Geneva Summer Schools

🌍 One summer. 65 countries. 377 participants. One global classroom.

This summer, Geneva Summer Schools brought together 377 participants from 65 countries, creating an international learning environment where ideas, perspectives and experiences met beyond borders.

✨ 74% international participants
📚 14 interdisciplinary courses
🤝 A global community learning together in Geneva

Thank you to everyone who made Summer 2025 so inspiring.

🌊 Summer School in Prehistoric Coastal Landscapes and Human Migration Research

Are you interested in archaeology, marine geosciences, climate change, and ancient human migration?

This interdisciplinary summer school brings together postgraduate students, researchers, and practitioners eager to explore how prehistoric populations adapted to changing coastlines and sea levels.

Building on the success of the University of Geneva’s Terra Submersa expedition (2014), the programme introduces participants to research on submerged prehistoric landscapes, ancient coastlines, and human migration across now-flooded continental shelves.

📍 Location: Porto Cheli, Greece
Including field visits to the prehistoric site of Franchthi Cave and its surrounding coastal landscape.

Participants will:
• Gain hands-on exposure to marine geophysical and geological methods
• Learn data acquisition, processing, and interpretation techniques
• Explore paleoclimate and sea-level changes
• Investigate the links between environmental change and human settlement and migration
• Engage with key themes in coastal prehistory

🎓 Course credits: Equivalent to 3 ECTS
Participants meeting attendance requirements will receive a Certificate of Completion.

⏳ Extended application deadline: 31 July 2026

🌍 A summer of learning, connections, and global perspectives.
Geneva Summer Schools bring together students and professionals from around the world for an intense, immersive academic experience in one of the world’s most international cities.

📌 What participants can expect:
Insightful courses taught by leading academics and global experts
Interactive learning formats: seminars, workshops, and field visits
A chance to connect with peers and practitioners from diverse backgrounds
A unique setting at the heart of International Geneva, where global issues are shaped daily

👉 Now in their 15th edition, the Geneva Summer Schools have built a strong reputation for academic excellence and global impact.

Despite many positive developments, children still face significant challenges in fully realizing their rights.

2024 was a landmark year for children’s rights, marking the 35th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the centenary of the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the first international document to recognize children’s rights.

During the Summer School “Children at the Heart of Human Rights”, you will explore children’s rights from an interdisciplinary perspective and analyse key international legal instruments, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and other standard-setting documents.

This program offers a unique opportunity to discover:
✨ The interplay between theory and practice in children’s rights
✨ An international perspective from lecturers representing different regions of the world

Located in Geneva, the global hub for human and children’s rights, the program provides access to numerous international human rights organizations and connects participants with leading academics and field experts.

🌍 WHO IS THE COURSE FOR?
🎓 Bachelor's and Master’s students, Ph.D. candidates, and junior professionals from all walks of life who are interested in children’s rights.

🏅COURSE CREDITS
Equivalence of 6 ECTS. Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion upon fulfilling attendance criteria. Those seeking 6 ECTS may do so by completing an additional assignment.

👉 Apply now and join a diverse global cohort shaping the future of children’s rights!

What comes to mind when you think about migration? 🌍

Join us for a lecture by Arthur Erken, Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia, OIM - ONU Migration, hosted by the Université de Genève, exploring the gap between media narratives and migration realities:

🌍 "Migration and Europe: a tale of two stories"

This event marks a new partnership between the International Organization for Migration and the 4EU+ Alliance, strengthening collaboration in migration, global health, and environmental change.

📅 Date: Wednesday, 29 April 2026, 12:15 – 13:00 CEST
📍 Location: Université de Genève, Dufour U259 or online

📣 Registration is required to attend the event, whether in person or online!
Don't miss it - register by 26 April!

🔗 Learn more:
https://4euplus.eu/4EU-415.html?newsID=29187

Today’s global health landscape is shaped by overlapping crises (climate, food, political and economic) that widen inequalities and make already vulnerable communities even more at risk. To respond effectively, future leaders need to understand how these systems work and how decisions are really made.

This course offers a hands-on introduction to global health policy, advocacy and diplomacy. We look at real debates happening right now, including the pandemic treaty, Universal Health Coverage, and the future of the SDGs.

Throughout the week, participants will explore how global health governance operates at global, regional and national levels and how they can influence it.

🧑‍🎓 Who is this course for?
Master’s students, PhD candidates and early-career professionals who want to strengthen their understanding of global health advocacy, diplomacy and decision-making.

🎯 What you’ll learn:
• How policy and decision-making actually work
• The politics that shape global health
• How diplomacy unfolds in spaces like WHO, UNGA, the G20, and others
• How to read and move through governance processes
• Advocacy strategies: what works, what doesn’t, and why
• Case studies and negotiation simulations
• On-site visits and conversations with leaders from major global health organizations

🗓️ Course overview:
Day 1: Global health governance & decision-making
Day 2: Advocacy in theory and practice
Day 3: Diplomacy: simulations and case studies
Day 4: Policy ecosystems + visit to the Global Health Campus (Gavi, Global Fund)
Day 5: The future of global health policy and new ways to influence it

💡 How we teach:
Highly interactive: lectures, case discussions, role plays, simulations, peer learning and reflection. Held in English with some sessions off-site.

For students: 3 ECTS available

👉 Applications are open

💡 Curious about what makes our flagship Summer School in International Law and International Humanitarian Law so successful?

🧭 BACKGROUND
Geneva has long been a hub for international law. With the UN, WTO, and countless NGOs based here, the city offers a unique environment to explore how global rules are made and applied. The University of Geneva naturally grew its expertise in this field and our summer course is one of the most accessible ways to step into that world.

📚 COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed for students and early-career professionals who are curious about international law and how it shapes politics, global affairs, and business. It’s a fast-paced introduction to a dynamic and deeply human field, blending core principles with today’s most relevant issues (no prior specialization required).

🎓 WHO IS IT FOR?
Bachelor’s and Master’s students, PhD candidates, and junior professionals from any background who want to explore international law and/or international humanitarian law.

🎯 WHAT YOU’LL GAIN
By the end, participants will have a solid overview of key debates in international law today; whether they’re looking to guide future studies or refresh existing knowledge.

👉 Apply now and join a diverse global cohort shaping the future of international law

🎓 A Leading Voice in Digital & Intellectual Property Law

Jacques de Werra is a senior, internationally recognized academic whose work has played a defining role in the development of digital law and intellectual property law.

✔️ Full Professor of Law at the University of Geneva (UNIGE)
✔️ Former Vice-Rector of UNIGE
✔️ Founder and first Director of the Digital Law Center, a reference platform for research and dialogue on digital transformation and IP
✔️ Academic Director of the IP Law Summer School, jointly organized with WIPO
✔️ Founder and former Academic Director of the Digital Law Summer School
✔️ Visiting Professor at leading institutions worldwide, including Harvard Law School, Stanford, and Paris 2
✔️ Organizer of major international conferences; editor of influential academic publications
✔️ Actively engaged in research and teaching in digital law, intellectual property, contract law, and arbitration, with a particular focus on the digital economy

📌 With a strong institutional reputation and extensive international engagements, Jacques de Werra is widely regarded as a key reference in digital and IP law, combining academic rigor with global outreach.

📅 Application deadline: 17 April 2026

Interested in global drug policy, public health and human rights?

Join the Global Health, Drugs Policy and Harm Reduction Summer School in Geneva.

Designed for Master’s students, PhD candidates and professionals, the programme explores major global challenges related to psychoactive substances and drug governance.

👉 Bachelor’s students may also be considered on a case-by-case basis with strong motivation and relevant background.

📚 Topics covered
• International drug control and global substance use
• Consequences of prohibition and policy debates
• Human rights, governance and regulation of substances
Learning takes place through lectures, case studies, discussions and group work.

🎓 Programme highlights
• Teaching in English by international experts
• Site visit to a drug consumption room in Geneva
• Participation in Support Don’t Punish Day events (26 June)
• Up to 3 ECTS credits (final group presentation)
📍 Classes take place at CMU, Geneva.

👉 Apply now and join a diverse global cohort shaping the future of a human-rights-centred international drug policy!