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ICRC>
22 May 2020
In his latest report on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres refers in paragraph 59 to our Guidelines on Investigating Violation of IHL: Law, Policy, and Good Practice – co-published with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) – when mentioning that allegations of war crimes require credible investigation and prosecution.
Our Director Professor Marco Sassòli explains: ‘This mention of the guidelines, the first document of its kind, by the UN Secretary-General shows their importance for states aiming to conduct investigations of international humanitarian law (IHL) violations, but also for other bodies and individuals seeking a more detailed understanding of investigations in armed conflict. We are proud to have fulfilled, in this case as with other research projects, our role of injecting through legal and policy research, into actual practice that improve the fate of the most vulnerable.’
These Guidelines – co-authored by Professor Noam Lubell, Swiss IHL Chair at the Geneva Academy until the end of 2019, Jelena Pejic, Senior Legal Advisor at the ICRC, and Claire Simmons, Researcher at the University of Essex and at the Geneva Academy – aim to bring much-needed clarity and support for the conduct of effective investigations into violations of IHL.
The Guidelines are the result of a five-year project, initiated in 2014 by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and joined in 2017 by the ICRC.
They are based on extensive research and informed by a series of expert workshops and engagement with stakeholders.
The 16 Guidelines are each accompanied by a detailed commentary and provide guidance on the different aspects of investigations into violations of IHL, from the early stages of recording information and identifying the incidents that require investigation, through to the structural and procedural aspects of investigative bodies. The text presents a basis for the conduct of effective investigations while taking into account the diverse legal and military systems that exist, as well as the legal and practical challenges that can arise.
Cover page of the Guidelines
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Geneva Academy
Dr Stavros-Evdokimos Pantazopoulos will focus, during his fellowship at the Geneva Academy, on the protection of the environment in armed conflict and will notably address the initiative to criminalize conflict-related environmental harm, placing the emphasis on the crime of ecocide.
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Geneva Academy
Applications for the 2024–2025 academic year of our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights are open. They will run until 26 January 2024 for applications with a scholarship and until 24 February 2024 for applications without a scholarship.
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Shutterstock
This project will explore humanitarian consequences and protection needs caused by the digitalization of armed conflicts and the extent to which these needs are addressed by international law, especially international humanitarian law.
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Adobe Stock
This project addresses the human rights implications stemming from the development of neurotechnology for commercial, non-therapeutic ends, and is based on a partnership between the Geneva Academy, the Geneva University Neurocentre and the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee.
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Geneva Academy ICRC
