Tom Lantos Institute Mission

Learn, educate and act for advancing human and minority rights

The Tom Lantos Institute (TLI) is an independent human and minority rights organisation with a particular focus on Jewish and Roma communities, and Hungarian and other ethnic or national, linguistic and religious minorities.  It is a Budapest-based organisation with a multi-party Board, an international Executive Committee and Advisory Board. TLI operates internationally in terms of scope, funds, staff and partners.   As a research and education platform, TLI aims to bridge the gaps between research and policy, norms and practice.

TLI locates itself at the intersection of human rights and identity politics. While appreciating the importance of legal perspectives and remedies to violations, it investigates through multidisciplinary approaches the problem-solving capacity of existing national and international norms. TLI’s principal strategic goal is the socialisation of human and minority rights through research, education, public debates, publishing, and memorialisation.

TLI focuses on human rights and identity issues in general and also works on three specific issue areas. These include: Jewish life and countering antisemitism; Roma rights and citizenship; and Hungarian minorities.  TLI identifies and explores issues and undertakes activities that are both specific and common to these fields looking to create synergies whenever feasible.

The objectives of the programme areas are, as follows:

Human rights of minorities

• Promoting human and minority rights education
• Contributing to the effectiveness of the international regime of minority protection
  
  

Jewish life and countering antisemitism

• Countering Antisemitism
• Promoting the identity and participation of Jewish communities
  
  

Roma rights and citizenship

• Combating antitsiganism, political, social and economic exclusion and discrimination   
• Promoting effective participation in social, economic and  cultural life and in public affairs