Hilary  Stauffer

Hilary Stauffer

Visiting Fellow, September 2015 - December 2015

Centre for Women, Peace and Security

About me

Hilary Stauffer is an international lawyer with extensive experience working on projects in the U.S., Europe, Africa, and Asia. Her specialties include International Law, Rule of Law, Human Rights, Humanitarian Affairs and Diplomacy.  She has a B.A. in International Affairs and a J.D. with a concentration in International Law.   

Hilary has previously served as a diplomat in Geneva, an aid worker in Liberia, an NGO executive in Singapore, and a legal officer with the United Nations International Labour Organization.  More recently, she was the Deputy Director of Reprieve UK’s human rights and counter-terrorism team, covering issues like Guantanamo Bay and drones. Since 2013, she has advised law firms, think tanks and international organizations in London, Geneva, New York, and Brussels on issues relating to international humanitarian law, accountability, business and human rights, and the promotion of democracy. She has been featured on the site Women in Foreign Policy, and regularly mentors young women on paths they could take to break into foreign policy and international law. 

Hilary is an experienced public speaker, and has spoken extensively on a variety of international legal topics, including on the Intersection Between Human Rights and Development, and freedom of expression in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks. She regularly writes and blogs on issues of international law and foreign policy for outlets such as the Huffington Post and LinkedIn, where some of her pieces include meditations on increased female representation in international organizations, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In 2014, Hilary authored a chapter of The War Report    for the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, and drafted a White Paper on the overlap between issues of Duty of Care and the Right to Privacy. In 2015 she co-authored a global policy paper for World Vision, No Shame in Justice: Addressing stigma against survivors to end sexual violence in conflict zones, and will be publishing a chapter on the legality of the Central Intelligence Agency's interrogation techniques. 

Selected articles: 

"I'm Happy to Lean In, But First I Need a Seat at the Table" (March 2015), LinkedIn

"So, You Want to be a Human Rights Lawyer" (October 2014), LinkedIn

"Access to Remedy: An International Tribunal for Business and Human Rights​?" (October 2014), LSE Human Rights Blog

"Just Add Women" (August 2014), Huffington Post

"Towards a More Diverse U.S.Supreme Court" (July 2014), Express Tribune

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