Mara Tignino

Mara Tignino is a Senior Lecturer and Researcher at the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva and Senior Legal Specialist at the Platform for International Freshwater Law at the Geneva Water Hub. She teaches courses in international environmental law and international water law, and leads research projects funded by Swiss research funds (SNSF, Boninchi Foundation) focusing on rights and obligations of private actors in environmental protection and human rights. She has conducted research in Switzerland and abroad (Germany, France, Italy, and the United States).

Dr. Tignino holds a Doctorate in International Law from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, a Habilitation to Direct Research (HDR) from the Faculty of Law at Jean Moulin Lyon 3 University, a Political Science degree from LUISS in Rome, and a Certificate in European Political Studies from Sciences Po Strasbourg. She has been a visiting professor at Renmin University of China (2017), University of Barcelona (2014-2016), LUISS (2013), and Catholic University of Lille (2010-2012), and was a Visiting Scholar at George Washington University School of Law.

Her research focuses on the role of international law in managing and protecting natural resources, particularly water, and defining rights and obligations of non-state actors such as individuals, local communities, companies, and armed groups. She examines interactions between normative and institutional regimes in international environmental law and human rights law, mechanisms for holding international organizations accountable (especially financial institutions), and the practice of international judicial and quasi-judicial bodies. Her research program also includes international humanitarian law and migration law.

Dr. Tignino's recent publications demonstrate a consistent focus on water law in conflict situations, transboundary water management, and the intersection of human rights with environmental protection. Her work increasingly addresses climate change impacts on water resources and the evolving legal frameworks for protecting water infrastructure during armed conflicts. She has made significant contributions to understanding how international law can better protect freshwater resources in both peacetime and conflict scenarios, with particular attention to the rights of vulnerable populations.

• Women Peacebuilders for Water prize by Fondazione Milano per Expo (2017) for research in international water law and dedication to training new generations of international lawyers

Dr. Tignino acts as an expert and legal advisor to states and international organizations (Inter-American Development Bank, UNITAR, UNEP, UNDP, UNFCCC, and OSCE). She has directed multiple research projects including 'Water, Private Companies and the Public Good,' 'Corporations' Responsibilities in Water Management,' 'Water during and after Armed Conflicts,' 'Transboundary Water Cooperation,' and 'Water and Migration.' She has mentored students, with ALANGUE, Togbé Agbessi completing a Master's thesis under her direction in 2023. She was also a mentor in the 'Women in International Law' program of the American Society of International Law (2015-2017).

As part of the Geneva Water Hub's activities, she directs online courses including 'International Water Law and the Law of Transboundary Aquifers' with DiploFoundation, 'International Freshwater Law,' and the MOOC 'International Freshwater Law.' She is actively involved with professional organizations including the Coordinating Committee of the Reflection Group on 'International Business and Human Rights' of the European Society of International Law, the Water Interest Group of the Environmental Peacebuilding Association, and the World Commission on Environmental Law of the IUCN.