Irini Anastassiou: Difference between revisions

Irini holds a Bachelor degree on International and European Studies, with specialization on Political Science and Diplomacy, from the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, Greece. She then proceeded with a Master in Law (LLM) in Public International Law, from the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK, which she received with Distinction. During both her undergraduate and post-graduate studies she concentrated on issues of peace, sustainable development and human rights, with a particular interest on forced migration. For her dissertation she researched and critically evaluated the law and policies on irregular migration in Cyprus.

Further to her academic qualifications, Irini has participated in two esteemed international conferences on forced migration, organised every two years by the International Association for the Study of Forced Migration (IASFM). She served as a member of the Local Planning Committee of the 13th Conference of IASFM that was held in Uganda, while she is currently a member of the Programme Committee for the 14th IASFM Conference to be held in Kolkatta, India on January of 2013. In addition, she participated in several trainings on refugee law, development and the Millennium Development Goals.

Irini's first experience in the field of human rights was in the summer of 2006, when she volunteered with the Cyprus Red Cross, receiving people fleeing the war from Lebanon. That was a landmark for educational and career plans. After finishing her bachelor she worked as a Legal Intern with UNHCR in Cyprus, where, further to assisting the legal officer, she coordinated an initiative to identify greek language courses and succeeded in acquiring scholarships for refugees and asylum seekers at the School of Languages of the University of Cyprus.