2 February 2021
In this interview, Émilie Charpentier, currently enrolled in our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (LLM) tells us about the programme and life in Geneva.
My name is Émilie and I am from Montreal, the French-speaking region of Canada. Before starting the LLM at the Geneva Academy, I obtained my bachelor’s degree in International Relations and International Law at the University of Quebec in Montreal. During my undergrad, I participated in various international competitions during which I developed a passion for international law, more precisely, international humanitarian law (IHL). I love to travel and have had the opportunity to visit a number of countries over the years, which has allowed me to meet people from several regions and nourish my humanistic side.
I had been considering the LLM at the Geneva Academy since the second year of my undergrad. I was already interested in IHL and human rights because I want to use the law to make a positive change. My undergrad programme was more general, and it was important for me to specialize as an international jurist. All aspects of the programme were appealing: the opportunity to take exclusively international law courses, the high quality of the education, and its location in Geneva, which is a hub for IHL.
I am truly enjoying my experience at the Geneva Academy. The programme is very well designed and coordinated. The high quality of the teaching has met my expectations, and we study in-depth legal issues within different international law branches. I also appreciate that the students come from across the globe, with different experiences and backgrounds, which fosters interesting discussions and allows us to exchange perspectives.
I would recommend this programme to anyone who wants to specialize in this field. Not only will it give you a strong knowledge, but you will also have the opportunity to choose optional courses to study specific subjects within your own areas of interest.
My goal is to work in the field for an international organization, ideally as a legal advisor. I would like to help implement IHL and work to promote respect for human rights. I am also interested in taking part in humanitarian missions in zones of armed conflict to gain a better understanding of the reality on the ground. I am open to any opportunity that may arise, and I have no doubt that my training at the Geneva Academy will help me reach my goals.
I chose to be photographed in front of the ICRC Headquarters because this was the organization that sparked my interest in IHL. When I learned about the work of the ICRC, both its research and its fieldwork, I was inspired to practice in this branch of international law.
Guilhem Vellut
The Geneva Academy has been granted leave by the European Court of Human Rights to intervene as a third-party – along with 26 governments – in the Inter-State case Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia
The Geneva Academy is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Clotilde Pégorier as our new Head of Education.
This event, co-organized with Amnesty International, will discuss the gains made since the UDHR adoption, challenges to the international normative framework on human rights and what the international community needs to do for a better future.
Adobe
In this Human Rights Conversation, panelists will discuss the challenges that neurotechnologies raise for the enjoyment of human rights and the current work of the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee on this issue.
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.
ICRC
Organized by the Geneva Academy and the ICRC, the Advanced IHL seminar for academics and humanitarian policymakers aims to enhance the capacity of academics to teach and research IHL and contemporary issues arising during armed conflict, while also equipping policymakers with an in-depth understanding of ongoing legal debates and their relevance to decision-making.
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.
Olivier Chamard/Geneva Academy
Geneva Academy
Geneva Academy