16 December 2019
In this interview, Melina Fidelis-Tzourou, who is enrolled in our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (LLM), tells us about the programme and life in Geneva.
I’m Melina and I come from Greece. I have a Law Degree and before coming to Geneva I was working as a legal trainee at a military law firm. My favourite thing in the world is coffee.
I have always wanted to study international humanitarian law (IHL) and my professors told me that the LLM at the Geneva Academy is unparalleled in this field, especially because I was interested in a career in the humanitarian field.
I think the strength of the programme lies in its multidisciplinary approach to international law in armed conflict via an in-depth study of public international law, IHL, international criminal law, international human rights law and international refugee law in our core courses. This particular structure has definitely given me a more comprehensive and far-reaching understanding of IHL, which I believe is extremely useful for my professional development.
After completing this programme I would like to work in the field of IHL, either with an NGO or with some other institution. Human rights litigation is also an interesting option. The good thing with the LLM at the Geneva Academy is that it opens the door to various professional opportunities, so I intend to explore my options and hope for the best!
This is the first spot I reach on the lake when walking from my house. All of a sudden this beautiful lakeside scenery appears, while just seconds before you were surrounded by cement and concrete. From specific angles, you even forget you are in a city at all. I like this momentary escapism.
Via its DHRTTDs Directory, the Geneva Human Rights Platform provides a comprehensive list and description of such key tools and databases. But how to navigate them? Which tool should be used for what, and by whom? This interview helps us understand better the specificities of the January highlight of the directory: HRMI’s Rights Tracker.
Geneva Academy
Half of the class of our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights pleaded on 20 April on the current armed conflict in and around Gaza.
UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré
This training course will explore the origin and evolution of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and its functioning in Geneva and will focus on the nature of implementation of the UPR recommendations at the national level.
Adobe
This training course will examine how the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights have been utilized to advance the concept of business respect for human rights throughout the UN system, the impact of the Guiding Principles on other international organizations, as well as the impact of standards and guidance developed by these different bodies.
UN Photo/Violaine Martin
The IHL-EP works to strengthen the capacity of human rights mechanisms to incorporate IHL into their work in an efficacious and comprehensive manner. By so doing, it aims to address the normative and practical challenges that human rights bodies encounter when dealing with cases in which IHL applies.
UNAMID
This project will develop guidance to inform security, human rights and environmental debates on the linkages between environmental rights and conflict, and how their better management can serve as a tool in conflict prevention, resilience and early warning.