Per Bergling är generaldirektör och chef för Myndigheten för familjerätt och föräldraskapsstöd (MFOF) och tjänstledig från Umeå universitet.
Professor Per Bergling (LL.M., LL.D.) is Chairman of the Research Committee and responsible for strategically leading the research at the Department. Bergling also leads or is member of several research projects and teams, among them on the rights of victims of atrocity crimes and on the Rule of Law at the international, regional and national levels. Previously, Bergling worked as Senior Advisor on International Law at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and as Principal Legal Advisor at the Folke Bernadotte Academy - the Swedish government agency for peace, security, and development. In 1999-2001, Bergling served as the Rule of Law Advisor to the High Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Teaching
Bergling's teaching with Umeå University and several other universities in Sweden and internationally spans International Law, Human Rights Law, Constitutional Law, the Rule of Law, Genocide and Atrocity Prevention and related fields. Bergling is a frequently used expert instructor on various matters related to peace and state-building, rule of law promotion, and atrocity prevention at several professional training institutes and academies.
Research
Bergling's research covers the fields of International Law, Rule of Law and Human Rights Law. He has authored a number of internationally available publications and reports.
Currently, Bergling leads or is a member of the following projects:
Rule of Law at the International, Regional and National Levels. This project, which is conducted together with colleagues from Uppsala University and other research institutions, focuses on how the Rule of Law is understood as a principle and policy area in the United Nations, the European Union, the Council of Europe and among various Swedish entities. The project also addresses how the norms, definitions and applications at the various levels relate and influence each other.
Governments and the Difficult Truth: this project deals with how states and governments officially categorize mass atrocities and other serious violations of human rights, as well as the domestic and international legal and political implications of such categorizations.
Victims of Atrocity Crimes: this recent project focuses on the rights under International Law and Swedish law of victims of mass atrocity crimes (genocides, crimes against humanity, war crimes). The project addresses both the relevant norms and the supporting institutional framework.