16 December 2020
In this interview, Tamara Aburamadan, currently enrolled in our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, tells us about the programme and life in Geneva.
My name is Tamara and I come from Gaza, Palestine. Before coming to the Geneva Academy, I spent two years in France where I obtained my master’s degree in International and European Law from Université Toulouse 1 Capitole. Right before moving to Geneva, I completed an internship with the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) in Paris, where I worked in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) desk.
Before that, I have worked for two years in Palestine with different international and local NGOs, such as the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) and Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP-UK). I notably documented human rights and humanitarian law violations and helped in providing legal documents to the ICC’s Office of the Prosecutor on the Situation in Palestine, in addition to working as a fieldworker during the Great March of Return demonstrations in 2018. I obtained my Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Al-Azhar University in Gaza.
I am passionate about international justice and the application of international human rights and humanitarian law on armed non-state actors in armed conflicts. I am interested in research, debate and legal advocacy work. I love travelling and discovering various cultures. My native language is Arabic, and I speak English, French and a little Hebrew.
Coming from an occupied territory for more than 70 years, I believe it is time for young Palestinians to learn more about international human rights and humanitarian law as well as international criminal law to be able to speak up and advocate for our own rights. The LLM at the Geneva Academy offers a highly exclusive programme with a transversal approach to those issues, where theory meets practice in the most professional manner for students from different backgrounds. Receiving a full scholarship was a crucial step that allowed me to be enrolled in such a prestigious programme.
The diversity of students is amazing; my classmates come from over 25 different countries with diverse academic backgrounds and professional experiences. I learn a lot from them every day. I am also enjoying each and every class provided by a group of highly qualified professors and teaching assistants, who make theory much more understandable and interesting by sharing their professional experiences in each topic. The Geneva Academy is also active in organizing events to discuss major trends and topics debated in the world, related to international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights. I am particularly enjoying being a member of the Jean Pictet Competition team, where I learn how to implement my knowledge in branches of public international law through role-playing exercises based on a hypothetical armed conflict scenario.
If you are passionate about all rules applicable to armed conflicts, such as IHL and human rights, I highly recommend this LLM programme. The Geneva Academy is a global pioneer in IHL higher education. This LLM is an innovative and intellectually provocative academic experience that will allow you to grow and expand your knowledge in the field in a focused manner. The LLM provides students with guidance from day one on how to navigate through the year, in addition to teaching assistants who help in each and every step of the way. The programme is extremely intense, but with the passage of each month, you will notice a tremendous growth in your knowledge and experience in the field and it will definitely be worth it.
The academic and practical skills I am developing at the Geneva Academy will lay the ground for me to acquire a career as a practitioner and expert in the humanitarian field, mainly focusing on the MENA region and other regions affected by armed conflicts.
This photo captures a moment where I felt very inspired and motivated after a tour-visit to the UN headquarters building. The LLM being conducted in Geneva offered me with the opportunity to visit many international organizations based in this city, which enriches the experience of studying international law and actually seeing how it functions at the practical level.
Geneva Academy
Half of the class of our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights – 20 students – pleaded on Sunday 20 May at Villa Moynier on the 2008 South Ossetia armed conflict between Russia and Georgia.
Daniel Fyfe follows our online Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict while working as an Associate Expert at OHCHR in Geneva on UN treaty bodies’ individual communications procedures.
Adobe
In this Human Rights Conversation, panelists will discuss the challenges that neurotechnologies raise for the enjoyment of human rights and the current work of the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee on this issue.
Geneva Cities Hub
This side event at the UN Habitat Assembly in Nairobi will discuss how local and regional governments localize the SDGs and fulfil human rights on the ground and their increased international visibility through the UPR.
Adobe
This training course will explore the major international and regional instruments for the promotion of human rights, as well as with their implementation and enforcement mechanisms; and provide practical insights into the different UN human rights mechanisms pertinent to advancing environmental issues and protecting environmental human rights defenders.
CCPR centre
This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.
UNAMID
This project will develop guidance to inform security, human rights and environmental debates on the linkages between environmental rights and conflict, and how their better management can serve as a tool in conflict prevention, resilience and early warning.
Victoria Pickering
This project aims at providing support to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Clément Voulé by addressing emerging issues affecting civic space and eveloping tools and materials allowing various stakeholders to promote and defend civic space.
Geneva Academy