Professor Claudio Grossman Honored by Chilean President and the Senate of Chile
Last week, Academy’s Co-Chair, Dean Emeritus and Professor Claudio Grossman was honored by Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, and the Jewish community of Chile with the “Espíritu Maccabí Award”. The award was given in recognition for his work in defense of human rights, diversity, equality, and universal values. The Chilean ambassador to the United States. and numerous diplomats were in attendance at the event held at Palacio de la Moneda.
Professor Grossman was also recognized for his successful role as the chief lawyer representing Chile before the International Court of Justice in a case brought by Bolivia on border disputes. The ICJ recently decided the case in favor of Chile, rejecting all eight of Bolivia’s arguments claiming that Chile had an “obligation to negotiate” sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean. You can read more about the case, and the ICJ decision, here.
The Senate of Chile also recognized Professor Grossman’s work at the ICJ during a plenary session held on December 11. Both the current and the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile were in attendance, and all political parties intervened during the session. Grossman became the first private individual in Chilean history to be invited to address the plenary of the legislative body.
While in Chile, Professor Grossman will open the International Jessup Moot Court Competition on December 12 and give keynote addresses at the National School of Strategic Studies, the law school at the University of Chile, and the Universidad de La Frontera in Temuco. He will also speak at the annual meeting of the Chilean Society of International Law on January 4, 2019.