Moving into an Inspiring Second Term

We are delighted, as in previous years, to share some news and updates about our Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law.

We are already in the fourth year of the programme and are very pleased to see our alumni taking up responsibilities in the transitional justice field and applying in their professional life what they learned in class in contexts like the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Colombia, the Balkans or Syria to cite a few.

For this academic year, we have 25 students from more than 20 different countries throughout the world, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Georgia, Germany, Iran, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mexico, Peru, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, and United Kingdom. Working with such a rich group from a variety of disciplinary and professional backgrounds and countries often confronted with a legacy of war or authoritarianism is both a privilege and a key feature of the programme. The group very quickly consolidated into a vibrant community, sharing work, information and ideas in a spirit of mutual respect, generosity and commitment – values that are central to our programme.

As the first term is already coming to close, we can look back at an exciting and rich period of teaching, debates and encounters. To cite but a few highlights, the ‘Transitional Justice in Practice’ core course has again allowed our students to exchange and discuss with leading transitional justice practitioners. Andrew Clapham, who currently serves as one of the Commissioners of the United Nations (UN) Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, introduced the students to the issues and challenges that the Commission is currently addressing and to the applicable legal frameworks. Students also had the opportunity to meet and exchange with Fabian Salvioli, the current UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence. In a webinar jointly organized with the European Consortium for Political Research standing group on human rights and transitional justice, the Special Rapporteur generously engaged with the various questions posed by our students and by participants who followed the webinar from various parts of the world.

During the second semester we will pursue and consolidate a now well-established approach that combines theory and practice and that privileges a personalized and diversified (‘tailor-made’) approach to teaching and learning. An important aspect of this approach is the so-called track-system that involves three distinct avenues (‘tracks’).

The ‘Thematic Focus’ track provides students with the opportunity to work in direct interaction with professionals sharing their experiences on cutting-edge issues such as ‘The Rule of Law in Practice’ or ‘Civil Society and Transitional Justice’. The ‘Clinical Work’ track allows students to carry out research internships with leading institutions, combined with seminars that provide a space for peer-to-peer support and exchange of experiences. The ‘Academic Research’ track offers an individualized, seminar-style platform for students to deepen and broaden their academic research skills and to develop their own research project.

Another exciting milestone of the second semester will be a special course on truth commissions under the guidance of Howard Varney, a leading expert on this issue and Senior Programme Advisor at the International Centre for Transitional Justice (ICTJ). Following interactive lectures on truth commission and the relevant normative framework, students will have to design and formulate, based on a hypothetical case scenario, the mandate of a ‘moot’ truth commission.

Finally, we are already planning the 2020-2021 academic year: applications are open, and we very much look forward to receiving strong applications of candidates from all over the world with a genuine interest in deeply engaging with transitional justice, human rights and the rule of law issues. This year, too, a number of scholarships will be available for outstanding students unable to secure the funding required to study at the Geneva Academy. For more information on the application, please consult our website – https://www.geneva-academy.ch/masters/master-in-transitional-justice/containers

In the meantime, we wish you all a very happy festive season.

Yours sincerely,

Frank Haldemann and Thomas Unger

Co-Directors of the Geneva Academy Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) in transitional justice, human rights and the rule of law