We are excited to announce that HURIDOCS is working in partnership with the Oxford Institute of Technology and Justice to build the Global Human Rights Repository (GHRR), an open, public database that centralises and links human rights documents from international, regional, and national bodies.
The GHRR will aim to address the fragmentation of human rights information, which is often scattered across many sites, hard to search, and locked in inaccessible formats like PDFs. By using machine learning and graph data models, the repository will make it far easier for researchers, advocates, lawyers, and defenders to find, compare, and analyse large volumes of human rights material. This will support more effective advocacy, legal action, and accountability.
The Global Human Rights Repository has been in development for some time and is realised through funding support by Patrick J. McGovern Foundation and machine learning development support by Google.org.
What is the GHRR?
The fully defined framework of the GHRR is still under development, and we look forward to conducting comprehensive scoping with prospective users to ensure it is shaped by their needs and insights for a truly impactful tool.
- Collect publicly available documents from bodies such as the United Nations (including the Human Rights Council and special mechanisms), regional courts and commissions (for example, the Inter‑American and African courts), and global institutions like the International Criminal Court.
- Use HURIDOCS’ in‑house machine learning tools to extract, structure, and link information so it is searchable and machine‑readable.
- Provide a continuously updated Uwazi database that makes this evolving body of information accessible and usable.
Why a global repository matters
The current compartmentalisation of human rights information makes it difficult to form a complete, global overview. Non‑experts risk incomplete searches, and even experienced users face time‑consuming workflows.
“A centralised and structured global repository will transform access to human rights information, making searches faster, more precise, and more comprehensive, strengthening implementation, follow-up, and accountability worldwide.”
—Danna Ingleton, HURIDOCS Executive Director
Who will benefit from the GHRR?
The repository is designed for human rights researchers, lawyers, advocates, human rights defenders, and civil society groups working on issues such as minority rights, children’s rights, migrant rights, and other areas where people face abuse and violations. Importantly, the GHRR will be publicly accessible.
What challenges will the GHRR address?
As we embark on this ambitious project, the GHHR will seek to address the following issues to make human rights information more accessible and actionable:
- Fragmentation and discoverability
Human rights information is dispersed across many databases and platforms, making it hard to find everything relevant. - Lack of expertise and time
Users often lack the time or technical knowledge to locate and navigate all relevant sources. - Inconsistent interfaces
Source databases vary in structure and usability, so searching and comparing information is time‑consuming. - Cumbersome cross‑referencing
Moving between different sites to compare cases, laws, or recommendations is inefficient. - Locked formats
Key information is frequently trapped in PDFs, which makes extracting themes, findings, and data slow and difficult. - Limited visibility of general recommendations
Non‑country‑specific recommendations from international mechanisms are hard to find and compare in one place. - Lack of standard terminology
Different databases use different terms, so users can miss relevant material if they don’t search with the exact vocabulary used by a particular source. - Siloed perspectives
Mechanisms are often treated in isolation; a global repository would highlight their complementarity and support comparative legal analysis.
“This project marks a shift in HURIDOCS’ approach because it is the first time we will be at the helm of a database rather than building them for our partners. Our hope is that by deploying all of our documentation expertise and recently built machine learning tools, the GHRR will bolster the work of all our partners and all those fighting for justice globally.”
—Danna Ingleton
As development continues, HURIDOCS looks forward to working with OITJ, partners and users to ensure the Global Human Rights Repository becomes a trusted, accessible, and impactful tool for the human rights community.