ALEF - Act for Human Rights

Beirut, Lebanon

Human rightsRefugees & MigrationJustice & Legal aidDemocracy & Civil society

NGOFounded 2003National reach

Profile last updated: August 12, 2026

About

Founded in 2003, ALEF - Act for Human Rights is a non-governmental organisation based in Beirut, Lebanon working on human rights, refugees & migration, justice & legal aid +1 more.

ALEF - Act for Human Rights is a non-profit, non-partisan human rights watchdog based in Beirut, Lebanon. It documents and promotes human rights in Lebanon through fact-finding, reporting, publications, lobbying and advocacy, and human rights education and training. Its work covers monitoring of human rights violations, refugee protection, detention and torture, fair trial rights, and civic space. The organisation traces its origins to 1996, when activists began working under the name Nouveaux Droits de l'Homme Liban, and it was established as ALEF in 2003. It coordinates the Working Group for Persons Affected by the Syrian Crisis, a network of local civil society organisations, and engages with UN human rights mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review and the Committee against Torture.

Location

Beirut, Lebanon

Founded

2003

Organisation type

NGO

Focus areas

human rightsmonitoringadvocacyLebanonrefugeestorture preventionhuman rights education

Languages

ENFRAR

Causes & programmes

Causes

Human rightsRefugees & MigrationJustice & Legal aidDemocracy & Civil society

Works for

Refugees & MigrantsChildrenYouthCommunities

How they work

ResearchAdvocacy & campaigningAwareness & educationCapacity building

Programmes

Syrian Refugees Monitoring Unit

Refugees & Migration · Lebanon

Monitors human rights conditions and violations affecting Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

Displacement and Return Monitoring Unit (DRMU)

Refugees & Migration · Lebanon

Monitors respect for human rights, especially of vulnerable groups, in situations of new displacement and return.

Human Rights Education and Outreach (HREO) programme

Human rights · Lebanon

Participatory, experiential human rights education that empowers individuals, notably youth, to act as agents of change.

Child Led Data Collection

Children & Youth · Lebanon

Engages young researchers in gathering evidence on children's situations and child rights violations.

Working Group for Persons Affected by the Syrian Crisis (PASC)

Refugees & Migration · Lebanon

Voluntary network of local civil society organisations, facilitated by ALEF, advocating for people affected by the Syrian crisis in Lebanon.

Countries of operation

Lebanon

Credentials & affiliations

Partnerships

PAX, Foundation for Human and Humanitarian Rights, Lebanese Center for Human Rights, Arc en Ciel, Beirut Arab University, La Sagesse Human Rights Legal Clinic, Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, NABAA, Notre Dame University Louaize Faculty of Law and Political Science, OXFAM, World Organisation Against Torture