Queen Mary LLM students visit the Commonwealth Secretariat
On 17 October students on the Public International Law LLM and Environmental Law LLM were invited to meet the legal staff of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Students enjoyed a historical tour of Marlborough House led by Hilary McEwan and then engaged in interactive sessions led by Legal Counsel, Alice Lacourt, Deputy Legal Counsel Rumbidzaishe Chinyoka, Legal Officer Bryce Adamson as well team leaders from the Human Rights and Rule of Law divisions of the Secretariat, Elizabeth Macharia Mokobi, Cynthia Nyongesa and Alithia Barampataz. They were also treated to a talk from Assistant Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Professor Luis Franceschi.
It was an inspiring day for all and a wonderful opportunity to see Public International Law in action.
Here are the reflections of Public International Law LLM student, Maria Jesús Merino:
'I found the history of Marlborough House very interesting and the tour was very well prepared and engaging. It was very fun to learn all the secrets and stories the House hold and to link it to the history and work of the Commonwealth.
Hearing how each of the lawyers' career path led them to the Commonwealth and how passionate they are of their work was incredibly inspiring. Also, I found very interesting to see how international law is useful not only to create meaningful relations between States but also a powerful tool to shape sustainable and inclusive societies.
Even being from a country outside of the Commonwealth, learning about the cooperation mechanisms and seeing the positive outcomes of the work of these amazing lawyers from very different backgrounds made me feel quite motivated.'
More information:
- Find out more about Queen Mary's Public International Law LLM and Environmental Law LLM programmes.