Global Migration Centre

🎬 New Research & Film Project | I Come From Where I Am Going

https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/international-programmes/i-come-where-i-am-going

Running from April 2026 to March 2029, I Come From Where I Am Going is a participatory project combining anthropological research, documentary filmmaking, and public engagement. The project focuses on Afghan mobility and itinerant lives, while opening broader reflections on migration as a fundamental aspect of human history.

Led by anthropologist Alessandro Monsutti and filmmaker Mohammad Mehdi Zafari, the project is rooted in personal narratives and collective memory. It amplifies voices shaped by instability and movement, creating space for dialogue between lived experience and global debates on migration.

The project will result in:
• a 26‑minute documentary film
• public screenings and discussions
• a travelling micro‑exhibition featuring images, stories, and objects linked to life in migration
Together, these formats aim to reach diverse audiences and contribute to more nuanced, evidence‑based conversations on migration—beyond crisis narratives—by highlighting mobility as a way of being in the world.

🔍 Follow the project to learn more and join upcoming public events.

Migration is one of the defining issues of our time. But public debates are often shaped more by perception than by facts.

The Geneva Graduate Institute’s online executive course Decoding Migration Governance offers a practical, evidence-based understanding of migration dynamics, policy frameworks, and the actors shaping migration governance today.

Find out more: https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/communications/news/applications-navigating-migration-governance-course-are-now-open

Through interactive online learning, participants will explore:
- key migration trends and misconceptions
- the institutions and actors driving migration governance
- the political, social, and economic dimensions of migration policy
- global cooperation and contemporary governance challenges

Designed for professionals seeking a clearer understanding of migration beyond headlines and rhetoric.

Le Prof. Vincent Chetail publie dans le dernier numéro spécial de l’Annuaire français de droit international (CNRS Éditions) un article intitulé :
«Le déplacement forcé de population dans la bande de Gaza en droit international humanitaire».

Disponible ici: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5252784

L’étude analyse le déplacement forcé de civils à la lumière de l’article 49 de la Convention de Genève, clarifie la distinction entre évacuation licite et transfert illicite, et examine la qualification de ces actes en crime de guerre et en crime contre l’humanité.

Migration Talks is back for the Spring 2026 Series
Hosted by the Global Migration Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute

This spring, our Migration Talks series brings together leading scholars and practitioners to explore the evolving dynamics of migration governance, from AI and refugee law to diaspora engagement, corporate responsibility, and public perceptions.

Find out more: https://www.graduateinstitute.ch/gmc

24 February 2026
Data-Driven Futures of International Refugee Law?
Speaker: Thomas Gammeltoft-Hansen

3 March 2026
Diaspora Engagement in Action: Impact and Results
Speaker: Larisa Lara-Guerrero

17 March 2026
Migration and Health Governance in Mexico: Beyond Rhetoric
Speaker: Valeria Marina Valle

21 April 2026 (Online)
Corporate Borders
Speaker: Tendayi Achiume

18 May 2026
Communicating Migration Governance and Perception of Immigration Policies in the Global South
Speaker: Antoine Pécoud

Most talks begin at 18:15 CET (see individual event pages for details).
📍 Geneva & Online

Join us for a semester of conversations at the intersection of migration law, governance, health, technology, and global justice.

Is the international system powerless?
In a compelling analysis for Geneva Solutions, Vincent Chetail, Professor of International Law and Director of the Global Migration Centre at the Geneva Graduate Institute, weighs in on the legal and geopolitical implications of the recent U.S. intervention in Venezuela.

Chetail highlights how this operation not only raises serious questions about the use of force under the United Nations Charter but also challenges the credibility of the international legal order when powerful states bypass legal justifications. His perspective underscores why adherence to international norms remains essential for global stability and what happens when those norms are ignored.

👉 Read the full analysis on Geneva Solutions: https://genevasolutions.news/human-rights/us-intervention-in-venezuela-is-the-international-system-powerless

What happens when a superpower stops even pretending to justify its actions under international law?

In a recent interview with SWI swissinfo.ch, Vincent Chetail, Professor of International Law at the Geneva Graduate Institute and Director of the Global Migration Centre, analyses the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States and its implications for the international legal order.

According to Chetail, the operation constitutes a clear violation of international law and, more troublingly, marks a shift away from any attempt to provide a legal justification grounded in the UN Charter.

His analysis raises broader questions about:
• the erosion of legal norms governing the use of force
• the credibility of international law in an increasingly polarized world
• the risks of setting precedents that other states may follow

🔗 Read the full interview (in French): https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/geneve-internationale/les-%c3%a9tats-unis-ne-prennent-plus-la-peine-de-justifier-leurs-abus-aux-yeux-du-monde/90747381

Today is International Migrants Day.

It’s an opportunity to reflect on the concepts, institutions, and legal frameworks that shape migration and asylum worldwide.

How do we define the terms “migrant” and “refugee”? What does non-refoulement mean? How does naturalization work? And which legal and institutional structures govern global migration?

To mark the day, we invite you to join us for the launch of the Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Migration and Asylum Law, a new reference publication offering clear, authoritative explanations of key concepts in this rapidly evolving field. The volume challenges common misconceptions and provides accessible insights into the legal foundations of migration governance.

Discover the encyclopedia and join the conversation on the future of migration and asylum law.

Register here: https://t.ly/A6qGo

Discover the encyclopedia and join the conversation on the future of migration and asylum law.

How do we define the terms ‘migrant’ and ‘refugee’? What does non-refoulement mean? How does naturalization work? And what institutions and legal frameworks shape global migration and asylum?

Join us for the launch of the Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Migration and Asylum Law, a new reference publication offering clear, authoritative explanations of key concepts in this rapidly evolving field. The volume challenges misconceptions and provides accessible insights into the legal foundations of migration governance.

18 December 2025, 18:15 - 20:00
Register here: https://t.ly/A6qGo

Programme

Moderator
• Carolina Hernandez, Advisor on Migration & Human Rights, OHCHR

Opening Remarks
• Prof. Vincent Chetail, Geneva Graduate Institute – Global Migration Centre
• Chris Berry, Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd

Panelists
• Madeline Garlick (UNHCR) – The Global Compact on Refugees: Words on Paper, or Charter for the Future?
• Jittawadee Chotinukul (GMC) – In Search of Protection: Refugees in the ASEAN Context
• Giulia Raimondo (Fribourg University) – Governing Europe’s Borders: Integrated Border Management and the Expanding Role of Frontex
• Izabella Majcher (Independent consultant; forced return monitor) – Return: Key International Human Rights Standards and Recent Developments

📍 Geneva Graduate Institute

From commitments to action: advancing child rights and expanding access to family reunification.

Register here: https://t.ly/A6qGo

We are looking forward to welcoming partners and participants to the GRF Linked Event on 15 December (18:30–20:00 CET) at the Geneva Graduate Institute and online.

Opening Remarks
• Ruvendrini Menikdiwela, UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection

Moderator
• Vincent Chetail, Professor of International Law & Director, Global Migration Centre

Panellists
• John Mugisha, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Uganda
• Jyothi Kanics, Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
• Tasha Gill, UNICEF
• Angel, Youth Leader, Plan International
• Nadine Liddy, Centre for Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP); Co-Lead, FRUN Working Group

Closing Remarks
• Chocho Fashingabo, Youth Voices Community
• Daniela Reale, Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts

This event is organised in partnership with the CCDP, the Global Family Reunification Network (FRUN), the Initiative for Child Rights in the Global Compacts, and the GISA Migration Initiative.

On November 20th 1945 the Nuremberg Trials began, marking a historical turn in international law, which continues to influence the ICJ to this day.

On this occasion, Global Migration Centre director Vincent Chetail offered an international law perspective on the trials and their legacy.

LL.M. in International Law - Graduate Institute, Geneva

Watch the segment here: https://www.rts.ch/play/tv/19h30/video/80-ans-apres-le-proces-de-nuremberg-a-marque-la-justice-penale-internationale?urn=urn:rts:video:711816f5-df45-3f39-9d36-1ff55705a74e