Professor Frédéric Bernard appointed as Co-President of the Geneva Academy

Professor Frédéric Bernard takes up the role of Co-President of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights as of 1 July 2026. He succeeds Professor Christian Bovet, who served as President of the Academy’s Board until 1 February 2026 and, following the introduction of the Academy’s current governance structure, as Co-President. He will serve as Co-President alongside Professor Paola Gaeta, jointly leading the Academy, which was founded by the University of Geneva and the Geneva Graduate Institute.

Professor Bernard is a Full Professor of Public Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva, where he has held a chair since 2019. His expertise spans administrative law, constitutional law, human rights, climate change, environmental law and counter-terrorism law. He obtained his Law degree from the University of Geneva in 2002 and his PhD in Public Law in 2009, having previously been a visiting scholar at UC Berkeley (2010) and a senior lecturer at the Global Studies Institute of the University of Geneva (2011–2019). He was admitted to the Geneva Bar in 2013 and continues to practise as Of Counsel at a Geneva law firm.

The Geneva Academy extends its warmest and most heartfelt thanks to Professor Bovet, whose association with the Academy reaches back to its very foundation. As Dean of the University of Geneva’s Faculty of Law when the Academy was created in 2007, he played a key part in its early development and served as a member of the Board in his capacity as Dean. He later became President of the Board in 2024, by then an honorary professor at the Faculty of Law, and in February 2026 took up the role of Co-President alongside Professor Paola Gaeta as the Academy’s governance structure evolved. In each of these roles he brought deep expertise in law, regulation and institutional governance, together with a clear institutional vision and a steady, principled approach. Throughout, he showed genuine kindness, professionalism and care towards the Academy’s team, offering his guidance with unfailing rigour and generosity. The Academy is especially grateful for the leadership and continuity he provided during a period of transition, and for his enduring commitment to its mission over nearly two decades.