Livio Zilli – Senior Legal Adviser, UN Representative
Livio joined the ICJ in September 2013. Until mid-2013 he was the Acting Head of the refugee and migrant rights team at the international secretariat of Amnesty International in London. Livio was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 2007, and is an honorary member of Garden Court Chambers in London where he practised as a barrister until 2010 focussing on asylum and immigration, criminal and public law. Before going to the bar, Livio worked at the international secretariat of Amnesty International where, since the mid-90s, he was employed in various capacities, including as researcher until 2007. Livio holds an L.L.M. in international human rights law from the Queen’s University of Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Carlos Lopez – Senior Legal Adviser, Business and Human Rights
Carlos Lopez joined the ICJ in January 2008 to lead the programme on Business and Human Rights. Carlos worked at the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights for six years in various capacities and posts, including the Rule of Law and Democracy, Economic and social rights and the right to development. Before, he worked for the ICJ (1998-1999), the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva (2000) and for several international human rights organizations as well as national human rights NGOs in his country, Peru. He holds a PhD and Masters in public international law (Graduate Institute of International Studies-Geneva University) and a Diploma on sociology studies. He obtained his law degree at the Catholic University of Peru.
Sandra Epal-Ratjen – UN Representative and Senior Legal Adviser
Sandra Epal-Ratjen worked with the ICJ as the Head of the Programme on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights between 2010 and 2015. Between 2015 and 2023, she served as the International Advocacy Director and Deputy Executive Director of Franciscans International (FI), where she was directly involved in international standard-setting processes on business and human rights, and environment and human rights. Previous to this, she worked for over 10 years for Food First Information and Action Network (FIAN) International, based in Heidelberg, Germany. Sandra has extensive experience and expertise in international legal and advocacy processes, especially in the areas of economic, social and cultural rights; access to justice; business and human rights; and environmental justice. She holds a Master’s degree in French and International Public Law and International Relations from the University of Grenoble, France. She has authored numerous publications and papers on the issues of human rights, development and access to justice, and regularly lectures at universities and academic institutions, including the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, and Sciences Po Paris.
Nikunja Nepal – Programme Manager, LPO
Nikunja Nepal is the Programme Manager for LPO and the Donor Outreach Team. Nikunja has over a decade of experience in leading and implementing programs with a range of thematic focus areas on Development and Human Rights. Nikunja brings strong program, partnership and grant management experience from more than a dozen countries in Asia, North America and Africa where she has worked in close collaboration with local organizations in areas such as gender based violence, access to justice, promotion and protection of human rights, leadership development, resilience building, and economic development. She has a Masters degree in Sociology from the University of Montreal.