Christiana Sagay
Christiana Sagay
Ph.D. Candidate in Law, University of Ottawa




Biography

Research interests

  • Feminist theories
  • Human Rights
  • International Organizations
  • Migration Diplomacy
  • Transnational labour mobility & migration
  • TWAIL

Christiana holds a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Legal Studies from the American University Washington College of Law, Washington DC, USA (2018), a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics (2009), and an LL.B. (2015) from the University of Benin, Nigeria.

Currently, Christiana is pursuing her Ph.D. in Law at University of Ottawa, where her research focuses on the dynamics and utilization of Bilateral Labour Agreements (BLAs) in Africa and how they address, labour rights, human rights and social protection of migrants in transnational labour movements, within the context of contemporary labour migration governance. Her work takes a unique and illuminating approach through the theoretical framework of TWAIL (Third World Approaches to International Law).

From 2021 to 2023, Christiana served as a researcher and the research coordinator for the Canadian division of the VULNER Research Team. This collaborative effort was part of a broader EU Horizon 2020 (H2020) research consortium, involving partner countries in Europe (Belgium, Germany, Italy, Norway), the Middle East (Lebanon), and Africa (Uganda and South Africa). The project's overarching goal was to comprehensively examine vulnerabilities within the Global Protection Regime, making significant contributions to the advancement of knowledge and policy in this field

Christiana is licensed to practice law in both Nigeria and Ontario, Canada, with a diverse range of experience that spans from litigation to solicitation. Christiana has also worked on international law and UN Administrative law issues at the General Legal Division of the Office of Legal Affairs at the United Nations Headquarters, New York in 2018. Driven by a passion for creating impact beyond the traditional legal realm, Christiana founded the International Law Project in 2020. Through this project, she aims to bring international law concepts to the fore in a fun and engaging way.

In addition to being a student member of University of Ottawa Human Rights Research and Education Centre, Christiana serves as a member of the steering committee of the Women in International Law interest group of the American Society of International Law, and on the International Bar Association as the national representative for Canada on the Young Lawyers' Committee.