Vincent Chetail

Vincent Chetail

Professor of International Law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies

Areas of expertise

Armed Conflicts  /  International Humanitarian Law  /  International Human Rights Law  /  International Courts and Tribunals  /  International Criminal Court  /  International Criminal Law  /  Counter-terrorism  /  International Refugee Law  /  Peacekeeping  /  International Organizations  /  Peacebuilding  /  International Criminal Justice  /  United Nations  /  Military Occupation  /  International Migration Law  /  Reconstruction Policy  /  Internal Displacement

Dr. Vincent Chetail is Professor of International Law and Director of the Global Migration Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. He is Senior Research Associate at the Refugee Law Initiative of London University and a member of the Odysseus Network for Legal Studies on Immigration and Asylum in Europe.

An internationally recognized authority on migration, displacement and international law, Prof Chetail regularly serves as a consultant and advisor to governments, NGOs and international organizations (including AU, EU, OAS, UNITAR, UNHCR, IOM, WHO). As an independent expert, he has been notably involved in the drafting of several international instruments, such as the African Union Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, and has authored the first report of the WHO documenting national migration policies in times of Covid-19.

His work is frequently referred to by the media, governments, courts and the United Nations. He was awarded 20 research grants from different funding agencies and he has published over 20 books and 70 articles on different topical issues related to human rights, migration, refugee protection, collective security, armed conflicts, criminal justice and legal history.

He held research positions at Harvard Law School, King’s College London and European University Institute, and has taught at various other universities, such as Sciences Po Paris, Queen Mary University, Queen’s University of Belfast, or University Paris Pantheon-Assas.


Taught Courses

A tent camp erected in Baghdad’s eastern Al-Shaab stadium to shelter Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). The Interior Ministry building is seen in the background. Master in transitional justice - Course

Displacement and International Law

This course will explore the interlinkages between displacement and transitional justice from the angle of public international law. The two fields are closely interconnected as transitional justice seeks to address human rights violations that are the main cause of displacement.

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Burindi / Rwanda, Eastern Province, Mahama, refugee camp for Burundians fleeing the pre-election tensions in their country. LLM - Course

International Refugee Law

This course analyses the main international and regional legal norms governing refugee protection. It examines the sources of international refugee law, including the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and their interaction with human rights law and international humanitarian law.

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Lifejackets on a beach in Greece Executive Master - Course

International Refugee Law

This course analyses the main international and regional legal norms governing refugee protection. It examines the sources of international refugee law and its interaction with human rights law and international humanitarian law. It also analyses the central notions of international protection such as the principle of non-refoulement, interception at sea, the refugee definition as well as asylum procedures.

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An aerial view of camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), which have appeared following latest attacks by M23 rebels and other armed groups in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Short Course

International Refugee Law

This online short course analyses the main international and regional norms governing the international protection of refugees. It notably examines the sources of international refugee law, including the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and their interaction with human rights law and international humanitarian law.

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An aerial view of camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), which have appeared following latest attacks by M23 rebels and other armed groups in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Short Course

International Refugee Law

This online short course analyses the main international and regional norms governing the international protection of refugees. It notably examines the sources of international refugee law, including the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and their interaction with human rights law and international humanitarian law.

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Publications

Cover page of the book

International Migration Law

April 2019

Vincent Chetail

Oxford University Press

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Cover of The 1949 Geneva Conventions: A Commentary

The Transfer and Deportation of Civilians

October 2015

Vincent Chetail

Andrew Clapham, Paola Gaeta and Marco Sassoli, The Geneva Conventions: A Commentary, Oxford University Press

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Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of International Law in Armed Conflict

Armed Conflict and Forced Migration: A Systemic Approach to International Humanitarian Law, Refugee Law and Human Rights Law

August 2013

Vincent Chetail

Andrew Clapham and Paola Gaeta, The Oxford Handbook of International Law in Armed Conflict, Oxford University Press

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Cover of the book Privatizing War - Private Military and Security Companies under Public International Law

Privatizing War - Private Military and Security Companies under Public International Law

March 2013

Vincent Chetail, Lindsey Cameron

Cambridge University Press

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