Study Abroad: The Hague, Netherlands

Study Abroad, The Hague
Spring 2009

A group of twenty-three students from the Irish School of Ecumenics (ISE) participated in a study abroad programme in The Hague, Netherlands in order to study the international courts and tribunals that are, according to the mission of one tribunal, “bringing war criminals to justice, and justice to victims.”

The study trip, which took place in April of 2009, allowed students to meet with educators, prosecutors and judges from institutions such as the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“The fact of being able to enter in the ICC, and hear judges and prosecutors explain the raison d'être of the ICC, and also being able to hear their experiences was something extraordinary,” said Romeo Cagatin, an M.Phil. student in International Peace Studies from the Philippines.

The group as they visited and heard from representatives of:

        ▪ International Criminal Court (ICC)
        ▪ International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY)
        ▪ Special Court for Sierra Leone
        ▪ Special Tribunal for Lebanon
        ▪ Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons

“The Hague trip adds volume to the ISE peace studies program. To see and interact with some of the institutions we study about adds a live perspective and input on the material,” said Shadia Qubti, a student of International Peace Studies from Israel. Shadia is a Christian Palestinian Israeli, who spent five years as head of the Youth Department for Musalaha, a non-profit organization that seeks to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians.

She added “my favorite lecture would be the talk given by Judge Kimberly for the Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia. She was very realist, dynamic and interesting.”