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Biography
Nicolas Michel (born 7 November 1949) is Adjunct Professor of international law at the Geneva Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.
Prior to his appointment, he was Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel at the United Nations. In that role Michel was closely involved in setting up the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
He also served as the Legal Adviser of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, where he also acted as the Director of the International Law Directorate from 1998 to 2003. In this capacity, he headed the Swiss delegation in such international conferences as the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court and the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute and in presenting national reports before international committees on racial discrimination, rights of the child, and minorities.
Michel served as Chairman of the Committee of the Legal Advisor on Public International Law of the Council of Europe (CAHDI) and as Chairman of several other international committees and meetings, including the Chairman of the Workshop on Article 51 of the United Nations Charter in Light of Future Threats to International Peace and Security in Geneva in March, 2004. Previously, he served, inter alia, as the Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the International Conference on "The Missing" in Geneva in 2003 and the Consultation and Preparatory Meeting on a Third Protocol to the Geneva Conventions in 2000.
From 1987 to 1998, he was professor of international law and European law at the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.
Michel obtained his PhD in law from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland and his Master of Arts in international relations from Georgetown University, Washington D.C. He authored numerous books and articles on international and European law.