Prof. Lucile Maertens

Associate professor in political science and international relations

International organizations – Global environmental politics – Critical security studies – Qualitative methods

Welcome!

My research on international organizations and multilateral practices is rooted in empirical work while addressing major questions in political science and international relations on the construction of global public problems and their management within multilateral arenas, as well as on international institutions’ inner workings.
I intend to contribute empirically, theoretically, and methodologically to the study of global governance and multilateralism, through different projects focusing for example on the UN Security Council, climate negotiations or environmental politics.

©Lucile Maertens

Highlights

Tuesday 5 November 2024 Lunch Briefing

Event hosted at the Geneva Graduate Institute | Switzerland has been serving as an elected member of the UN Security Council since 2023 and will hold the Council's presidency for the second time in October 2024. Prof. Lucile Maertens and Dr. Sara Hellmüller will discuss Switzerland's achievements and the challenges of this role, along with the broader implications of Switzerland's membership in the current context.

Register to attend the event

Just Out! Dépolitiser le monde (in French)

Les débats sur l'utilité des organisations internationales pendant la pandémie de COVID-19 ou la guerre en Ukraine illustrent le poids des attentes qui reposent sur ces institutions, malgré leur affirmation de ne pas intervenir dans le champ politique. Cet ouvrage prend cette revendication au sérieux et étudie la manière dont ces organisations s'efforcent de "dépolitiser le monde"

Version numérique en libre accès

News: Professors James Hollway and Lucile Maertens named co-directors of the GGC

Professors James Hollway and Lucile Maertens are the new co-directors of the Graduate Institute's Global Governance Centre (GGC), which supports research into global governance actors, institutions, and processes, and sharing findings through publications, teaching, a visiting programme, and seminars.

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International Organizations and Research Methods (Open Access)

This edited volume brings together contributions from over 60 scholars covering a wide variety of methods for the study of international relations and international organizations. Conceived as a daily companion throughout the research process, this handbook is aimed at students as well as young and experienced researchers wishing to enrich their range of research tools.

About this book

First Things First!

How do international organizations keep an issue, which is not seen as a priority, on the agenda in times of crisis? The project First Things First! investigates this question by exploring how UN actors attempted to keep the environment and climate change on the international agenda during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Switzerland as an elected member at the UN Security Council

How do states perform their role as elected members at the UN Security Council? With a focus on the very first membership of Switzerland at the UN Security Council (2023-2024), this project intends to document this unique experience to better understand the manifold practices through which elected members take on their role.

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Why International Organizations Hate Politics

Presenting a comprehensive analysis of international organizations' apolitical claims, this book explores how depoliticization sustains their everyday activities while enabling them to participate in politics, despite claiming to be disengaged

Highlights and podcasts

To find out more on past and on-going projects

Latest intervention

Pollution au plastique : « 2023 marque enfin une prise de conscience mondiale »

Op-ed the global governance of plastic pollution (in French)

Article written for the annual review of the French newspaper Le Monde, January 2022

Launched in 2022, The Observatory of Multilateralism and International Organizations is an online platform designed for academics and practitioners interested in the world of global governance. Led by the Groupement de recherche sur l’action multilatérale, it publishes podcasts, articles, policy papers, brief analysis of the multilateral daily news, and profiles of key figures in the world of international cooperation. The Observatory provides visibility to the latest findings in this field by sharing them widely to a diverse audience including students, journalists and diplomats.