A University of Virginia School of Law clinic visited the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva so students could learn about diplomatic and legal initiatives to support Ethiopia’s recovery from recent conflicts.
Ayda Mengistie ’26, Shelby Singleton ’25 and Mahi Taban ’25 traveled to Switzerland in November with Professor Camilo Sánchez, director of the International Human Rights Law Clinic, to observe the council’s Universal Periodic Review, a first for the clinic. The UPR calls for each member state to undergo a peer review of its human rights records every 4½ years.
The group attended a review session focused on Ethiopia. The clinic has collaborated with a coalition of international and domestic nongovernmental organizations over the past two years to advocate for accountability for crimes committed in the country, particularly in the Tigray, Oromia and Amhara regions. Although the Tigray War ended in 2022 after two years, the situation remains volatile, with violent internal conflicts between militia groups and regional security forces leading to government-initiated crackdowns, which have fueled more violence, Sánchez explained.
“As part of our efforts, our presence in Geneva allowed us to gather information on how different states address these issues and how to strengthen our initiatives to bring greater attention to the situation in Ethiopia,” he said. “We also aimed to expose the students to the specific legal and diplomatic work surrounding the proceedings of the Human Rights Council.”
Students in this yearlong clinic gain firsthand experience in human rights advocacy, working in partnership with nongovernmental organizations, human rights practitioners and law firms in the United States and abroad.
“The clinic is meaningful because it allows students the opportunity to contribute to the work of organizations dedicated to preserving our most intrinsic rights,” Taban said. “I feel very lucky to spend this year gaining practical skills and work experience while also contributing to making this world a better and more just one.”
One key takeaway from the visit, she said, was the importance of relationship-building to diplomacy. It can be easy to view international organizations as being comprised of only state actors, Taban added, but each delegation is made up of individuals who have their own interests, priorities and relationships.
In addition to Ethiopia, students also followed the reviews of other countries, including Costa Rica and Qatar, “which provided critical comparative insights,” according to Sánchez.
Singleton said she noticed that many countries were highlighting similar priorities and recommendations, such as protecting the rights of women, people of African descent and people with disabilities. She said this gave her hope, because although world leaders came from different countries with diverse cultures and values, the fundamental ideals of respecting and advocating for marginalized people resonated broadly.
“This work is meaningful to me because my faith teaches the importance of advocating for oppressed people and valuing the inherent dignity and beauty in every person,” she said. “Those values led me to law school and to apply to the International Human Rights Clinic.”
Apart from the U.N. visit, the group discussed the U.S. role with the council with Michèle Taylor, U.S. ambassador to the Human Rights Council, who also shared advice with the students.
Their meetings included a visit with Tim Johnson ’06, a lawyer with the U.S. State Department, who provided a historical perspective on the council’s proceedings and human rights work in Geneva from the department’s viewpoint.
Charles C. Adams Jr. ’73 invited the group to the Geneva office of his law firm, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, where he and his colleagues discussed their work in international dispute resolution and pro bono human rights efforts. Adams is the office’s global director of strategic relationships and a former U.S. ambassador to Finland.
Mengistie said the trip has given her a deeper understanding of how the Human Rights Council operates and was a transformative learning experience that has bridged theory and practice.
“I witnessed firsthand how the principles and mechanisms we discuss in our clinic are applied in real-world settings,” she said. “Additionally, my work in the clinic has illuminated the critical role of human rights advocates in leveraging available legal frameworks and precedents to assert and defend the rights of those who have been calling out for justice.”
