Brian is a graduate from the LLM Human Rights Law programme at the University of Strathclyde, currently working as a human rights lawyer for the United Nations
Tell us a little bit about your background before beginning the course...
I always knew I would like to pursue a career in a multilateral international organisation, where diverse backgrounds and expertise were required and celebrated. I was drawn to public international law and the work of the United Nations. Before beginning my course at Strathclyde, I was a public interest lawyer based in Nairobi and primarily focused on environmental law and environmental justice work, an area of practise and legal development that I am passionate about.
What drew you towards undertaking this degree?
After a few years of work experience, I felt the need to upskill. An important factor that I had to consider was how the degree of my choice was going to support me in my career aims, to professionally grow and develop as a human rights practitioner. The master’s degree in human rights law at the University of Strathclyde was of interest. The course work included an area of interest, UN human rights work and the programme holistically provided an upskilling platform which included in-college work opportunities to prepare one for a future graduate career.
Tell us about the format of the programme. What was a typical working week like?
The human rights law programme was excellently curated in terms of topics and courses and were conducted through a blend of seminars and coursework, and by participating in activities within the University and the Scottish human rights community. I have several memorable moments which passionately steered my professional interest for a career at an international multilateral institution. One of those was the opportunity to engage with the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights during a mandate visit to Scotland. This chance encounter, thanks to the opportunity to engage with academics, policy practitioners, and legal practitioners at the forefront of human rights leadership in Scotland and abroad accelerated my desire to contribute to future human rights discourses which I now do.
Tell us a little bit about your dissertation topic...
A research opportunity opened at the Centre for the Study of Human Rights Law to help inform the recommendations for a new human rights framework in Scotland post-Brexit referendum. Researching the United Kingdom’s human rights obligations in the environmental context led me to look more closely at the human rights work of the United Nations and the human rights ambition reflected in the transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. One of the challenges to the United Nations human rights work is steering a holistic approach to realisation of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment in a planetary, environmental crisis which is also a human rights crisis.
My dissertation focused on the nexus between the international human rights law framework and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At that time of writing and researching, I did not think it would be so rewarding – today, it is one of my work focus areas and I remain passionate about the interlinkages and integration of the human rights and SDG systems. To date, the United Nations through its entities, including the United Nations Development Programme, has made a strong contribution to the integration of human rights through the process to define the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs in technical assistance and cooperation with Member States, and in policy spaces, and seeks to ensure that strategies and policies to implement the 2030 Agenda are human rights-based and leave no one behind.
What was the academic support at Strathclyde like?
Wonderful, rewarding and encouraging. I remain indebted to Dr Elaine Webster, Director of the Centre for the Study of Human Rights Law, Professor Alan Miller, Professor of Practice in Human Rights Law, and the entire human rights team at the University for the exceptional tutelage I had.
I also remember having the opportunity to attend a session on how to apply for jobs at the UN organised by Professor Elisa Morgera, a former United Nations staff member, networking with students who were undertaking field internships at various UN duty stations, getting much needed tips on UN job applications and the process. I encourage students keen to join the United Nations to attend and participate in any such exchanges.
Tell us a little bit about where you work now and how your degree has helped you in your post-University life...
In 2019, I was offered a position to serve with United Nations Development Programme in Kenya. Since then, I have been working for the United Nations Development Programme on a multitude of programme and policy tasks where my research skills and knowledge on international human rights standards, instruments and mechanisms has been a prerequisite. Examples include providing technical assistance to the acceleration and implementation of African Union human rights treaties, promoting comparative studies, developing a new human rights-based approach toolkit, and I have recently contributed a policy piece on human rights and SDGs systems integration.
I am currently a human rights lawyer working at the United Nations, Headquarters in New York, USA. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work in a team as diverse and multicultural as mine – colleagues from all corners of the world, with different professional backgrounds and language skills, who are deeply committed to the goals of the Organisations as enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, I attribute my knowledge in the domain to my upskilling on the LLM. My professional journey has been from Nairobi to New York, via Strathclyde!
What advice would you give to someone considering applying for this course?
For those who have a professional and/or academic interest in being part of the evolving human rights culture, Strathclyde’s human rights programme provides an opportunity to develop deep knowledge and skills alongside an approachable team of academics, stellar legal practitioners, and policy experts.