Imke Steimann

In her role, she supports the Secretary General and Senior Management in their coordination of the Global Campus at HQ and the international level. She further works closely with the Secretary General on a variety of research activities, supports his teaching, and coordinates missions and activities. She also holds liaison functions with key partner institutions and stakeholders.

Imke is further responsible for the implementation of two projects at the Global Campus. One is a scholarship programme for Afghan students and scholars at risk, which was established with support from the EU and Right Livelihood in response to the human rights crisis in Afghanistan triggered by the Taliban takeover in 2021. The other project is on ‘Reconceptualising Exile’, implemented jointly with Right Livelihood, and supports human rights defenders and experts in exile through a fellowship, networking activities, and research projects. Imke is also the coordinator of the Venice Conference on the Global State of Human Rights, organised by the Global Campus and in partnership with the European Parliament (2021-22) and Right Livelihood (2023-24).

Her academic and research interests are in the field of children’s rights and armed conflict. In this regard, she also supports the GC’s implementation and dissemination activities of the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty through various research and advocacy activities, including as author of the toolkit on deprivation of liberty of children in the contexts of armed conflict and national security.

Before joining the Global Campus in spring 2020, her work experience included periods at the Munich Security Conference, Child Soldiers International and the German Mission to the UN in New York. She holds an MA in Human Rights from the University of Vienna and a BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences (Major: Governance) from the University of Freiburg, Germany.