Online event on zoom
22 May 2020
Albeit the challenging COVID-19 times and a programme that is entirely online since March, students of our MAS in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law (MTJ) continued their rich social life and extracurricular activities online.
‘We are not just an ordinary group of students: we are a unique community and have remained together during these unprecedented times. With the classes going online, so did our social life and extracurricular activities’ says Nancy Chepkwony, currently enrolled in the MTJ.
Every two Fridays, students meet online with the two Co-Directors of the programme Frank Haldemann and Thomas Unger to discuss challenges related to the current situation, preparation of exams, as well as specific questions students might have in relation to courses, the programme or life in Geneva during confinement.
‘The situation we go through is exceptional and although we responded quickly by moving all our programmes online, our students had to adapt and reorganize their life in a very short time. This was particularly challenging for them as their families and friends are often very far away. These meetings are therefore very useful to exchange concerns, check how students are coping with both studies and confinement, and keep the community together’ explains Thomas Unger.
‘It was important for us to have such a collective place to check-in and the Co-Directors were very receptive of this’ mentions Camila Ruiz Segovia, currently enrolled in the MTJ.
In order to prepare for their professional life, students organized, under the leadership of the MTJ student Ramzi Kaiss and the two Co-Directors of the programme, an online conversation with MTJ alumni.
In an online event, they had the opportunity to hear about the backgrounds, career path, responsibilities and advice of a range of alumni who are working on various transitional justice processes: Lina Rodriguez Revilla who works for the International Organization For Migration (IOM) in Colombia; Tania Bonilla Matiz who works for Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace; Solène Berthelier, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer for UNDP in the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Mary Diaz Marques, Programme Associate at Justice Rapid Response; Abdallah AbdelWahab, Programme Officer at Swisspeace; and Anne-Sofie Stockman, Associate in the Restoring Family Links and Missing Persons Unit at the International Committee of the Red Cross.
‘Despite the lockdown, the Geneva Academy – through our two Co-Directors, our teaching assistants, staff in the Student Office and our Student Council – managed to keep the conversations going notably by providing a unique space to explore the work of alumni operating in a diverse range of contexts and in varying capacities’ underlines Ramzi Kaiss.
Students are also organizing a series of events to exchange with professionals who work in Geneva or in the field on human rights and transitional justice issues for organizations like the International Labour Organization, the World Health Organization, the United Nations Population Fund and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
A discussion on the impact of COVID-19 on transitional justice processes and the rule of law –with experts from the International Centre for Transitional Justice, Nicolas Mansfield, as well as practitioners working on transitional justice processes in Colombia and Kosovo – is also in the pipeline.
‘Exchanges with practitioners provide our students with a good appraisal of professional life, of career opportunities and of the challenges one might encounter in the field. Besides allowing them to put in context what they’ve learned in class, it is also a great opportunity for them to expand their network’ stresses Frank Haldemann.
Geneva Academy
During a workshop on the application and potential misuse of new and emerging digital technologies, including in law enforcement and the management of peaceful assemblies, academics, law enforcement professionals, human rights lawyers and representatives from international organizations and civil society focused on how best human rights can be protected.
Sandra Pointet/Geneva Academy
We organize online Q&A information sessions for prospective students interested in our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and MAS in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law.
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.
Adobe
This initiative wishes to contribute to better and more coordinated implementation, reporting and follow-up of international human rights recommendations through a global study on digital human rights tracking tools and databases.
UN Photo / Jean-Marc Ferré
A series of events aimed at discussing contemporary issues and challenges related to the promotion and protection of human rights in Geneva and beyond.
Geneva Academy
Geneva Academy