David Donat Cattin
Adjunct Associate Professor
Center for Global Affairs
- JD, LUISS University Rome
- DR, Universita' degli Studi di Teramo, PhD Int Law-HR
- Cert., Hague Academy of International Law, CSR, Post-PhD
ddc4@nyu.edu
David Donat-Cattin (Ph.D., Law) is an Adjunct Associate Professor of International Law at New York University (NYU) Center for Global Affairs (2012 to present). Since 2023, he is Research Fellow of the Center for International Law Research and Policy (CILRAP) in Florence, Italy, and Senior Fellow of the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
Over the last three decades, Dr. Donat Cattin has made innovative research and publications on pivotal matters of International Law, such as victims’ rights, crimes against humanity, applicable law before the International Criminal Court and jurisdictional issues, the Rwandan genocide and the crime of aggression in and against Ukraine. In 2016, he co-authored a book entitled “International Law and the Protection of Humanity”.
Dr. Donat Cattin’s academic work has been running parallel to a career in the civil society/non-profit sector, which led to his election for three consecutive terms as Secretary-General (2014-22) of Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), the largest international network of individual lawmakers from all regions of the world, where he had been Senior Director, Legal Advisor and European Coordinator (2000-13). At PGA, he informed, sensitized and helped to mobilize parliamentarians who promoted the universality and effectiveness of the Rome Statute system in more than 120 countries, contributing to the ratification process of 78 out of the current 123 States Parties to the Statute while assisting the domestic implementing legislation processes of 37 States. He participated in the entire ICC process since 1995 as member of the Coalition for the ICC (CICC) and the European Law Students’ Association (ELSA), as well as consultant for REDRESS. One of his drafting-proposals was tabled by New Zealand in 1997 and led to the incorporation of victims’ participation in the ICC procedural law. David is currently serving pro-bono causa in the Advisory Councils of the Global Institute for the Prevention of Aggression (GIPA, NY) and the International Center for Multigenerational Legacies of Trauma (ICMGLT, NY), where he co-chairs the working group on reparative justice.