Practical Experience in International Human Rights Advocacy 

To say Armaan Mathur F26 had a busy first semester would be an understatement. The first-year MALD student took campus by storm, presenting research on the United Nations Global Digital Compact at Yale’s Global Justice Program conference and speaking on a U.N. panel in Geneva, all before his first semester ended. 

Mathur completed his undergraduate degree in political science at the University of Delhi, where, similarly, he kept busy. Mathur was a professional cricketer, participated in debate and partook in one of his longest standing passions – covering Indian politics, foreign policy, geopolitics, technology and history for outlets such as The Diplomat and The Hindustan Times. A book chapter he co-authored with Indian political scientist Dr. Rahul Verma was published in a Routledge anthology on Indian politics. 

“I've been especially interested in exploring India's role in the world as a rising power, or what many refer to as a geopolitical swing state,” said Mathur. 

This interest mounted during his time working for Indian Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor (MA 76, MALD 77, PhD 79). Learning from Tharoor, Mathur was inspired to apply to Fletcher, and with the support of Mrs. Jayashree Mohta, who was impressed by Mathur’s ambition to understand India’s rising clout on the global stage, moved to Massachusetts last fall. 

Connecting with Others on Fletcher’s campus

The first thing that struck Mathur upon arriving at Fletcher was the depth of the commitment of faculty, fellow students and staff to support each other.

“As an international student, it can be very intimidating to come to a new country immediately after undergrad and be exposed to this diverse array of narratives,” said Mathur. 

“Settling in, becoming comfortable and seeing the quality of students here could have been difficult to navigate had it not been for the warmth and hospitality the Fletcher community really brings with it,” he added. “That was an extremely important part of me being able to express myself fully in my first semester.” 

Drawing from this basis of support, Mathur dove headlong into his studies. Having studied Indian government and foreign policy back home, he was keen on examining United States foreign policy. His courses U.S. Diplomatic Tradecraft, Technology and Public Policy and Negotiation and Mediation in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict provided him with the opportunity to examine U.S. policy with both breadth and depth. 

AI for the Good of Humanity 

With the support of a grant from the Fletcher Educational Enrichment Fund, Mathur attended Yale’s Global Justice Program conference, which was organized around the theme, “Governing AI for the Good of Humanity.” Mathur presented his research on the U.N. Global Digital Compact through the lens of digital justice principles with a special emphasis on its potential impact on the Global South. 

“With Fletcher’s blessing, the presentation was a success and provoked the folks at Yale to think about how they could influence the policymaking process,” said Mathur. 

Following the conference, Mathur was invited to apply for the Yale Academics Stand Against Poverty (ASAP) Fellowship, and he attributes his invitation to his affiliation with Fletcher.

Advocating Before the United Nations

One of Mathur’s most impactful courses was the International Law Practicum with Christine Bustany. Students in the practicum collaborated on two projects, one in conjunction with the U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence Against Children (OSRSG-VAC) regarding ending immigration detention of children in Thailand and Mexico. 

“The practicum was one of the most fascinating experiences I've had yet,” said Mathur. “We were working on an actual project, which is being pitched to an international human rights advocacy client.” 

Last semester, the team briefed the staff of the OSRSG-VAC on their findings. Following the presentation, the OSRSG-VAC invited a Fletcher representative to present at a U.N. Conference in Geneva celebrating five years of the U.N. Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty. Bustany selected Mathur to represent the team on a panel chaired by UNICEF.

“The U.N. conference came as a surprise to all of us,” said Mathur. “I dare say it was the highlight of my practicum experience – the insights on the practice of advocacy, the way the issue of immigration detention is viewed from different vantage points, and the opportunity to be part of that panel – it was beyond anything.”

Mathur felt prepared to present at this high level thanks to his experience presenting research earlier in the semester along with the invaluable support of Professor Bustany and his practicum colleagues.

“Professor Bustany so actively supported us through the entire experience,” he said. “She worked on the drafts with us for the OSRSG presentation. She was up late at night with us when necessary and was there every step of the way.”

“She is an experienced international human rights advocate,” he added. “In fact, some of the cases that we studied in our classes were litigated by her. We were working with someone who is sort of an institution on the subject, and that gives you a lot of faith and conviction to be able to present at a platform of this caliber.”

Read more about Fletcher’s International Legal Studies field of study.