‘INJUSTICE ANYWHERE IS A THREAT TO JUSTICE EVERYWHERE.’ MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Almost 15 years after the Yugoslav Wars, radicalization is re-emerging in the Balkans and globally. What to do? Some argue that the international community should play an active role in de-escalation. We pose this question to a renowned jurist with over 20 years of experience in conflict areas and children’s rights: Louis Gentile.
Louis is the Director of Strategy and Innovation and Head of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) Branch Office in The Hague. Since 1988, he has served in many conflict and post-conflict countries, including Srebrenica and Banja Luka in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1993 and 1994. Witnessing how conflict affects children and their families, this jurist and father of four became passionate about children’s rights.
Are we doing enough? Are we being effective? These are questions that Louis is not afraid to ask. And so he will, on September 19th.
BIOGRAPHY
Louis James Gentile (Canada, 1963) studied History and Political Science. He continued to educate himself becoming Juris Doctor, and later sharing his knowledge of international human rights law, refugee law and humanitarian law as a guest lecturer at various universities, including the LLM programs of Oxford and Cambridge Universities and the London School of Economics.
In 1988, Louis began his United Nations career with UNHCR in Turkey where he worked with refugees from Iran and Iraqi Kurd survivors of chemical weapons attacks. He served in numerous conflict and post-conflict countries, including Srebrenica and Banja Luka, Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1993 and 1994. He headed the humanitarian component of the UN and international effort in 3 municipalities of Kosovo in 1999.
Between April 2008 and 2012 Louis was the Chief of Human Rights and Transitional Justice in UNMIT and Representative of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Timor-Leste. From 2010 to 2012 he also served as the Acting Chief of Staff of UNMIT on an ad hoc basis. Since July 2013, Louis has joined the IDLO whose mission it is to create a culture of justice around the globe.
Twitter: @IDLONews