LLM in IHL and Human Rights: What our Students Say

22 February 2022

Tijana Kukanjac is enrolled in our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. In this interview, she tells about her background, the programme and what it will bring to her career.

About Me

My name is Tijana, and I come from Serbia where I obtained my bachelor’s degree in the field of Arabic studies. Right before coming to Geneva, I have completed a master’s programme in international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights law in Belgrade.

I have spent a significant part of growing up with the Serbian Red Cross, an organization that played a key role in my first IHL steps. My further volunteering experience in refugee camps in Belgrade, following the 2015 refugee crisis, has strengthened my interest in the humanitarian field.

If there is one thing to know about me, it would be that my two passions in life are mountains and IHL.

Why did you choose the LLM at the Geneva Academy?

Ever since I decided that IHL is what I want to study, the Geneva Academy has been on my mind. I believe there is a tendency in the international community, particularly in academic circles, to keep IHL and the Geneva Academy together: when you think of one, the other follows. I don’t think there is a better place to learn about armed conflicts through the regimes that regulate them than right here in Geneva.

What are you particularly enjoying about this programme?

Being able to not only learn about IHL, international criminal law and human rights, but to do it alongside students from more than 20 different countries is a unique part of this experience. I am also enjoying the level of engagement and interaction during each one of our classes with the world’s leading experts on the other side of the classroom.

Discussing the practical side of the law, its implementation in specific scenarios and field situations through role-playing gives us a very strong basis for the work we are hoping to conduct in the future.

Would you Recommend it?

I would highly recommend this LLM programme to everyone who wants to specialize in this field. A perfect balance of academic and practical approaches gives you everything you need, and for any specific interest, there is a variety of impressive optional courses.

The scholarship options for studying at the Geneva Academy are highly worth mentioning. Receiving a full scholarship has allowed me to be here today, studying IHL.

What are you planning to do next?

I see my future in an international organization, working on the implementation of IHL in the field. My interests lie in the MENA region as well as in the use of new technologies in contemporary armed conflicts. This LLM programme certainly plays a critical role in that sense and aims at preparing students for succeeding in such aspirations.

Why did you choose to be photographed on the Terrace of the Grand Morillon Student Residence?

I chose the terrace of the Grand Morillon Student Residence because seeing this view for the first time was the moment when I became aware of the reality and of the opportunity I was given. Like on the palm of your hand, you can see the International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations, and Villa Moynier – what a view!

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

Portrait of Ozan Yildirim News

LLM in IHL and Human Rights: What our Students Say

18 January 2024

Ozan Yildirim is enrolled in our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights. In this interview, he tells about her background, the programme and what it will bring to his career.

Read more

The two teams News

Two Geneva Academy Teams Will Participate in the Prestigious Jean-Pictet Competition

15 January 2024

For the first time, two Geneva Academy teams will participate in the prestigious Jean-Pictet Competition: a Francophone team and an Anglophone one.

Read more

Burning oil fields in Kuwait Event

The Prosecution of Ecocide and Other Environmental Crimes: State of the Law and Way(s) Forward

11 April 2024, 12:30-14:00

This IHL Talk will explore various issues related to the prosecution of ecocide and other environmental crimes.

Read more

Event

Launch – International Humanitarian Law Rules, Controversies, and Solutions to Problems Arising in Warfare, 2nd Edition

9 April 2024, 12:30-14:00

In this launch event, key experts will comment and dialogue with Professor Sassòli on specific aspects of the book, including naval warfare and the law of neutrality, sources of IHL, IHL and human rights, as well as the classification of armed conflict

Read more

Open dump Training

Protecting Human Rights and the Environment

2-20 September 2024

Participants in this training course, made of two modules, will examine the major international and regional instruments for the promotion of human rights and the environment, familiarizing themselves with the respective implementation and enforcement mechanisms.

Read more

A general view of participants during of the 33nd ordinary session of the Human Rights Council. Training

The Universal Periodic Review and the UN Human Rights System: Raising the Bar on Accountability

11-15 November 2024

This training course will explore the origin and evolution of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and its functioning in Geneva and will focus on the nature of implementation of the UPR recommendations at the national level.

Read more

Iraq, Mosul. View of the west bank after the war. Project

IHL in Focus

Started in January 2024

As a yearly publication, it keeps decision-makers, practitioners and scholars up-to-date with the latest trends and challenges in IHL implementation in over 100 armed conflicts worldwide – both international and non-international.

Read more

A session of the UN Human Rights Council Project

IHL Expert Pool

Started in January 2022

The IHL-EP works to strengthen the capacity of human rights mechanisms to incorporate IHL into their work in an efficacious and comprehensive manner. By so doing, it aims to address the normative and practical challenges that human rights bodies encounter when dealing with cases in which IHL applies.

Read more

Cover page of the Research Brief Publication

The Evolving Neurotechnology Landscape: Examining the Role and Importance of Human Rights in Regulation

published on December 2023

Erica Harper

Read more

Business and Human Rights Research Brief Publication

PARAMETERS FOR A GLOBAL HELPDESK ON BUSINESS & HUMAN RIGHTS

published on November 2023

Stefania Di Stefano

Read more