Event information

27 June 2018, 12:45-14:15

Downloads

Flyer >

Assessing Grounds for the Use of Force in Non-International Armed Conflict: What Legal Framework?

Geneva Academy Talks

Libya, Fighters are seen in a house during an attack against militants. Libya, Fighters are seen in a house during an attack against militants.

From Syria to Mali, Afghanistan and Yemen, the majority of today’s armed conflicts are non-international in character. In many cases, they involve the use of force by a state or states against external non-state groups. Despite the prevalence of such campaigns, the rules governing them, and in particular the legal regime applying to targeting and detention, continue to be disputed.

Once the threshold of armed conflict is crossed, is international humanitarian law the only branch of international law that applies to limit states’ actions in targeting or detaining members of armed groups? Or does international human rights law impose additional restrictions on states’ actions?

This panel will consider the legal framework for assessing the lawfulness of the use of force in non-international armed conflicts with regard to members of armed groups and how this relates to current state practice.

Moderator

  •  Annyssa Bellal, Strategic Adviser on International Humanitarian Law and a Senior Research Fellow, Geneva Academy

Panelists

  • Anthony Dworkin, Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations
  • Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer, Director, Institute for Strategic Research (IRSEM), Ecole Militaire, France
  • Marco Sassoli, Professor of International Law, University of Geneva

About IHL Talks

The IHL Talks are series of events, hosted by the Geneva Academy, on international humanitarian law and current humanitarian topics. Every two months, academic experts, practitioners, policy makers and journalists discuss burning humanitarian issues and their regulation under international law.

Video

Assessing Grounds for the Use of Force in Non-International Armed Conflict: What Legal Framework?

In this IHL Talk, panelists discussed the rules for military actions versus members of armed groups in non-international armed conflicts and how this relates to current state practice armed non-state actors

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

GTI Logo News

In Highlight: Global Torture Index

26 June 2025

Via its DHRTTDs Directory, the Geneva Human Rights Platform provides a comprehensive list and description of such key tools and databases. But how to navigate them? Which tool should be used for what, and by whom? This interview helps us understand better the specificities of the current highlight of the directory: Global Torture Index

Read more

neurotech image News

Research Brief Evaluates the Human Rights Implications of Neurotechnology in Therapeutic and Commercial Applications

27 March 2025

Our research brief, Neurotechnology and Human Rights: An Audit of Risks, Regulatory Challenges, and Opportunities, examines the human rights implications of neurotechnology in both therapeutic and commercial applications.

Read more

Special Rapporteur Sign Event

Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in an Era of Escalating Armed Conflict: Where Can International Human Rights Law Help?

25 September 2025, 18:30-20:00

This evening dialogue will present the publication: International Human Rights Law: A Treatise, Cambridge University Press (2025).

Read more

Town Hall Meeting Training

Localizing International Human Rights

8-10 October 2025

This training course, specifically designed for staff of city and regional governments, will explore the means and mechanisms through which local and regional governments can interact with and integrate the recommendations of international human rights bodies in their concrete work at the local level.

Read more

A general view of participants during of the 33nd ordinary session of the Human Rights Council. Training

The Universal Periodic Review and the UN Human Rights System: Raising the Bar on Accountability

10-14 November 2025

This training course will explore the origin and evolution of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and its functioning in Geneva and will focus on the nature of implementation of the UPR recommendations at the national level.

Read more

Sign: National Human Rights Commission of Nepal Project

Local Implementation of Global Human Rights

Started in May 2020

The Geneva Human Rights Platform collaborates with a series of actors to reflect on the implementation of international human rights norms at the local level and propose solutions to improve uptake of recommendations and decisions taken by Geneva-based human rights bodies at the local level.

Read more

Session of the UN Human Rights Committee Project

Treaty Body Review 2020 and Beyond

Started in January 2018

The Geneva Human Rights Platform contributes to this review process by providing expert input via different avenues, by facilitating dialogue on the review among various stakeholders, as well as by accompanying the development of a follow-up resolution to 68/268 in New York and in Geneva.

Read more

Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2024

published on July 2025

Read more