Valentina joined GICJ in August 2019. She completed a master’s degree in Foundations and Practices of Sustainability at the University of Lausanne. During her studies, she developed a keen interest in indigenous people’s cultures by working with associations defending the rights of the Mapuche people in Southern Chile and Argentina. She decided then to focus her final research on the animist view of the world by indigenous peoples and shamanism as a relational knowledge. Her principal areas of interest are human rights of indigenous peoples, women and LGBTQI+ people, but wishes to expand to a broader perspective by working at GICJ especially on racism, right to development and human rights during armed conflicts.

Chris joined GICJ in August 2018. He has a U.S. law degree (J.D.) from the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A. and is a Finn International Service Fellow. Chris’s interest in international law led him to GICJ where he hopes to gain first-hand experience interacting with UN agencies and practical knowledge about the use and development of international law regarding human rights. Chris has a keen interest in the international law of outer space and how space law and human rights can promote a more just and sustainable future for humanity. Chris also holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in urban planning and has lived and worked in the US, Canada, and the Middle East.

Giulia Marini

Italy

Elisa joined GICJ in February 2019. Elisa is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in International Relations at Boston University, with a track in International Systems and World Order, and a regional focus on South Asia.  Currently, Elisa is doing a semester exchange with the University of Geneva. Elisa grew up in Bangladesh and Israel, and volunteered with children with disabilities, and with a refugee resettlement agency in Boston. Elisa hopes to pursue her career in line with international development, and to learn more about the right to development.

Pia joined GICJ in January 2019. She is a law student from the University of Münster in Germany and is currently studying international law with a focus on international human rights law and international humanitarian law in Geneva. On top of her studies and her professional interest in human rights, Pia is passionate about supporting socially disadvantaged people by volunteering with the Red Cross, Amnesty International’s local groups and various other local projects in both Germany and Switzerland. During her work at GICJ she aims to obtain in-depth knowledge about the human rights bodies of the United Nations and practical experience in the field of human rights. Her areas of particular interest are humanitarian issues, disarmament and international humanitarian law. Apart from her mother-tongue German Pia speaks English, French, Spanish and Polish.

Aditi joined GICJ in May 2019. She is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Administration at the University of California, Berkeley. She is particularly interested in development economics and international business, and hopes to use these to tackle socioeconomic inequality in the developing world. Previously, she has worked with nonprofits in India that serve underprivileged youth, the elderly, and disabled students. At GICJ, she has focused on the emerging issue of business and human rights; the Middle East, the rights of women, and the role of social media and technology in violating or facilitating human rights. From her experience, she hopes to gain international perspective on tackling injustices, and on the existing mechanisms that bind institutions to ethical policy and practice.