MAS in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law: What our Students Say

My name is Diana Cristina, and I am from Pijao, a lovely town in the coffee region of Colombia.
I completed my undergraduate studies in political science at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá and a master's degree in Democratic Governance and Civil Society at the Osnabrück University in Germany. In my free time, I love the feeling of freedom that riding a bike or travelling gives me, but I also enjoy staying at home watching a good movie or immersing myself in a book.

My work and academic experience focused on a wide range of topics concerning bottom-up approaches in designing policies and programmes in post-conflict societies. In Colombia, I worked for the national government and civil society organizations promoting civic engagement in memorialization and reconciliation processes. I was also an activist in the democratic opposition of local communities against mega-mining projects. These experiences gave me important and different insights into the intersection between peace and development.

I was attracted to the Geneva Academy because of the combination of high-level academic experts and practitioners that enrich theoretical debates with field experiences in different places in the world.

As a political scientist, I wanted to expand my methodological possibilities by gaining tools from different but complementary fields such as psychology and law to address transitional justice processes in a more comprehensive and interdisciplinary way.

After almost two years of virtual interactions, I am very much enjoying sharing the classroom with a diverse group of colleagues and new friends. Our debates and different positions allow me to contrast my own views, strengthen my critical thinking, and share my experiences of post-conflict processes. I am also enjoying being challenged with new tools, methodologies, and concepts coming from different disciplines like international and human rights law.

I do believe that coming to Geneva and being part of this programme is a very inspiring opportunity. Both the programme and the city itself are a constant invitation to continue advancing as a human(itarian) community in the realization of human rights, in particular for those historically marginalized. I would recommend it to every practitioner interested in contributing to peacebuilding and peace-making processes in a comprehensive manner.

I want to dedicate my professional career to preventing the recurrence of armed conflicts and supporting peacebuilding initiatives, understanding peace as a situation that allows everyone to thrive and flourish. I see myself putting into practice the knowledge acquired in this master, either as a researcher or as a practitioner in an institution whose mandate and core values involve the development of bottom-up peacebuilding strategies and the empowerment of local communities.

From here, we can appreciate how gifted Geneva is with the incredible nature around the city. The combination of the mountains and the Lac Leman reminds me of essential humanitarian work aspects. The mountains represent the capacity to have a good overview of complex situations to give good advice and guidance. The water symbolizes the ability to adapt to different conditions, find flexible solutions and overcome barriers. These efforts are part of a legacy to ensure the protection, respect, and fulfilment of human rights and decent conditions for humanity, represented by the institutions such as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations that you can see in the background.