About the IHRN

The International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies (IHRN) is an international consortium of honorary societies in the sciences, engineering, and medicine with a shared interest in human rights.

The IHRN advocates in support of professional colleagues suffering human rights abuses, promotes the free exchange of ideas and opinions among scientists and scholars, and supports the independence and autonomy of national academies and scholarly societies worldwide. It also raises global awareness of the connections between human rights and science, engineering, and medicine.​

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IHRN Executive Committee member Ida Nicolaisen discusses the history and aims of the IHRN and why she got involved.

  • 15th Biennial Meeting of the IHRN

    15th Biennial Meeting of the IHRN

    ‍The most recent biennial meeting of the IHRN was held in Oslo, Norway, from September 9-11, 2025, and hosted by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.

    The 3-day meeting featured a symposium that examined the relationship between academic freedom and human rights. It was followed by a workshop for academy representatives, during which participants shared information about their human rights activities and discussed potential collaborative efforts.

    Read a brief synopsis of the meeting and view photos and video recordings of the meeting’s public symposium. A longer summary of the symposium is forthcoming. 

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  • IHRN Executive Committee Updates

    The IHRN Secretariat is pleased to welcome Anne Ephrussi and Gabriela Dutrénit to the IHRN Executive Committee, which is charged with governing the activities and strategic direction of the IHRN.

    Anne Ephrussi is a molecular biologist and Emerita Director and Senior Scientist of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL). She is a member of the French Academy of Sciences, where she is Vice-President Elect and co-chairs the Committee for the Defence of Scientists (CODHOS).  

    Gabriela Dutrénit is an economist, a distinguished professor at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), and an emeritus researcher of the National System of Researchers. She is a member of the Mexican Academy of Science (AMC), as well as founding member of the AMC's Human Rights Commission.

    We would also like to extend our great appreciation to our departing Executive Committee members - Édouard Brézin (France) and Belita Koiler (Brazil) – for their many years of service and extraordinary contributions to the IHRN’s human rights work.

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  • Violence against Health Professionals in Conflict Zones

    The IHRN’s Executive Committee has issued a public statement calling on all parties to armed conflicts to safeguard the rights of health professionals and urging the global health and research communities, including national academies, to condemn and raise awareness of escalating attacks on health care providers.

    Read the Statement

  • IHRN Bulletin

    The IHRN biannual human rights bulletin contains updates on the IHRN Secretariat’s activities, human rights resources, and highlights of IHRN participating academies’ human rights events, publications, and announcements. Read past issues of the bulletin: ‍

    Issue 3 (August 2025)

    Issue 2 (December 2024)

    Issue 1 (February 2024)

    To receive future issues of this bulletin and other news from the IHRN, subscribe to the IHRN mailing list.

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PARTICIPANTS

National academies and scholarly societies with an interest in human rights are invited to participate in the IHRN

STATEMENTS

The Executive Committee makes occasional public statements on pressing issues related to the mandate of the IHRN

RESOURCES

Learn more about the ways national academies around the world are integrating human rights activities into their work​

“No words are enough to express my recognition to the efforts of the members of your Institutions and those of the International Network on my behalf…I am convinced that I owe my release in a great extent to all of you.”
— Oscar Espinosa Chepe