Geneva: International Human Rights
2 weeks | 3 credits
June 30 - July 13, 2024
Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law: Current Challenges
June 30 - July 13, 2024
Professor Claudia Martin
Professor Diego Rodriquez-Pinzon
This two-week course focuses on current United Nations international human rights law and its implementation and enforcement in the Geneva-based United Nations mechanisms. Students will examine some of the main tools developed by the UN Human Rights Council, such as Special Procedures and the Universal Periodic Review, as well as the treaty bodies under selected UN human rights treaties and UN specialized agencies. The course will also explore the crucial role that civil society, non-governmental organizations and states play in the implementation and enforcement of contemporary human rights law in Geneva. In addition, students will study international humanitarian law as an autonomous branch of international law that recognizes specific protections to human beings. Through this, students will be exposed to the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Labor Organization (ILO).
The course includes invited speakers and site visits to various Geneva-based institutions, as well as visits to the sessions of human rights institutions such as the UN Human Rights Committee (supervisory organ of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the UN Human Rights Council.