National Human Rights Commission of Thailand Bangkok, THAILAND
Jacob Bogart graduated summa cum laude, Phi Kappa Phi, and with honors research distinction with a B.A. in Globalization Studies and French, with a minor in Geography, from The Ohio State University in May 2014. He hopes to eventually pursue a degree in law, focusing on international human rights law, and work for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights. While an undergraduate, Jacob was the president of Amnesty International at OSU, a delegate for his model United Nations team, a peer research mentor, a page at the Ohio State House, and resident advisor. His interest in human rights led him to spend a summer in Haiti, conducting independent research on how non-governmental organizations have affected tent camps after the 2010 earthquake. Jacob presented his research on NGOs at an international conference on sustainability in Hiroshima, Japan.
While in Haiti, Jacob also worked for the Haitian American Caucus as a primary education intern, researching Haitian education policy and teaching English classes. During his junior year, he studied abroad in Geneva, Switzerland, where he worked for Human Rights Watch as an advocacy intern, attending the 21st session of the Human Rights Council. In addition to his internship, he had the fortune of working as a researcher for the United Nations Special Rapporteur on North Korea, co-authoring a report used as an annex in an United Nations resolution. Jacob spent last spring abroad in Paris where he lived with a host family, volunteered at a local non-profit, and studied French at the Sorbonne.
After his year abroad, Jacob spent a summer at Princeton University as a Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute Fellow. This spring, Jacob will have the opportunity to represent the United States on multiple occasions. First, he is travelling with USA-Maghreb Youth Debates to Morocco to debate students in French on youth-related issues. After graduating, Jacob will leave for Munich, Germany, where, as a Head of State delegate, he will attend the G20 Youth Summit, authoring communiqués and interacting with youth from around the world. In his free time, Jacob loves to read, travel, rap at karaoke, and eat cheese.
The 2014-2015 Luce Scholar placement for Jacob Bogart is at the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT). Established by the 1997 Constitution and following the enactment of the National Human Rights Commission Act in 1999, the NHRCT came into existence and started functioning in July 2001. The NHRCT an independent organization with a specific mandate to promote and protect the rights set out in the Thai Constitution and in accordance with the country’s international human rights obligations. The NHRCT works toward enhancing people’s access to their rights by increasing awareness through human rights promotion and monitoring situations and places at risks of human rights violations; mobilizing the efforts of all stakeholders to build up a rights-based society; developing policy recommendations and proposals on revision of laws and effective law enforcement to guarantee protection of human rights; and strengthening the organization through capacity building of all aspects to ensure effective and professional operation.