ban.

The complaint reveals the alleged connections between Canadian companies and auto industry suppliers in the U.S. that use prison labour under contracts with the state of Alabama, a state with a prison labour system characterized by violence, coercion, punishment, and unsafe working conditions.

Our imports system must ensure that Canadian companies adhere to strong human rights due diligence policies that identify and eradicate the use of forced and prison labour from supply chains. We call on the CBSA to investigate the imports identified in our complaint and enforce the customs ban on forced labour and prison labour imports.

Read our press release and full complaint on the IHRP website: https://ihrp.law.utoronto.ca/news/immediate-release-ihrp-submits-evidence-us-prison-labour-canadian-supply-chains-cbsa

04/08/2026

We are pleased to share the International Human Rights Program’s 2025 Annual Report!

Our 2025 Annual Report highlights an ambitious year of litigation, advocacy, research, education, and community-driven work to advance the legal protection of international human rights in the areas of corporate accountability, climate justice, and Indigenous rights.

Read the full report here: https://ihrp.law.utoronto.ca/news/2025-ihrp-annual-report

04/06/2026

This week, the IHRP released its latest report, “Gender Injustice in Afghanistan and Canada’s Responsibilities.”

Led by the IHRP’s Gender Justice in Afghanistan Working Group and guided by Constitutional Lawyer and Afghanistan’s first Ombudsperson, Ghizal Haress, the report examines the devastating human rights crisis faced by women and girls in Afghanistan and examines Canada’s responsibilities under international law to address gender injustice in the country.
Today, Afghanistan is the only country where girls are banned from education beyond Grade 6; where women are excluded from most employment; and where movement, association, and public participation are tightly restricted. These are systemic human rights violations that are increasingly being recognized as gender apartheid.

The report urges Canada to take decisive action to protect the human rights of Afghan women and girls.

Read the full report here:https://ihrp.law.utoronto.ca/sites/default/files/IHRP%20Report%20Gender%20Injustice%20in%20Afghanistan%20and%20Canada%E2%80%99s%20Responsibilities%20%2831%20March%202026%29.pdf