From Switzerland to New Zealand
A PhD candidate from the University of Zurich, with a particular interest in the legal relationship between international treaties and general international law, has spent the last six weeks at Victoria’s Faculty of Law.
Mirja Ciesiolka’s PhD research focuses on the legal relationship between the UN Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) and international human rights law.
“Given its far-reaching ambition, the UNCAC opens a field of tension between the security of societies on the one hand and rights of individuals on the other. Aspects of the UNCAC are inconsistent with international obligations on human rights.” says Mirja.
“Focusing on the relationship between the UNCAC and international human rights law, my thesis suggests how norm conflicts between different law regimes can be dealt with.”
It was Professor Campbell McLachlan’s research on the principle of systemic integration that drew Mirja’s attention to the Faculty. Mirja says the Faculty’s diverse research environment, and New Zealand’s common law tradition given her civil law background were also draw cards.