The Iran-United States Claims Tribunal Chooses Nicolas Michel, President of our Board, as its Next President

Portrait of Nicolas Michel Portrait of Nicolas Michel

21 December 2017

Nicolas Michel will officially join the Iran-United States Claim Tribunal (IUSCT) in The Hague on 1 January 2018. His appointment was made by the Appointing Authority of the IUSCT, former President of the Netherlands Supreme Court, Geert Corstens. On 12 December 2017, the party-appointed Members of the Tribunal unanimously appointed Nicolas Michel as the President of the Tribunal.

About Nicolas Michel

Nicolas Michel is Professor Emeritus at the University of Geneva (Law Faculty) and at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. He is also the President of the Geneva Academy’s Board.

As an internationally recognized expert in international law, he has worked as the UN Legal Counsel and UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs – the institution’s highest-ranking legal officer. He filled that role for four years, during which time he was closely involved in setting up the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. Nicolas Michel also worked for the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs as Director of the International Law Directorate and Legal Adviser.

Since September 2015 he is the UN Secretary-General’s political and legal facilitator for the Syria Talks.

Nicolas Michel was also Professor of International Law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies and the Law Faculty, University of Geneva, and has taught at the Universities of Fribourg, Lausanne, Neuchatel, Paris II, Beijing (Renmin) and Xiamen.

About the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal (IUSCT)

The IUSCT came into existence as one of the measures taken to resolve the crisis in relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America arising out of the November 1979 hostage crisis at the United States Embassy in Tehran, and the subsequent freezing of Iranian assets by the United States of America.

The Tribunal has jurisdiction to decide claims of United States nationals against Iran and of Iranian nationals against the United States, which arise out of debts, contracts, expropriations or other measures affecting property rights; certain "official claims" between the two Governments relating to the purchase and sale of goods and services; disputes between the two Governments concerning the interpretation or performance of the Algiers Declarations; and certain claims between United States and Iranian banking institutions.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

LLM Students News

LLM Students Address IHL Issues Arising from the 2008 Armed Conflict in South Ossetia

16 May 2024

Students from our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights took part in a pleading exercise on the 2008 South Ossetia armed conflict between Russia and Georgia.

Read more

Artwork: ‘PɇaceMaker’ by Goin News

Our 2023 Annual Report

8 July 2024

Our Annual Report provides an overview of the activity of the Geneva Academy in 2023.

Read more

Cover page of the book Event

Book Launch - International Law and the Principle of Non-Intervention: History, Theory, and Interactions with Other Principles

7 October 2024, 18:30-20:00

In this book launch our Swiss IHL Chair, Professor Marco Roscini, will discuss the main findings of his new book on the principle of non-intervention with leading experts.

Read more

Al Mahdi case: ICC Trial Chamber VIII issues reparations order, 17 August 2017 Short Course

International Criminal Law: General Principles and International Crimes

5-29 November 2024

This online short course reviews the origins of international criminal law, its relationship with the international legal order including the UN Security Council and its coexistence with national justice institutions. The scope of international crimes – genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression – is considered alongside initiatives to expand or add to these categories.

Read more

Short Course

The Law of Non-International Armed Conflicts

6-21 February 2025

This online short course discusses the protection offered by international humanitarian law (IHL) in non-international armed conflicts (NIACs) and addresses some problems and controversies specific to IHL of NIACs, including the difficulty to ensure the respect of IHL by armed non-state actors.

Read more

A session of the UN Human Rights Council Project

IHL Expert Pool

Started in January 2022

The IHL-EP works to strengthen the capacity of human rights mechanisms to incorporate IHL into their work in an efficacious and comprehensive manner. By so doing, it aims to address the normative and practical challenges that human rights bodies encounter when dealing with cases in which IHL applies.

Read more

A destroyed camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Khor Abeche, South Darfur, Project

Understanding the Relationship between Conflict, Security and the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment

Started in May 2023

This project will develop guidance to inform security, human rights and environmental debates on the linkages between environmental rights and conflict, and how their better management can serve as a tool in conflict prevention, resilience and early warning.

Read more

Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2023

published on July 2024

Read more