UNICRI · United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute

The University

The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) conducts applied research, training and technical co-operation activities in the fields of crime prevention and justice reform. UNICRI’s current priorities include activities related to justice reform, prevention and control of international terrorism, transnational organized crime and illicit trafficking. The Institute also houses the world’s largest Documentation Centre on crime prevention and criminal justice.

UNICRI will be offering the LL.M. program in conjunction with the University of Turin, Faculty of Law from November 2009 to July 2010.

The Program

The Master's program is designed for those who seek a deeper understanding of International Criminal Law and crime prevention, their implementation and the activities of international organizations and tribunals in this area.

The course offers a combination of academic training and practical experience, taught in an unparalleled international setting. Throughout the program, students will gain an in-depth knowledge of the theoretical and practical international instruments and tools for the prevention and punishment of international and transnational crimes such as terrorism and trafficking in persons.

The Master's program will cover the following topics:

1) Activities and policies of the United Nations - The UN System;
2) Transnational organized crime, emerging crimes and terrorism;
3) International Criminal Law and International Humanitarian Law;
4) International Criminal Jurisdictions and International Criminal Proceedings;
5) Interstate Cooperation on Criminal Matters; and
6) The Relationship between International Criminal Law and National Legislations.

The program will include real time analysis of the activities of international criminal jurisdictions: international criminal tribunals, the International Criminal Court and special courts.

The course includes a module on updated tools for the management of international projects on crime prevention and justice administration (Project Cycle Management), along with a further module on career guidance. The latter offers the unique possibility of eventual interviews with recruitment officials from the United Nations Volunteer Program (UNV).

The 8-month course will be composed of 2 months of eLearning and 6 months of on-campus lectures and residence in Turin, Italy. Students will attend lectures, tutorials and seminars; prepare presentations; participate in moot court and mock trial activities and write a final research paper.

60 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) will be awarded upon successful completion of the Master's program. The final grade is based on the Italian evaluation system, where the highest score is 110/110.

The program will offer a unique insight into the activities and policies of the United Nations as well as other international organizations and international tribunals and provide students with the expertise required for working in the international arena.

Following completion of the Masters, meritorious students will be offered the chance to take up internships with UNICRI and other relevant organizations worldwide. Amongst others, former students have been selected for internships within the International Criminal Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the United Nations Office against Drugs and Crime, Interpol, the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia, the Ministry of Justice of Georgia, the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions as well as volunteer positions following selection by UNV.

The Faculty

The faculty will include senior professors, judges, prosecutors and professionals from the UN system and other international organizations. Among others, the following international professors/experts have given lectures for the Master’s program:

• Carmel A. Agius
Judge, ICTY;
• Franz Baumann
Recently appointed Assistant Secretary-General, Department for General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM), Former Director of Management and Acting Deputy Executive Director, UNODC and Former Deputy Director-General, UNOV;
• Fatou Bensouda
Deputy Prosecutor, ICC;
• Antonio Cassese
Former President, ICTY and appointed President for The Special Tribunal for Lebanon by the United Nations;
• Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg
Professor of Public Law, Viadrina European University, Frankfurt (Oder);
• Antonio Maria Costa
Executive Director, UNODC and Director-General, UNOV;
• Staffan De Mistura
Deputy Executive Director for External Relations, World Food Programme (WFP) and former UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq;
• Pierre Marie Dupuy
Professor of International Law, European University Institute;
• Theodor Meron
Current Appeals Judge and Former President, ICTY, Former Appeals Judge, ICTR, and Charles L. Denison emeritus Professor of Law at New York School of Law;
• Luis Moreno Ocampo
Chief Prosecutor, ICC and Visiting Professor at both Stanford and Harvard Universities;
• Alphons Orie
Judge, ICTY;
• Fausto Pocar
Former President, ICTY and Professor of International Law at the University of Milan;
• Mauro Politi
Judge, ICC and Professor of International Law at the University of Trento;
• Gioacchino Polimeni
UNICRI Former Director and International Expert on International Criminal Law;
• Yves Sandoz
Member of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Professor of International Humanitarian Law at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, University of Fribourg;
• William Schabas
Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights and Chair in Human Rights Law, National University of Ireland;
• Christian Tomuschat
Former Member of the UN Human Rights Committee and the UN International Law Commission and Professor emeritus at Humboldt University, Berlin;
• Gerhard Werle
Professor for Criminal Law, Humboldt University, Berlin.

Entry Requirements

The course is designed for:

• University Graduates in Law, Political Science, International Relations, or equivalent qualifications;
• Young professionals in governmental institutions, local authorities, international organizations or NGOs; and
• Lawyers seeking to specialize in the field of international criminal justice.

Application Procedure

Candidates should fill in the application form, which may be downloaded from the UNICRI website http: //www.unicri.it/wwd/llm/

The Application Deadline is 5 October 2009

Tuition and Fees

The tuition fee is € 6,000 to be paid upon acceptance and confirmation by UNICRI, but at the latest by 2 November 2009.

Financial Aid

Scholarships, for the tuition fee only, may be available for meritorious candidates.

Location

UNICRI is located within the UN Campus in Turin, Italy, which also hosts the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization (ITC-ILO) and the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC). The verdant campus overlooks the Po River and provides a pleasant space where people from all over the globe can meet, live, and work together in a stimulating international environment.
The Campus also offers numerous social and cultural activities.

The City of Turin, which came to worldwide attention during the 2006 Winter Olympic Games, boasts a wide range of historical and cultural landmarks: www.comune.torino.it/www2/brochure/eng/. Its many libraries, museums, parks, cafes and bars offer multiple opportunities to study or socialize round-the-clock.

Accommodation

Students are responsible for organizing their own accommodation throughout their time in Turin. They should expect to pay between €250 and €350 for renting a room in the city centre and up to €500 for a private studio apartment. There is also the possibility of living on campus.

Student Life

In 2008-2009, UNICRI students came from a whole host of international backgrounds spanning all 5 continents and 27 different countries, constituting a diverse and vibrant student body.