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Cynthia Gervais joined ºÚÁÏÉç’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS) in January 2025 as a Faculty Lecturer and Academic Coordinator for the Parliamentary Programmes. She is a senior advisor, manager, and lecturer with over twenty-five years of experience in multilateral diplomacy and cooperation for sustainable development. Her expertise spans strategic foresight, legislation, policy, programme and knowledge management, as well as training: design, implementation, and delivery. Throughout her career, she has been driven by a commitment to diplomatically and constructively integrating human rights and democratic practices across all sectors of governance. In pursuit of this goal, she has supported key multilateral institutions in strengthening States’ engagement with UN human rights mechanisms to advance the implementation of related recommendations and global commitments at the national level. Collaborations include those with the United Nations, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), among others. A recurring focus of her work has been highlighting the role of parliaments, parliamentary staff, and other stakeholders—such as national human rights institutions (NHRIs)—within what she refers to as the parliamentary ecosystem.

In addition to her multilateral engagements, Cynthia Gervais has remained actively involved with universities in various capacities, including as a lecturer in graduate international human rights law and policy, executive coordinator of a graduate school of international studies, and coordinator of a pan-Canadian and international human rights and democracy university network. She also serves as an advisor on universities' strategic positioning, recognizing their unique role in contributing to inclusive societies through community-relevant organizational excellence, teaching, and research. She holds degrees in law (LL.B.) and political science (B.A.). She is fluent in English, with French as her mother tongue.