Dinah L. Shelton is a leading American scholar in international law and human rights with a career spanning scholarship, teaching, and public service.

🎓 Education & Academic Career

• Earned a BA and JD from University of California, Berkeley, and pursued studies at the University of Edinburgh (en.wikipedia.org).

• Became a professor at Santa Clara University, then University of Notre Dame Law School (1996–2004), directing its doctoral program in international human rights law (law.gwu.edu).

• Joined GWU Law School in 2004, later becoming the Manatt/Ahn Professor of International Law (Emerita) at George Washington University Law School (law.gwu.edu).

⚖️ Legal Practice & Public Service

• Served as Director of the Office of Staff Attorneys, U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (1987–1989) (law.gwu.edu).

• Acted as legal consultant to the UN Environment Programme, WHO, FAO, UNITAR, Council of Europe, EU, and other bodies (en.wikipedia.org).

• Elected to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) for 2010–2014; served as President in 2010, and Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples' Rights (corteidh.or.cr).

📚 Publications & Scholarly Recognition

• Author or editor of 19+ books and numerous chapters/articles. Notable works include:

  • Protecting Human Rights in the Americas (with Thomas Buergenthal)

  • Remedies in International Human Rights Law — won ASIL Certificate of Merit (2000) (law.gwu.edu)

  • Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity — awarded Best Research Book by NY Public Library (2005) (law.gwu.edu)

  • Jus Cogens (2021), and The Oxford Handbook of International Human Rights Law (2013) (researchgate.net).

🏆 Awards & Honors

• Inter‑American Bar Association Book Prize (1982)

• ASIL Certificate of Merit (2000)

• NY Public Library Best Research Book Award (2005)

• Elizabeth Haub Prize in Environmental Law (2006)

• Riesenfeld Award (2013), Goler T. Butcher Prize (2013)

• Honorary doctorates: University of Stockholm (2012), Pázmány Péter Catholic University, Budapest (2014) (digitalcommons.law.scu.edu, law.gwu.edu).

🌍 Professional Service & Leadership

• Vice President and board member of American Society of International Law, on the editorial board of the American Journal of International Law, and board member of various human rights and environmental NGOs (law.berkeley.edu).

• Deliverer of keynote lectures worldwide: Harvard, Stanford, Strasbourg, Berkeley, and beyond .

🔍 Summary

Dinah Shelton has played a pivotal role shaping international human rights and environmental law through her scholarship, leadership at GWU, service at the IACHR, and contributions to global justice. Her work continues to influence human rights policy, environmental protections, and normative legal theory.

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