Welcome message from Eltayeb Bashar, Chair of the HART Prize Alumni Community

I am a human rights advocate, youth empowerment leader, and published journalist. I hold a Bachelors of Law (Hons) and a Masters in International Human Rights Law from the University of Birmingham. As Founder and CEO of the Global Rights Alliance, I support emerging human rights leaders across more than twenty countries.

I have lectured hundreds of trainee teachers and students on human rights issues at universities across England, France, Tanzania, and Italy, and represented UN Women UK at the 69th Commission on the Status of Women. Internationally, my work has taken me from UNESCO Headquarters in Paris to the NATO Youth Summit in Montenegro, where I represented the UK as its sole delegate at the 2025 Global Change Summit in Istanbul, and to leading multiple delegations in the UK Parliament.

As Editor-in-Chief of The Birmingham Tab, I led a team of over fifty writers and published more than twenty articles. My writing has appeared in the LSE Human Rights Blog and the Oxford University Human Rights Journal, and I have contributed research to a forthcoming Oxford University Press publication.

Beyond academia, I have led protests for racial justice, advised civic leaders on human rights issues, written speeches for mayors, and co-founded an anti-racism charity. I am the recipient of the 2025 UK Youth Activist of the Year award, the 2025 Birmingham Black Lawyers Student of the Year, the 2024 Worcester Annual Volunteer Award, and a 2026 LUMSA University Medal of Honour recipient.

While exploring opportunities to pursue my interest in human rights and use my education for good, I came across HART and was deeply moved by its mission to support those who are least represented yet most affected by justice. I subsequently entered the HART Prize for Human Rights in 2024 to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, an issue that has deeply affected both me and my family.

On April 15, 2023, war broke out in Sudan between the SAF and RSF forces, resulting in the largest recorded humanitarian crisis in history. Millions now face violence, displacement, and starvation. My family, who had lived in Sudan for generations, were forced to flee to Egypt. I dedicated my essay to them.

Realising how overlooked this crisis was in the West, I wrote an essay examining the reality and human toll of the war, as well as the possible pathways toward peace. Winning the HART Prize was incredibly meaningful, not only as recognition of my work, but because it helped draw greater attention to the suffering in Sudan. I also had the pleasure of seeing my essay published, with news of the award featured in several media outlets.

I was invited to the Palace of Westminster, where I was given a guided tour, a highlight was entering the House of Commons. I completed a day of work experience with HART, helping to draft Parliamentary Questions on the war in Sudan for Baroness Cox. I’m grateful to Beth Stephens, Bethany Oliver-Dee, Anaïs Arroyo, Sam Mason, and Baroness Cox, for their continued support throughout.

The HART Prize gave me a platform to advocate for my community, to highlight the challenges Sudanese refugees are experiencing, and to turn my personal grief into meaningful action. I am excited to see how others will serve the human rights movement through this incredible opportunity.

As Chair, I hope to build a strong, engaged network of past HART Prize participants. This is a community of passionate change-makers, writers, researchers, and campaigners, who care deeply about human rights. I want the Alumni Community to be a space for connection, collaboration, and collective impact.

Whether you are just starting your journey or continuing your advocacy, I am excited to work with you to amplify important stories, support one another, and keep human rights at the heart of everything we do. Let’s ensure human rights are safeguarded for today, tomorrow, and the future.

With gratitude and solidarity,

Eltayeb Bashar

Inaugural Chair, HART Prize Alumni Community