UN Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews Named Robina Senior Human Rights Fellow

Tom Andrews, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, has been appointed Robina Senior Human Rights Fellow at the Schell Center for International Human Rights. Andrews will work with the Schell Center to develop human rights advocacy strategies and engage students at Yale Law School on issues related to the human rights crisis in Myanmar.

“We are honored to support Tom and his mandate as Special Rapporteur and excited to work closely with him,” said Jim Silk, Binger Clinical Professor of Human Rights and Executive Director of the Schell Center. “We look forward to putting our resources to use in his critical work protecting human rights in Myanmar.”

At the Schell Center, Andrews will be investigating and documenting ongoing human rights violations occurring in Myanmar and developing strategies to ensure international accountability for the grave violations, including mass atrocity crimes against the Rohingya, that have already been committed there.

“As a student in the Lowenstein Clinic, I am excited to welcome Special Rapporteur Andrews to the Schell Center. Working with a U.N. Special Rapporteur is a rare and invaluable opportunity for law students passionate about human rights,” said Sarah Bernardo ’21. “Students will be able to engage with international accountability efforts and contribute meaningfully to the defense of human rights for all Myanmar people.”

In the years prior to his U.N. appointment, Andrews ran national advocacy organizations including Win Without War, United to End Genocide, and the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee. He also maintained a consulting practice, Andrews Strategic Services, through which he has worked with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs as well as parliamentarians and advocates for human rights and democracy in several countries including Cambodia, Indonesia, Algeria, Norway, Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine, and Yemen.

Andrews has served in the United States Congress, representing his home state of Maine. He was also the General Secretary of The Nobel Peace Laureate Campaign for Aung San Suu Kyi and the People of Burma in 2001 and an advisor to the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma and the Euro-Burma Network.

“I am thrilled to join the Schell Center as a Robina Senior Human Rights Fellow,” said Andrews. “The human rights situation in Myanmar is serious and requires urgent attention. I look forward to engaging with students and others at Yale on these issues in the spirit of improving the lives of the people of Myanmar.”