Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

¡Inscripciones abiertas! El programa de Empresas y Derechos Humanos de American University Washington College of Law está diseñado para profesionales que quieren liderar el cambio.

En línea y en español, este programa reúne a un panel internacional de expertos del sector público, privado y sociedad civil para explorar los retos más actuales: debida diligencia, marcos normativos, litigio estratégico y responsabilidad empresarial.

Si trabajas en derecho, política pública, cumplimiento normativo o activismo, este programa es para ti.

Asegura tu lugar hoy.

Inscríbete aquí - https://american.catalog.instructure.com/browse/wcl/wclhr/ncllmhr/courses/empresas-y-derechos-humanos-2026

Contactanos: [email protected]

As the 2026 Program of Advanced Studies on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law has officially ended, we would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations to all participants and credit students. Reaching the end of this intensive academic program is a testament to your dedication, perseverance, and commitment to advancing human rights, international humanitarian law, justice, and the rule of law. We are proud of everything you have accomplished throughout these past weeks.

Beyond the knowledge gained, we hope you leave with new perspectives, lasting friendships, and a strengthened commitment to making a positive impact in your communities and professional fields. We wish you continued growth and success in all your future endeavors, and we look forward to seeing the important work you will carry forward in the years ahead.

Congratulations again for completing the Program!

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Al concluir el Programa de Estudios Avanzados en Derechos Humanos y Derecho Internacional Humanitario 2026 de American University Washington College of Law, queremos extender nuestras más sinceras felicitaciones a todas y todos los participantes. Llegar al final de este exigente programa académico es reflejo de su dedicación, perseverancia y compromiso con la promoción de los derechos humanos, el derecho internacional humanitario, la justicia y el Estado de derecho. Nos sentimos profundamente orgullosos de todo lo que han logrado durante estas semanas.

Más allá de los conocimientos adquiridos, esperamos que se lleven nuevas perspectivas, amistades duraderas y una renovada motivación para generar un impacto positivo en sus comunidades y ámbitos profesionales. Les deseamos muchos éxitos en los desafíos y oportunidades que les esperan, y esperamos seguir viendo las importantes contribuciones que realizarán en el futuro.

¡Felicitaciones por haber completado el Programa!

🍂 Look at the courses being offered in the Fall!

Our new and returning LL.M.s will have a wide range of top-tier specialized courses to choose from as they join the program this fall and deepen they knowledge in Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law 🌍⚖️

Applications for Fall 2026 are open, and scholarships are available!
📝 Apply here: https://bit.ly/40AoBAb
📩 Contact: [email protected]
🌐 More info: https://bit.ly/40AuLQQ

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🍂 ¡Mira los cursos que ofreceremos este semestre de otoño!

Nuestros nuevos estudiantes y los que continúan su programa tendrán una variedad de opciones de cursos y experiencias prácticas de primer nivel para desarrollar su especialización en Derechos Humanos y Derecho Internacional Humanitario.🌍⚖️

¡Las aplicaciones para el otoño 2026 ya están abiertas y hay becas disponibles!
📝 Aplica aquí: https://bit.ly/40AoBAb
📩 Contacto: [email protected]
🌐 Más información: https://bit.ly/40AuLQQ

Join us tomorrow for the final panel of the Academy on Human Rights’ Human Rights Month Speaker Series at American University Washington College of Law, focused on addressing human rights in times of crisis 🌎⚖️

Our next discussion is titled “The Prohibition of Torture: Recent Developments at the United Nations.”

For decades, the United Nations has played a central role in the global fight against torture through a variety of complementary mechanisms focused on prevention, accountability, victim support, and the development of international standards. These institutions have contributed significantly to strengthening the international legal framework prohibiting torture and other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.

This panel will bring together leading experts from key United Nations anti-torture mechanisms to reflect on recent developments, achievements, and ongoing challenges in the prevention and eradication of torture worldwide. Drawing on their experiences within different UN bodies and initiatives, the panelists will discuss the evolving role of international institutions in promoting compliance with the prohibition of torture and advancing the rights of victims.

Featuring:

• Claude Heller – Chairperson, United Nations Committee Against Torture

• Juan E. Méndez – Former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

• Jens Modvig – Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture

• Gayethri M. Pillay – Head of Secretariat, Convention Against Torture Initiative (CTI)

• María Luisa Romero – Chairperson, United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture

Moderated by:

• Diego Rodríguez-Pinzón – Co-Director, AUWCL Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

The panel will be conducted with simultaneous interpretation available in English and Spanish.

Please remember to bring your own device and headphones in order to benefit from the interpretation services.

Registration in advance is required. Please RSVP here for this and the other panels that are part of Human Rights Month:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfk4AYLdjLW7J-WmDT-KASpwZ1nEearqJltibjUWyAdwEl1Tw/viewform?usp=preview

We look forward to seeing you there as we conclude this year’s Human Rights Month Speaker Series.

Join us tomorrow for the eighth panel of the Academy on Human Rights’ Human Rights Month Speaker Series at American University Washington College of Law, focused on addressing human rights in times of crisis 🌎⚖️

Our next panel is titled “Reparation Measures in the Inter-American Human Rights System in Cases of Violence and Discrimination against Women and Girls: An Examination of Their Monitoring and Compliance Status.”

Over the past two decades, the Inter-American Human Rights System has played a critical role in advancing international standards on gender-based violence and discrimination against women and girls. Through the jurisprudence of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the work of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, important standards have emerged regarding States’ obligations to prevent, investigate, punish, and redress human rights violations.

This panel will explore the transformative role of reparations in addressing both individual harm and the structural conditions that perpetuate violence and discrimination. The discussion will examine current challenges related to the implementation, monitoring, and compliance of reparation measures ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and recommended by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. Particular attention will be given to access to justice, guarantees of non-repetition, accountability mechanisms, and opportunities to strengthen compliance with decisions aimed at protecting the rights of women and girls across the Americas.

Featuring:

• Luz Patricia Mejía – Technical Secretary, Organization of American States’ Follow-Up Mechanism to the Belém do Pará Convention (MESECVI)

• Florencia Reggiardo – Director for the Andean, North America, and Caribbean Region Program, Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL)

• Patsilí Toledo Vásquez – Member, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)

• Selene Soto Rodríguez – Member, Latin American Network for Gender-based Strategic Litigation (ReLeG)

Moderated by:

• Carmen Ponce Moreda – Research Fellow, AUWCL Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

Opening remarks:

• Claudia Martin – Professorial Lecturer in Residence and Co-Director of the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, and Co-Founder of ReLeG

The panel will be conducted with simultaneous interpretation available in English and Spanish 🎧.

Please remember to bring your own device and headphones in order to benefit from the interpretation services.

Registration in advance is required. Please RSVP here for this and the other panels that are part of Human Rights Month:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfk4AYLdjLW7J-WmDT-KASpwZ1nEearqJltibjUWyAdwEl1Tw/viewform?usp=preview

We look forward to seeing you there!

Join us tomorrow for the seventh panel of the Academy on Human Rights’ Human Rights Month Speaker Series at American University Washington College of Law, focused on addressing human rights in times of crisis 🌎⚖️

Our next panel is titled “International Human Rights Institutions Under Pressure.”

According to the Human Rights Watch World Report 2026, the global human rights system is facing one of its most challenging moments in recent history. International and regional human rights institutions are operating in an increasingly complex environment marked by armed conflicts, democratic backsliding, shrinking civic space, growing attacks on the rule of law, and declining trust in international institutions. At the same time, many of these bodies face significant funding constraints and criticism regarding their effectiveness and legitimacy.

This panel will explore how international human rights institutions are responding to these challenges and what reforms, strategies, and opportunities may help strengthen their ability to prevent, address, and remedy human rights violations. The discussion will bring together perspectives from the three principal human rights systems: the Inter-American Human Rights System, the European Human Rights System, and the United Nations Human Rights System.

Featuring:

• Flavia Piovesan – Former Commissioner, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

• Laurence Burgorgue-Larsen – Professor of Law, the Sorbonne Law School

• Gerald Staberock – Secretary General, World Organization Against Torture (OMCT)

Moderated by:

• Gabriel J. Ortiz Crespo – Program Coordinator, AUWCL Academy on Human Rights & IHL

The panel will be conducted with simultaneous interpretation available in English and Spanish 🎧. Please remember to bring your own device and headphones in order to benefit from the interpretation services.

Registration in advance is required. Please RSVP here for this and the other panels that are part of Human Rights Month:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfk4AYLdjLW7J-WmDT-KASpwZ1nEearqJltibjUWyAdwEl1Tw/viewform?usp=preview

We look forward to seeing you there!

Join us tomorrow for the sixth event of the Academy on Human Rights’ Human Rights Month Speaker Series at American University Washington College of Law 🌎⚖️

We are pleased to invite you to a special screening of Dos Mundos: What Passes Between, an ongoing multimedia documentary project that shares the intimate stories of four mothers from El Salvador and Honduras who migrated to the United States in search of safety, opportunity, and a better future for their families.

Through personal narratives that span borders and generations, the project explores the lasting impact of migration on families and communities in both the United States and their countries of origin. The documentary examines themes of family separation, identity, sacrifice, resilience, and belonging, offering a deeply human perspective on migration in the Americas.

The screening will feature two short documentary films that together form the complete experience:

• De Sueños (Of Dreams) – 13:39 minutes
• Estados Unidos era mi Mamá (The United States Was My Mom) – 14:42 minutes

Following the screening, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a conversation about migration, family, and the human stories behind contemporary migration movements in the region.

Featuring:

• Olga Jaramillo – Independent Visual Storyteller and creator of the Dos Mundos project

• Ernesto Castañeda – Director of American University's Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS)

Please join us tomorrow at American University Washington College of Law.

Registration in advance is required:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfk4AYLdjLW7J-WmDT-KASpwZ1nEearqJltibjUWyAdwEl1Tw/viewform?usp=preview

We look forward to seeing you there!

Join us tomorrow for the fifth panel of the Academy on Human Rights’ Human Rights Month Speaker Series at American University Washington College of Law, focused on addressing human rights in times of crisis 🌎⚖️

Our next panel is titled “States of Emergency: Public Safety and Organized Crime.”

This discussion will examine the increasing use of states of emergency across the Americas as a response to organized crime and public security challenges. While governments often justify these measures as necessary to combat criminal organizations and protect public safety, their prolonged or repeated use has raised concerns among international human rights bodies and civil society organizations regarding their impact on human rights, democratic governance, and the rule of law.

The panel will explore how states can address serious security threats while complying with their international human rights obligations. It will also reflect on recent developments within the Inter-American System, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ Resolution 1/26 on Organized Crime and Human Rights, as well as broader regional debates concerning democratic institutions, checks and balances, and the protection of fundamental rights during states of emergency.

Featuring:

• María Claudia Pulido - Assistant Executive Secretary for Monitoring, Promotion and Technical Cooperation, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)

• Sebastián Kraljevich Chadwick - Secretary for Strengthening Democracy, Organization of American States (OAS)

• Claudia Martin - Co-Director and Professorial Lecturer in Residence, Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, American University Washington College of Law

Moderator:

• Katya Salazar - Executive Director, Due Process of Law Foundation (DPLF)

The panel will be conducted primarily in Spanish, with simultaneous interpretation into English available 🎧 Please remember to bring your own device and headphones in order to benefit from the interpretation services.

Registration in advance is required. Please RSVP here for this and the other panels that are part of Human Rights Month:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfk4AYLdjLW7J-WmDT-KASpwZ1nEearqJltibjUWyAdwEl1Tw/viewform?usp=preview

We look forward to seeing you there!

Join us tomorrow for the fourth panel of the Academy on Human Rights’ Human Rights Month Speaker Series at American University Washington College of Law, focused on addressing human rights in times of crisis 🌎⚖️

Our next panel is titled “The Role of the United Nations International Law Commission in the Progressive Development and Codification of International Law.”

This discussion will explore the role of the International Law Commission (ILC) in the progressive development and codification of international law. Particular attention will be given to Professor Claudio Grossman’s work as Special Rapporteur on the topic of Immunity of State Officials from Foreign Criminal Jurisdiction and to the broader challenges facing international law in today’s geopolitical environment.

Featuring Professor Claudio Grossman, Member of the United Nations International Law Commission and Dean Emeritus of American University Washington College of Law, and Professor Fausto Pocar, former President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and former ad hoc Judge of the International Court of Justice.

The panel will be moderated by Professor Rebecca Hamilton, Professor of Law and internationally recognized expert on atrocity prevention at American University Washington College of Law. The event is organized in collaboration with the American Society of International Law (ASIL), whose Executive Director, Michael D. Cooper, will deliver welcoming remarks.

Please join us tomorrow, June 3, at 12:30 PM in Room NT01 at American University Washington College of Law.

The panel will be conducted in English, with simultaneous interpretation into Spanish available 🎧. Please remember to bring your own device and headphones in order to benefit from the interpretation services.

Registration in advance is required. Please RSVP here for this and the other panels that are part of Human Rights Month:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfk4AYLdjLW7J-WmDT-KASpwZ1nEearqJltibjUWyAdwEl1Tw/viewform?usp=preview

We look forward to seeing you there!