UNICRI - United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute

Graduation ceremony

The LL.M is characterized by an interdisciplinary academic strategy that integrates theory and practice, favour active exchanges of ideas, and further the comparative and critical thinking skills of participants.

The academic curriculum of the programme unfolds into two phases:

During the Distance-learning Phase (23 November 2020 – 15 January 2021), students will have access to the online platform of the LL.M. Programme, on which in addition to self-study, they will have to carry out readings, group works and other interactive activities with the support of a tutor. At the end of this phase, an exam is foreseen.

The Residential Phase (27 January - 25 June 2021) comprises of theoretical lectures, seminars and practical exercises including workshops, simulations, study visits, moot courts and other activities organized in cooperation with international organizations, NGOs, research institutions and entities belonging to the UN system. The international group of selected students will be attending classes both in the morning and in the afternoon (full-time commitment for 6 class hours a day/4-5 days a week) at the UN Campus.

The Graduation Project, at the end of the residential phase, will consist in a Moot Court simulation that will further help students to develop skills in written and oral courtroom advocacy on selected matters of substantive international criminal law. The Graduation Ceremony will take place on 9 July 2021.

Upon successful conclusion of the course, students will have acquired in depth and up-to-date knowledge on the main subjects around which the global debate on international and transnational crime and justice articulates:

• International Law Dimensions of Peace and Conflicts, including transitional justice and peacekeeping operations;
• Transnational organized crime and transnational crimes, including corruption, trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, environmental crime, terrorism, and cybercrime; 
• Global efforts to strengthen the rule of law and justice reform in developing democracies and post-conflict environments, including corrections;
• International Humanitarian Law;
• International Criminal Law and International Criminal Procedure;
• International Human Rights Law;
• Public International Law;
• Criminal Law and Procedure in a Comparative Perspective.

The programme further envisages dedicated sessions on career guidance and professional development in the UN system. For instance, students will have the possibility to participate to individual sessions with representatives of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme.

UPEACE

The University for Peace (UPEACE), headquartered in Costa Rica, is a Treaty Organization established in 1980 through an International Agreement approved by the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 35/55, and has the mandate "to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace and with the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, to stimulate cooperation among peoples and to help lessen obstacles and threats to world peace and progress, in keeping with the noble aspirations proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations". By virtue of the mandate granted to it by Article 15 of the Charter of the University for Peace, annexed to the International Agreement Establishing the University for Peace, UPEACE conducts Master and Doctorate Degree programmes in fields that promote peace and security.

UNICRI is one of the five training and research institutes of the UN System. It was established in 1965 and is mandated to support countries worldwide in preventing crime and promoting criminal justice. Over the years the Institute has developed a sound expertise in research and training, which is reflected in the organization of several capacity building activities and specialized post graduate courses.

The Faculty of the Master of Laws in Transnational Crime and Justice is composed by international academics, experts and practitioners.

UPEACE will contribute to the programme through its distinguished faculty members among which:

Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo - Dean of UPEACE; former Associate Professor of International Law at the Central University of Venezuela in Caracas and Professor of Humanitarian International Law at the Universidad Sergio Arboleda in Bogota; former Fulbright Visiting Professor at the Washington College of Law at American University. He also served as Jurist to the Regional Delegation of Venezuela and the Caribbean of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Mihir Kanade - Head of the Department of International Law and Human Rights at UPEACE and Director of the UPEACE Human Rights Centre; former lawyer in the Supreme Court of India and the Bombay High Court, focusing on issues of fundamental human rights violations. He is an adjunct faculty at Universidad Alfonso XI El Sabio (Spain), Cheikh Anta Diop University (Senegal), and Long Island University (United States).

UNICRI can count on a pool of internal and external experts who have served as faculty members in previous courses as well as several renown international experts that have participated as keynote speakers in our several editions among which:

Adama Dieng - Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary General on the Prevention of Genocide

Navi Pillay - Judge ad hoc on the International Court of Justice, President of the Advisory Council of the Nuremberg Principles Academy, President of The International Commission against the Death Penalty, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, former President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and former Judge of the International Criminal Court.

Our faculty members include:

Guido Acquaviva - Lecturer, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights; Deputy Registrar, Kosovo Specialist Chambers; Former Chef de Cabinet, Office of the President, Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL); Former Legal Officer, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)

Rosario Salvatore Aitala – Judge of the International Criminal Court (ICC)

Elena Atzeni - RSD Associate, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, (UNHCR)

Ghenadie Barba - Chief, Rule of Law Unit, OSCE, Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights ODIHR

Stefano Betti - International Consultant; Former Senior Counsel, INTERPOL in charge of Illicit Trafficking

Chris Black - Legal Officer, Pre-trial Chamber, Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL); Former Regional Legal Adviser, Red Cross International Committee (Geneva, Switzerland)

Abigail Bridgman - Member of California Bar and United States District Court of Northern California; Assistant to Counsel at International Criminal Court.

Salvatore Cannata - Case Analyst, Eurojust; Former Legal Officer, UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate

Linda Carter - Distinguished Professor of Law Emerita, Mc George School of Law, University of Pacific (Sacramento, USA)

Mark Dietrich - Vice-President, East-West Management Institute

Rehinold Gallmetzer - Appeals Counsel, Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC)

Nobuo Hayashi - Senior Legal Advisor, International Law and Policy Institute (Oslo, Norway); Visiting Professor on International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law, International University of Japan (Niigata, Japan)

Gary Hill - Member of the Board and Training Chair, International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA); Scientific Coordinator of the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council, UNODC the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme Network (PNI); Chief Executive Officer, CEGA Services (Lincoln, USA) in Haiti, Rwanda and Kosovo

Patricia Janega - International Trainer, Facilitator and Intercultural Expert,International Training Centre of the ILO (Turin, Italy); Intercultural Communications Trainer, Intercultures (Berlin, Germany)

Kristiina Kangaspunta - Chief of UNODC's Crime Research Section Former Deputy Director, UNICRI

Nicola Lettieri - Alternate Judge in the Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)

Carola Lingaas-Louwerse - Lecturer, University of Oslo, Law Faculty

Antonio Giovanni Luzzi - Associate Programme Officer, Implementation Support Section III, Terrorism Prevention Branch, Division for Treaty Affairs, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)

Paula Lynch - Associate Legal Officer, Defence Office, Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)

Nicolas Mansfield - Director of Legal Programs, East-West Management Institute

Lt. Col. Gianluca Mascherano - Military Researcher, Post-Conflict Operations Study Centre (PCOSC), Italian Army; Lecturer of “Stabilization and Reconstruction Orientation Course”, Universitá degli Studi di Torino

Paolina Massidda - Principal Counsel, Office of Public Council for Victims (OPCV), International Criminal Court (ICC)

Lt. Col. Paolo Mazzuferi - Chief of Department for Study and Doctrine within the Post-Conflict Operations Study Centre (PCOSC), Italian Army

Peter McCloskey - Former Senior Trial Attorney, Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)

Deirdre Montgomery - Attorney at Law; Solicitor (England & Wales); Legal Officer at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL)

Yasmin Naqvi - Legal Officer in Chambers at International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia.

Wendy Ann O’Brien - Legal Officer, Violence against Children, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC); Associate Professor, Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia

Marie O’Leary - Attorney-at-Law, Legal Adviser/Counsel, Office of Public Counsel for the Defence of the International Criminal Court (ICC-OPCD)

Niccoló Pons - Associate Legal Officer, Chambers of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers; former Associate Legal Officer, Trial Chamber Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia; former Associate Legal Officer, Pre-Trial Division, Chambers, International Criminal Court.

Rod Rastan - Legal Advisor, Jurisdiction, Complementarity and Cooperation Division, Office of the Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC)

Jacopo Roberti di Sarsina - Subject Expert in International Law, University of Bologna School of Law, Attorney-at-Law (New York)

Karine Simonsen - Officer, Rule of Law Unit, OSCE, Office for Democratic Institution and Human Rights ODIHR

Davyth Stewart - Coordinator, Global Forestry Enforcement and Pollution Crime Unit, Interpol

James Stewart - Deputy Prosecutor, International Criminal Court (ICC)

Gregory Townsend - Former Chief of the Court Support Services Section, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY); Former Prosecutor, UN Mission to Kosovo; Former Head of Office, Special Court for Sierra Leone

Bakhtiyar Tuzmukhamedov - Member of the Committee Against Torture (CAT); formerly Judge in the Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunals for the Former Yugoslavia and for Rwanda

William Wiley - Executive Director, Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA); Former International Legal Advisor, Iraqi High Tribunal; Former Human Rights Officer, UN Assistance Mission to Iraq; Former Investigator, ICC and ICTR; Former Intelligence Analyst, International Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia (ICTY)

Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Hold at least a 3-year university degree issued by an internationally recognised university in Law, Political Science, International Relations, Criminology, Social Sciences, or equivalent academic subjects.
• Full proficiency in written and spoken English. Please note that a good command of English is essential. During the course students will be asked to actively engage in class activities, draft documents, analyse case files and legal documents, discuss practical scenarios and work in groups.

Although a certificate of English knowledge is not required, proficiency score ranges from the below internationally recognized certificates are suggested to be equal to or above the following:

The programme coordination officers may arrange phone interviews to assess the competencies of candidates before the selection is finalized.

For additional information on the required documents to apply to the LL.M., please visit the relevant section.

Applicants will need to submit a duly completed application form (in MS Word format only - click here to download) by email together with all the documents listed below to the following email address: unicri.llm@un.org: 

• Motivation letter, a personal statement explaining why you are interested in this particular programme and outlining any relevant experience you have. The statement should be written in English and not exceed one page.
• Curriculum Vitae in English
• Scanned copy of passport reproducing only the personal details and photo page(s).
• Official English certificate if available (see section on entry requirements and item number 10 of the application form).
• An official copy of the Bachelor's (or higher) diploma(s) in its original language issued by the competent University.
• An official certified translation of the above diploma(s) into English if the original document(s) is issued in another language.*
• An official copy of the university transcript(s) of records of all the university studies completed or on-going in the original language issued by the competent University (ies). The official transcript of records must include the following information: full titles of all the courses completed throughout the degree; dates of completion of each course (or at the very least the overall time spent to complete the entire programme); grades obtained; credits awarded; and information on the grading scale.
• An official certified translation of the above transcript(s) of records into English if the original document(s) is issued in another language.
• Any other document that Italian Embassies may require in order to issue study visa. Once selected, you are kindly requested to ask for relevant information to the Italian Embassy.

Please note that the submitted application is valid for the 2020/21 edition of the LL.M. only. If you are not selected and wish to apply for the forthcoming edition of the same programme, you may submit a new application as soon as the new call for applications is open.

*The official certified translation of the university diploma(s) and transcript(s) of records is issued by the National Competent Authority of the country where the student has conducted his/her studies according to national regulations.

Tuition fees amounts to USD 11,000.

Please note that:

• Tuition fees do not cover additional expenses such as those related to VISA, travel, food, and accommodation.
• Tuition fees are non-refundable under any circumstances including rejection of VISA applications.
• The only event under which tuition fees will be refunded is the cancellation of the course by its organizers.
• Applicants receiving an offer for the 2020-21 edition of the LL.M. cannot defer it to the following academic year.

Selected candidates will be notified by 14 September 2020 on the results of the selection process. They are then required to confirm their attendance by 17 September 2020 and finalise their payment by 28 September 2020.

Disclaimer: Please note that between the date in which you will receive the information on the selection results and the date of confirmation of acceptance and payment you will have respectively three (3) days and fourteen (14) days to complete the required steps. These deadlines cannot be postponed and payment in multiple instalments is not allowed.

Cancellation Policy

UNICRI and UPEACE reserve the right to cancel the programme due to low enrolment or unforeseen circumstances. Participants will be notified by 16 October 2020 of any change in the programme. If the organisers must cancel the programme, all participants will be reimbursed for programme fees.

In case of cancellation, the organisers will not be liable for any loss, including travel and accommodation costs suffered by or on behalf of any person who wished to attend the course

Fee Exemptions

A limited number of fee exemptions may be available. Please indicate and motivate your request of fee exemption in the application form. Candidates will be informed in the course of the selection process about the availability of such exemptions, which will be awarded only at the end of the selection process.

UN Campus in Turin

The residential phase of the LL.M. is held on the beautiful United Nations Campus in Turin, Italy.

The Campus is located on 10 hectares of riverside parkland and hosts other national and international organizations such as the ITCILO, UNSSC and UNESCO. It also offers leisure time, dining, and sports facilities to its guests. The UN Campus runs more than 450 programmes and projects for approximately 11,000 people from over 180 countries annually.

Unfortunately, the LL.M. Staff cannot provide assistance for accommodation services. Nevertheless, useful links can be found in the relevant section of the LL.M. (http://www.unicri.it/services/education_training/postgraduate/llm/links/), and further information will be provided to selected applicants upon acceptance.

Finding housing depends on the specific needs of students. Students who prefer to live closer to the central area of Turin (zona Centro, Quadrilatero Romano, San Salvario) should expect to find accommodation that is older and more expensive than accommodation available in areas close to the UN Campus. However, public transportation from the centre to the Campus area can be less frequent at night than during the day. Expect to pay between Euro 300 up to Euro 700 per month depending on the type of accommodation you choose (i.e. shared flat, single room, double room, studio, etc.) and on the area of the city in which it is located. Public transportation from the centre to the Campus area can take approximately 30 minutes and be less frequent at night than during the day. Students may also choose to live on the UN Campus in ITC-ILO accommodations. The current cost is Euro 85 per night for a single room and Euro 120 per night for a double room. The cost includes breakfast and Internet. In case of a long stay (more than two months), the current cost of a single room is Euro 50 per night (prices may be subject to changes). Please note that an advance payment may be requested.

Turin, Italy

Students have an unforgettable experience in a multi-cultural classroom setting as well as the experiences that the city of Turin has to offer.

Turin lies at the centre of Piemonte region, the "land at the foot of the mountains". It is surrounded by the Alps, the Olympic Mountains that hosted the Turin 2006 Winter Olympics, as well as hills and various national parks. It is connected to many charming places in the vicinity and it is only two hours from the seaside. Turin is an ideal destination thanks to the access roads and efficient transport systems that provide excellent land and air links from the main Italian and European cities.

First the capital of the Kingdom of Italy, then considered one of the European centres of baroque, today Turin is a dynamic industrial and commercial city, but also a capital of contemporary art boasting a wide variety of cultural and educational opportunities and offering more than 40 museums, including the world's second largest Egyptian collection after that of Cairo.

Turin is a leading centre for higher education and research, housing some of the major academic and research institutions in Italy.

Throughout the year, Turin hosts international exhibitions and fairs, among which the most important are the Salone del libro (Book fair), held in May, the Turin Film Festival, held in November. Turin is also well known for chocolate. In Spring each year an original chocolate fair attracts countless tourists to taste the original "Gianduiotto" (the name of a famous local chocolate) in the city where it was created.