International Law and the Settlement of Disputes

Academic Course Calendar and Professors

Code	Courses	Type	Professor	Credits	Weeks	Dates	Hours	Classroom
DIL-6077.	Transitional Justice and International Criminal... DIL-6077.-Transitional Justice and International Criminal Law. 3Credits This course will focus on international criminal law through the lens of the International Criminal Court (ICC). The subject is the material and procedural law of the ICC. Focus will be laid on the structure of the ICC, its workings, the role of the different organs of the Court and the different stages of the proceedings (investigation, pre-trial, trial and appeal phase). Jurisdiction, admissibility, the crimes under the Rome Statute as well as the modes of liability will form part of the content. Gross violations of human rights, including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide have characterized several contemporary conflicts and authoritarian regimes. In such contexts, questions of impunity and accountability become central to peacebuilding and reconstruction of post-conflict societies. Yet, criminal prosecution of persecutors poses challenges for post-conflict reconciliation, particularly when such reconciliation is contingent upon demands for amnesty. This course takes a holistic view on the debates surrounding linkages between serious crimes and justice. This is the first part of this course. It provides a general introduction to the field of international criminal law. It focuses on the evolution of international crimes under international law and the role of international criminal courts in the prosecution of international crimes. Students will analyze the jurisdictional reach of international criminal courts, their relationship with national jurisdictions (primacy v. complementarity) and the impact of the interests of justice and peace in the exercise of their jurisdiction. Students will also explore the objective and subjective elements of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Particular attention will be placed on those elements of international crimes that make them distinguishable from ordinary crimes, and on the manner in which criminal responsibility is determined by international criminal courts. × View More	Mandatory	Mariateresa Garrido Villareal(Venezuela) Mariateresa Garrido Villareal Venezuela Dr. Mariateresa Garrido (Venezuela) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Law at UPEACE and the Doctoral Committee Coordinator. She is an international lawyer and holds a Doctorate from UPEACE. Her main research area is related to the exercise of the right to freedom of expression and the protection of journalists in Latin America; but she is also researching on the interaction between human rights and Information and Communication Technologies. She uses mixed methodologies and legal research to explore linkages between the law, journalism and new technologies. She also holds two Master’s Degrees; one from UPEACE in International Law and the Settlement of the Disputes and one from the Central University of Venezuela in Public International Law. × View More  Thomas Koerner(Germany) Thomas Koerner Germany Thomas Koerner is currently working within the International Criminal Court (ICC). He has extensive experience drafting judicial decisions and orders, arrest warrants, Decisions on the Confirmation of the Charges and final Trial Judgements, as well as ‘Article 5’ trials (the core crimes of the Court; crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide) and ‘Article 70’ trials (contempt of Court cases; witness interference, tempering of evidence, etc.). His practical work experience in the Pre-Trial Section and Trial Section of the International Criminal Court includes trial management, liaising with the parties and the Registry, extensive legal research, drafting of option papers and memos, strategic consulting of the Judges, providing legal advice to the Judges, analysing evidence and drafting of orders and decisions. His academic work includes presentations about the ICC in national settings: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, panel discussions about the ICC and International Criminal Law in general, workshops and presentations at Universities as part of their international criminal law courses. × View More 	3	3 weeks	10-Jan-2022 28-Jan-2022	1:15pm.-4:15pm.	Classroom #3
DIL-6120	International and Transnational Adjudication DIL-6120- International and Transnational Adjudication 3Credits This course offers an in-depth study of whether and how international courts and tribunals contribute to peace. More broadly, it will provide students with an understanding of the role as well as the limitations and potential of international adjudicatory bodies in international law and international relations. The course will look at how international adjudication was first developed and later expanded from emergence during the 19th century. It will analyze the historical and political context, particularly after the first and second World Wars, and we shall consider its role and challenges in the current global governance system. The main focus will be on permanent multilateral courts. We will examine at depth the International Court of Justice – as the prime example of a ‘world court’, as well as topic specific courts including in particular the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea, the World Trade Organization dispute settlement mechanism and the International Criminal Court. We will also look into the role of regional courts, particularly human rights courts in Africa, America and Europe, as well as some of the courts established under regional economic cooperation agreements. × View More	Mandatory	Sergio Ugalde(Costa Rica) Sergio Ugalde Costa Rica With 20 years of experience in the field of International Law and Diplomacy, Sergio Ugalde (Costa Rica) graduated as a lawyer from the University of Costa Rica and holds a Magister Juris in European and Comparative Law from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. As Costa Rica’s most senior international legal adviser since 2002, he has been entrusted with representing and managing his country’s last six cases before the International Court of Justice as counsel and advocate, and later as Co-Agent. He has served his country on over 40 occasions as Special Ambassador for legal, diplomatic and international cooperation and security affairs, and has been the chairman of the International Law Commission at Costa Rica´s Foreign Ministry for 17 years. He has headed several negotiations involving issues of international law. From 2014 to 2018, Mr. Ugalde was appointed Costa Rica´s Ambassador to The Kingdom of the Netherlands and Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prescription of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), where he served as Vice-Chair to the 20th Conference of States Parties. He was also Governor at the United Nations sponsored Common Fund for Commodities, based in Amsterdam. He served as Costa Rica’s Representative to the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court (ICC), and was appointed Vice-president of the Assembly of States Parties and Chair to The Hague Working Group on the International Criminal Court between 2016 and 2017. As acting President to the XVI Assembly of States Parties of the ICC in New York, he played a significant role in the activation of the ICC´s jurisdiction over the Crime of Aggression by the consensus of 123 State Parties. He is a member of the Costa Rican Bar, an international member of the American Bar Association, and a member of the International Law Association in London.   × View More 	3	3 weeks	31-Jan-2022 18-Feb-2022	1:15pm.-4:15pm.	Classroom #3
DIL-6081	Maritime & Territorial Dispute Settlement DIL-6081-Maritime & Territorial Dispute Settlement 3Credits The geographical integrity of sovereign states is at the core of the contemporary notion of statehood itself. Therefore, when it comes to the specific delimitation of national territories, or the management of specific trans-boundary situations, there are a wealth of large and small maritime and territorial disputes. This course provides an historical overview of how international law has established the boundaries and limits of state jurisdiction, and the ways in which the international community has responded to territorial and maritime disputes around the globe. Close attention shall be given to the key players in this history, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) and arbitral tribunals established under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. × View More	Mandatory	Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo(Venezuela) Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo Venezuela Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo (Venezuela) is Professor and Dean at the University for Peace (UPEACE). He is also Associate Professor of International Law at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas and has been since 1998. He served as Fulbright Visiting Professor at the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington DC (2008-2009); Professor of Humanitarian International Law at the Universidad Sergio Arboleda (2009-2014), the Universidad Javeriana and Universidad El Rosario, both in Colombia. He is also Professor at the Universidad Alfonso X El Sabio in Madrid and has been since 2009. He was Jurist to the Regional Delegation of Venezuela and the Caribbean of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). He served as member of the Venezuelan Foreign Service in charge of border affairs as Adviser and Coordinator of the Cooperation Border Programs between 1991-1999, and Deputy Director of the Diplomatic Academy. Juan Carlos Sainz-Borgo has a Law Degree, a Master's Degree in International Law and a Doctorate Degree (Cum Laude) from the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas and a Master's Degree from Oxford University (UK). He has published four books on international law and international relations and numerous articles in different publications in the field × View More  Helga Gudmundsdóttir(Iceland) Helga Gudmundsdóttir Iceland  Helga Gudmundsdottir is an associate at Brussels-based law firm, Van Bael & Bellis. Prior to joining Van Bael & Bellis, Helga was a Fulbright, Harvard Frank Boas, Leif Eiriksson Fellowship scholar at Harvard University and recipient the Law of the Sea Institute of Iceland Grant, the Thor Thors Scholarship, the Landsbankinn Schgolarship and the Carl G. & Rikke Fredriksen Barth Scholarship.  Helga received a BA in law from the University of Iceland in 2013, an MA degree in International Law and the Settlement of Disputes from the UN mandated University for Peace in 2014, a Mag.jur. degree from the University of Iceland in 2015, a Rhodes Oceans Scholar Diploma from the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy in 2015 and an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School in 2017. During her studies, Helga has largely focused on international law, in particular, the international law of the sea. Helga has held a number of research positions, including at Harvard University on the South China Sea dispute and at the Icelandic Centre for Research on international intellectual property rights. Helga has also held editorial positions for international law publications, including the Harvard International Law Journal and as editor and coordinator of Liber Amicorum - In Honour of a Modern Renaissance Man His Excellency Gudmundur Eiriksson (Lexis Nexis/UPeace 2017). She has recently authored articles on the use of compulsory conciliation in fisheries disputes and on coastal States’ claims to the continental shelf.   × View More 	3	3 weeks	18-Apr-2022 06-May-2022	8:45am.-11:45am.	Classroom #4

Admissions Requirements

The following documentation is required to complete your application process for the UPEACE on-campus M.A. programmes. Please have them ready and on hand before beginning your online application process, as they will need to be uploaded into the system.

Required supporting documents to be uploaded:

• English Proficiency Test Scores Report: TOEFL (PBT, CBT or IBT), IELTS, Duolingo English Test, Pearson Test of English or Cambridge English Language Assessment
• Statement of Purpose
• Letters of Recommendation
• Official Undergraduate (Bachelor's Degree) Transcripts and Degree Certificate
• Curriculum Vitae or Resume
• Copy of Passport (front page with photo only)
• Three (3) passport-size photos for ID purposes

Detailed information on each requirement can be found here.

The online application requires electronic (PDF) scans of required documents. Should admission be granted, the following documents will be eventually be required in official hard copy:

• English Proficiency Test Scores Report: TOEFL (PBT, CBT or IBT), IELTS, Duolingo English Test, Pearson Test of English or Cambridge English Language Assessment (if applicable)
• UPEACE TOEFL Code: 7180
• Official Undergraduate Transcripts and Degree Certificate (and English translations if applicable)
• Three (3) passport-size photos.

Upon submission of the online application form and supporting uploaded documents, the UPEACE Admissions system will send an automatic confirmation email. The date and time of submission will be noted in the system. Applications received after the established deadline will be considered for admission for the following academic year. Each application received by the established deadline will be reviewed for completeness. A second acknowledgment will be sent to the applicant by the Admissions Officer, informing him/her of the status of his/her application, whether it is complete and able to be passed on for academic review.

We are not able to provide any information about the status of applicants over the phone or to third parties. Information will only be provided to the applicant using the email provided in the online application form. Please address any email inquiries to admissions@upeace.org. 

Please write down your application ID number before submitting your application, as this number is difficult for the Admissions Team to recover. If you lose your ID number, please email admissions@upeace.org.

Costs & Financial Aid

UPEACE is a not-for-profit institution and has limited funds for financial assistance. Therefore we strive for balance, diverse class composition, and merit in distributing financial assistance among admitted students.

UPEACE Costs

Conditions of UPEACE Scholarships & Financial Assistance

The prospective applicant has to be admitted to UPEACE in order to receive any possibility of financial assistance from the University, the latter of which is subject to the following conditions:

• The financial assistance awarded is non-negotiable.
• The scholarships/waivers do not apply to the US$ 2,500 administrative fee. This fee is mandatory for all students and is non-refundable if the student wishes to withdraw from UPEACE before completing his/her degree. Admitted students must comply with this financial obligation to UPEACE according to the required deadline outlined in their official admissions documents.
• Applicants are only eligible for one waiver category per application period. Waiver categories cannot be combined.
• If you receive a scholarship from another institution, you are obligated to inform the UPEACE Admissions Office, so that it can revert the waivers granted by UPEACE. 
• Applicants eligible for a 50% waiver must apply directly through the UPEACE Admissions Office.

Automatic Scholarships/Waivers

30% Tuition Waiver (Automatic)

Available to M.A. and Doctorate students that meet one of the following criteria:

• Citizen or nationals of a signatory state to the UPEACE Charter
• Students who have received an undergraduate or graduate degree from a partner university
• Peace Corps veterans

50% Tuition Waiver (Automatic)

Available to M.A. and Doctorate students that meet one of the following criteria:

• Professors from a partner university
• Costa Rican citizens and residents (host country)
• Current, full-time UN employees and volunteers
• Documented refugee or asylee

30% or 50% Tuition Waiver (Merit Based) - Available to Master's applicants who do not belong to the above categories. These waivers are offered in limited number and will be awarded by merit, not financial condition. These waivers are not available to doctorate students.

Life at #UPEACE

Humans of UPEACE was modeled after the famous Humans of New York photography project, designed to tell the stories of 10,000 New Yorkers on the street. At UPEACE, we believe our community – composed of current students, Alumni, Faculty, Visiting Professors, staff members, and partners – is our greatest asset and their stories worth sharing with the world. We invite you to dive into these stories and get to know the exceptional #UPEACERS that make the University for Peace a unique and diverse learning community, dedicated to training leaders for peace determined to reshape the world.

Their stories are the best way to get a real feeling for the Student Life Experience at UPEACE!

Click on the HoU logo below to get started!

Our current batch of #UPEACERS

The University for Peace is characterized by its diversity and multiculturalism. For 2021-2022, we have 147 students from 46 countries. As a result, our campus is always full of student activities, most of them organized by the students themselves. In past years, we have had yoga classes, conversation classes in different languages, the celebration of cultural nights (Asian night, Latin night, European night, etc.), as well as institutional activities open to students (Zumba classes, academic "brown bag" lunches, etc.) The current situation has forced students to become more creative with regards to socialising and ensuring a rich student life at UPEACE.

Learn more about what to expect from your stay in Costa Rica, including approximate living expenses, here.

Career Prospects

Graduates of these programmes will gain knowledge, capacities, skills and motivation relevant to professional work in international, national and local government or civil society agencies and organizations. UPEACE Alumni are prepared to succeed in fields related to conflict analysis, resolution and transformation; nonviolence; disarmament; peace-making, peacekeeping and peace-building; security sector reform; local/global justice; transnational organized crime; conflict and peace-sensitive policy-making, as well as in tribunals at the local, regional, and global levels, not to mention peace and conflict studies/research.

Ready to join us?

The UPEACE application process is conducted 100% online through our application forms. Check out our TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION below and feel free to contact the Admissions Team at any time during the application process for assistance, including the retrieval of your Application ID.