The Hawaii Institute for Human Rights is an education and advocacy organization based in Honolulu, Hawaii that focuses on left-of-center issues that affect Hawaiian communities. Focus areas include environmental justice, climate change, and indigenous peoples’ rights. ¹

Background

The Hawaii Institute for Human Rights (HIHR) is an education and advocacy organization focused on human rights and climate change. ¹ Academic and activist Joshua Cooper created the group in Honolulu in 2011. The state government dissolved it in 2014 after it did not receive annual filings for three years. ² It was registered with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a charitable organization but its status was revoked in 2014 for not filing with the IRS for three consecutive years. ³ It continues to function informally as an advocacy and educational initiative. ^{1  4}

Education and Advocacy

The Hawaii Institute for Human Rights advocates the use of public law instruments to support social justice efforts. ⁴ In its early years, the HIHR participated in the International Women’s Day Celebration to show its support to gender equality; the Human Rights Day at the Hawaii State Capitol with lectures, public presentations, and advocacy discussions; and United Nations Human Rights Council meetings. ⁵

Cooper UNion is a media program produced by the Hawaii Institute for Human Rights and aired on ThinkTech Hawaii that covers international human rights topics that have relevance to Hawaii. Topics include United Nations initiatives, climate change, and indigenous rights. It is hosted by HIHR founder Joshua Cooper. ⁶

HIHR was one of over 400 groups that signed an open letter publicly supporting Greenpeace’s actions during violent protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016 and 2017 after it was found civilly liable in 2025 for its role in delaying the pipeline’s construction and causing billions of dollars in damage. Other signatories in support of Greenpeace included civil disobedience and protest groups such as the Sunrise Movement, Extinction Rebellion, Community Movement Builders, Honor the Earth, and Direct Action Everywhere, and large left-wing organizations such as the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Tides Center, the Service Employees International Union, and the American Federation of Teachers. ^{7  8}

Leadership

Joshua Cooper is the executive director of the Hawaii Institute for Human Rights and director of the County of Maui’s Office of Innovation and Sustainability. He is a political science educator at higher education institutes including the University of Hawaii, the University of the District of Columbia, and the International Training Center for Teaching Peace and Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. He leads the Hawaii chapter of Human Rights Educators USA, a project of the Center for Transformative Action. Cooper is a frequent speaker at the United Nations Association of USA, Capital Area Division (UNA-NCA) and has participated in United Nations meetings, taking part in the development of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Cooper has been a co-chair of the Universal Periodic Review Task Force for the US Human Rights Network since 2015. Previously he was a legislative coordinator for Amnesty International. ^{9  10  11  12}

1. Hawaii Institute for Human Rights homepage. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://hawaiiinstitute4humanrights.org/
2. “Hawaii Institute for Human Rights.” Hawaii.gov. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://hbe.ehawaii.gov/documents/business.html?fileNumber=231674D2
3. “Hawaii Institute for Human Rights.” IRS. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/details/
4. “Hawaii Institute for Human Rights.” Kanu Hawaii. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://www.kanuhawaii.org/organization/hawaii-institute-for-human-rights/
5. “Hawai’I Institute for Human Rights.” HumanRightsHawaii.org. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://www.humanrightshawaii.org/
6. YouTube – Cooper Union by ThinkTech Hawaii. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQpkwcNJny6lBAcTYfWa3JsYGYjCulQFi
7. Robert Stilson. “Greenpeace, nonprofits, and illegal protests.” Capital Research Center. October 20, 2025. Accessed December 5, 2025. https://capitalresearch.org/article/greenpeace-nonprofits-and-illegal-protests/
8. “Open Letter to Energy Transfer.” Greenpeace. Accessed December 5, 2025. https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/energy-transfer-open-letter/
9. LinkedIn – Joshua Cooper. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-cooper-62307819/
10. “Joshua Cooper.” HRE USA. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://hreusa.org/regional-chapters/joshua-cooper/
11. “’Mayor Sustainability Series’ in Maui Nui launches today.” Maui Now. February 8, 2024. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://mauinow.com/2024/02/08/mayor-sustainability-series-in-maui-nui-launches-today/
12. “Joshua Cooper.” UNA-NCA. Accessed December 9, 2025. https://www.unanca.org/bios/joshua-cooper