ISHR provides research forums for scholars at and beyond Columbia. ISHR sponsored research programs as well as conferences and projects encourage interdisciplinary investigation of human rights and promote connections between academic and practitioner communities.

ISHR’s Working Papers Series provides an opportunity for faculty and graduate students to distribute their work widely and to receive initial reactions from a broad community of scholars working in areas related to human rights. The Visiting Scholars Program provides access to Columbia’s intellectual community as well as libraries and other resources. Columbia's University Seminars, including those related to human rights, bring cutting-edge research and analysis to Columbia and public audiences.

In recent months, ISHR has also sponsored The Darfur Initiative’s “Towards Sustainable Peace in Darfur” and the conference “Sharing Sacred Space: Religion and Conflict Resolution.” Each initiative will develop a set of working papers, to provide intellectual analysis and to suggest practical measures with which to confront human rights violations.