Ava

Alongside my Master's in International and Transnational Criminal Law at the University of Amsterdam, I had the chance to work as a research assistant for the UCLA Promise Institute Europe. I am very grateful to have been part of this small team of wonderful colleagues whose passion and dedication to advancing environmental protection made this an exceptional experience.

I was very fortunate to contribute to a range of impactful projects — from developing the ecocide bibliography database and building networks to researching the environmental and legal dimensions of ecocide in places such as Gaza, the Alberta oil sands, and the Marshall Islands. As I came from a predominantly academic background, it was particularly great to see how academic research directly informs and translates into advocacy and activism to push for ecocide as a new international crime.

One of my personal highlights of my time at Promise Europe was assisting the Executive Director with the State of Palestine’s pleadings before the International Court of Justice in its Advisory Opinion on climate change. At a time when international law is routinely violated and ignored, witnessing the unwavering efforts to push for environmental and criminal justice gave me a renewed sense of hope and purpose. Contributing, even in a small way, to these efforts was an experience that I will always cherish.

Ava Schuster

University of Amsterdam