Professor Marco Sassòli Steps in as New Director of the Geneva Academy

Portrait of Marco Sassòli Portrait of Marco Sassòli

3 September 2018

Professor Marco Sassòli has been appointed as the new Director of the Geneva Academy. He takes up this role following the retirement of Professor Robert Roth.

A renowned scholar in international humanitarian law (IHL), Marco Sassòli has been Professor of International Law at the University of Geneva Law Faculty since 2004 and has been teaching IHL at the Geneva Academy since this time. He is Associate Professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal (Canada), Commissioner of the International Commission of Jurists and Special Advisor (pro bono) on IHL to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, and has previously worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as Deputy Head of its Legal Division in Geneva and Head of Delegation in the field.

Marco Sassòli has published widely on IHL, international human rights law (IHRL), international criminal law, the sources of international law, the responsibility of states and non-state actors and Swiss constitutional law.

He replaces Robert Roth who is retiring after four years of dedicated leadership. Under his guidance the Geneva Academy launched a new Master of Advanced Studies in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law, successfully undertook more than twenty research projects, including flagships projects on the modes of liability in international criminal law and disability in armed conflict, and convened more than 170 expert meetings, seminars, conferences and events that provided a critical and scholarly forum to address topical issues in IHL, IHRL, international criminal law and transitional justice.

The Geneva Academy is a joint centre of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

GHRP EU News News

Bridging Geneva and Europe: advancing human rights in the digital age

2 June 2025

The Geneva Human Rights Platform has taken its work on strengthening the international human rights system to the heart of European policymaking.

Read more

Menna Radwan News

Executive Master of Advanced Studies in International Law in Armed Conflict: What Participants Say

6 May 2025

Menna Radwan, Field Team Leader in South Sudan for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) tells about studying in our online Master of Advanced Studies.

Read more

Digital Globe Event

Information Management & Machine Learning for Human Rights: Digital Transformation in the Public Sector - Workshop at the 2025 LATSIS Symposium

12 September 2025, 13:30-15:30

This interactive, two-part workshop will explore how modern data-science tools – including machine learning and AI – can be leveraged to support the United Nations in promoting and protecting human rights.

Read more

Special Rapporteur Sign Event

Mandates in Dialogue: Strengthening Collaboration Across UN Mechanisms and Academic Institutions

4 September 2025, 18:00-19:30

This Human Rights Conversation will explore how cross-mandate cooperation can be enhanced, and how academia can play a more strategic and aligned role in supporting mandate holders.

Read more

Town Hall Meeting Training

Localizing International Human Rights

8-10 October 2025

This training course, specifically designed for staff of city and regional governments, will explore the means and mechanisms through which local and regional governments can interact with and integrate the recommendations of international human rights bodies in their concrete work at the local level.

Read more

First annual conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform Project

The Annual Conference of the Geneva Human Rights Platform

Started in June 2019

Read more

Panel Discussion: Project

Treaty Body Members’ Platform

Started in January 2014

The Treaty Body Members’ Platform connects experts in UN treaty bodies with each other as well as with Geneva-based practitioners, academics and diplomats to share expertise, exchange views on topical questions and develop synergies.

Read more

Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2024

published on July 2025

Read more