Winter School 2024

From January 23 to February 3, the Swiss School for International Relations hosted a Winter School for students.

The main focus of the Winter School was the intensive study of Legal English. The course, developed by experts in the field of language training of international lawyers, allows to develop skills and abilities to navigate freely in English-language literature in the field of international law, as well as the Anglo-American system of law.

On January 24, students attended an introductory lecture on the Law of International Organisations. During the discussions, students were introduced to the peculiarities of the functioning of the United Nations, the specialized agencies of the UN. The lecture was followed by a visit to the UN headquarters at the Palais de Nations, which formerly belonged to the League of Nations. During the excursion to the Palais de Nations the students attended the meeting of the Human Rights Council, where they heard the presentation of the Universal Periodic Report.

On January 25, Winter School participants visited the headquarters of the World Meteorological Organisation, a specialized intergovernmental agency of the United Nations for observing the state of the Earth’s atmosphere and its interaction with the oceans, where an employee of the organisation told the students about global warming, urbanisation and urban ecology.

On January 29, Winter School students visited the World Trade Organisation and learned about its role in world politics and economics.

On January 31, the students went to Lausanne. Here, the participants visited the Swiss Federal Court of Justice in Lausanne — it is one of the most important bodies of justice and the highest court in the country. It is the last national instance for reviewing decisions made by cantonal level courts. The students also visited the Olympic Museum, whose expositions not only tell the history of the Olympic Games, but also contain interactive exhibitions with sports equipment and Olympic torches of all games.