While many people throughout Europe are enjoying their holidays, the Institute community is keeping very busy. Not only are our students taking advantage of the break in classes to further their careers but our faculty members also tackle numerous interesting projects during the summer months. Here are some examples:

Andrew Clapham, Professor of International Law and Director of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, is currently in New York following the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty negotiations with a view to writing a legal commentary. He is there with a Geneva Academy team comprised of Dr Annyssa Bellal, who obtained her PhD at the Institute and is now at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, Dr Stewart Casey-Maslen, and Gilles Giacca who is pursuing a PhD at the Institute. The team is posting their observations in its daily blog.

Professor of Sociology of Development Riccardo Bocco just returned from Israel and Palestine where he carried out an evaluation of projects funded by the "Délégation Genève Ville Solidaire" of the City and Canton of Geneva. The projects have been ongoing for the last ten years and focus on peacebuilding activities. In August he will be at the University of Accra in Ghana participating in the Institute’s Global South Workshop with other Institute faculty members such as Gareth Austin, Gopalan Balachandran and Jean-Luc Maurer. There he will give a lecture on "Dealing with the past in post-conflict and transition contexts" and mentor about 20 doctoral students from southern universities.

Professor of International Economics and Head of the Institute’s PhD in Development Economics programme, Jean-Louis Arcand is currently in Beijing as Visiting Professor at Renmin University of China. While there, he is teaching a course entitled Impact Evaluation and the Microeconomics of Development.

Cédric Dupont, Professor of Political Science and Director of Executive Education is teaching at the International Summer School of the Kazakhstan Institute of Management, Economics and Strategic Research (KIMEP) for a week on WTO related subjects. Later in August, he will be in Hanoi, Vietnam, teaching an Executive Education course: Introduction to the Analysis and Practice of International Negotiation.

Last but not least, Professor of International History Gareth Austin just came back from the World Economic History Congress, which was held for the first time in Africa, at Stellenbosch in South Africa, from 9 to 13 July, with 800 participants. He presented 3 papers, was discussant on 12 papers and 1 book, chaired 2 sessions, and participated in the closing debate on “The Dynamics of African Development”, with Professor James A. Robinson of Harvard University.

They will surely have a lot to share with our students when the new academic year starts in September.