Mona Koehler-Schindler>
Mona Koehler-Schindler works as an Associate Human Rights Officer on Anti-Terrorism Issues at the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).
Prior to joining ODIHR, she served as a member of NATO’s International Staff in Afghanistan and Belgium. From 2017 to 2019, she worked as a Political Advisor to the NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan, providing political assessments and supporting civil-military cooperation in the country. Before that, she served in different capacities at NATO headquarters in Brussels, including in the Counter-Terrorism Section, the Science for Peace and Security Programme and the Strategic Analysis Capability Centre. Previously, Mona worked amongst others for the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation (GIZ) in the Police Programme Africa, focusing on security sector reform in the counter-terrorism context.
Mona holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from the University of Aberdeen and is currently enrolled in our Executive Master on the International Law of Armed Conflict.
In this interview, she tells about the programme, online learning and what this will bring to her career.
Mona Koehler-Schindler
UK in Austria
Following different assignments with NATO, I’m currently working for the OSCE/ODIHR in the field of human rights and countering terrorism. The Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict allows me to complement my practical knowledge of international security and defence policy with the theoretical concepts of international law.
The programme combines high-quality education with state-of-the-art research on emerging challenges. My personal highlights are the courses on international humanitarian law (IHL), the interplay between IHL and international human rights law (IHRL), and the sharing of experiences with other participants who work in the field.
It works much better than I thought! The programme is very well prepared and communication by the Geneva Academy is excellent which makes it much easier.
I will admit it takes some time to find a routine at the beginning but the Geneva Academy is very much aware of the challenges we face and is very flexible and supportive in this regard.
The Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict allows me to strengthen my understanding of international law, in particular IHL and IHRL, and thereby complements my practical experience of working in the security policy field.
Absolutely! This programme is an opportunity to learn the legal framework of armed conflict while maintaining a job simultaneously.
News
Said Condo Ndoli is the Head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) sub-delegation in Timbuktu, Mali and graduated from our Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict in 2021.
Short Course
ICRC
This short course, which can be followed in Geneva or online, focuses on the specific issues that arise in times of armed conflict regarding the respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights. It addresses key issues like the applicability of human rights in times of armed conflict; the possibilities of restricting human rights under systems of limitations and derogations; and the extraterritorial application of human rights law.
Short Course
ICRC
This short course examines the conduct of hostilities in situations of international armed conflict, also known as the Law of The Hague.
Project
orihaus
This project aims at staying abreast of the various military technology trends; promoting legal and policy debate on new military technologies; and furthering the understanding of the convergent effects of different technological trends shaping the digital battlefield of the future.
Project
CCPR Centre
This project examined how IHL could be more systematically, appropriately and correctly dealt with by the human rights mechanisms emanating from the UN Charter, as well as from universal and regional treaties.
Publication
Publication
Canva