Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Plans Immersive Summer Program, Celebrates 15 Year Milestone

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WASHINGTON, D.C., April 8, 2014 - The Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, held May 27 – June 13 by American University Washington College of Law’s Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, offers 19 courses taught by world-renowned scholars and practitioners in the field of human rights.

Many visiting scholars will join the law school’s faculty, including Dean Claudio Grossman, Academy Co-directors Claudia Martin and Diego Rodríguez-Pinzón, Professor Juan Mendez, and Director of the Program on International Organizations, Law and Diplomacy Carlos Portales. The Program enables individuals to develop skills and gain practical experience in an intense three-week format. Last year, the Program received 165 students from over 25 countries.

Celebrating its 15 year anniversary, the Academy was created to promote practical approaches to human rights and humanitarian law as well as strengthen links between human rights organizations, practitioners, and educators worldwide.

“Over the past 15 years, the Academy’s summer program has educated many individuals in important areas of human rights and humanitarian law,” said Claudio Grossman, dean of American University Washington College of Law. “This summer’s program will be the largest yet as we welcome more than 40 top human rights experts to our faculty.”

Concurrent with the program, the Academy sponsors Human Rights Month, May 18 – June 13, which offers additional academic opportunities through conferences, panels, and films. This series of events addresses both achievements and challenges in human rights law, and features the expertise of legal practitioners, scholars, and activists.

The Program’s expert instructors for Summer 2014 include:

Elizabeth Abi-Mershed, Deputy Executive Secretary, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, OAS, Washington, D.C.
Víctor Abramovich, Executive Secretary, Public Policy Institute of Human Rights of the Mercosur, Argentina
Emilió Álvarez Icaza, Executive Secretary, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, OAS, Washington, D.C.
Elizabeth Andersen, Executive Director, American Society of International Law, Washington, D.C.
Jorge Araya, Secretary, Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Carlos Ayala, Former President, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, OAS
Catalina Botero, Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, OAS, Washington, D.C.
Reed Brody, Counsel and Spokesperson, Human Rights Watch, New York
Laurence Burgorgue-Larsen, Professor of Public Law, Pantheon Sorbonne University Paris, France
Antonio Cançado Trindade, Judge, International Court of Justice, United Nations, The Netherlands
John Cerone, Visiting Professor of International Law, Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy, Tufts University, Medford, MA
Roberta Cohen, Senior Advisor, Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, Brookings Institute, Washington, D.C.
Rebecca Cook, Co-Director, International Program on Reproductive and Sexual Health Law, University of Toronto, Canada
Christian Courtis, Human Rights Officer, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, United Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Olivier de Schutter, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, United Nations
Israel Doron, Professor of Law, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
Felipe Gomez Isa, Professor of Public International Law, Universidad de Deusto, Spain
Felipe González, Commissioner and Second Vice President, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, OAS, Washington, D.C.
Claudio Grossman, Dean and Raymond I. Geraldson Scholar for International and Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law, Washington, D.C.
Sarah Joseph, Director, Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Monash University, Australia
Viviana Krsticevic, Executive Director, Center for Justice and International Law, Washington, D.C.
Malcolm Langford, Director and Research Fellow, Socio-Economic Rights Programme, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, Norway
Frank La Rue, Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, United Nations
Claudia Martin, Lecturer In-Residence and Co-Director, Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law, Washington, D.C.
Julissa Mantilla, International Consultant, Gender and Transitional Justice, UN Women
Juan Méndez, Special Rapporteur on Torture, United Nations
Siobhan McInerney-Lankford, Senior Counsel, World Bank, Washington, D.C.
Michael O’Flaherty, Established Professor and Director, Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
Fausto Pocar, Judge, International Criminal Tribunal of the former Yugoslavia, United Nations
Carlos Portales, Director, Program on International Organizations, Law and Diplomacy, American University Washington College of Law, Washington, D.C.
Mónica Roa, Director, Gender and Justice Program, Women’s Link, Bogotá, Colombia
Diego Rodríguez-Pinzón, Lecturer In-Residence and Co-Director, Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law, Washington, D.C.
Harry Roque, Director, Institute of International Legal Studies Law Center, University of the Philippines
Pablo Saavedra, Executive Secretary, Inter-American Court on Human Rights, OAS, Costa Rica
Sylvia Steiner, Judge, International Criminal Court, United Nations, The Netherlands
Philippe Texier, Member, Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights, United Nations
Rodrigo Uprimny, Director, Research Center for Law, Justice and Society, Colombia
Alejandro Valencia Villa, Consultant, Human Rights and Transitional Justice, Colombia
Frans Viljoen, Director, Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Margaret Wachenfeld, Director of Legal Affairs, Institute for Human Rights and Business, England
Jamie Williamson, Legal Adviser, International Committee of the Red Cross, Geneva, Switzerland
Leo Zwaak, Retired Associate Professor, Netherlands Institute of Human Rights, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

For more information, please contact the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at hracademy@wcl.american.edu.

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