20 February 2023, 18:00-19:30
Register start 5 February 2023
Register end 19 February 2023
IHL Talks
Adobe
Groundbreaking advances towards the elimination of nuclear weapons occur at the same time as the spectre of nuclear annihilation resurfaces in different corners of the globe.
On one hand, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force in early 2021 with the support of a large number of states, complementing the existing non-proliferation architecture and the (much criticized) conclusions offered by the International Court of Justice in its 1996 Advisory Opinion on the Legality of the Threat or Use of Nuclear Weapons. On the other, the risks of a nuclear escalation that flow from the conflict in Ukraine or the tests of North Korea represent the most serious articulations of nuclear warfare since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and the stand-off between India and Pakistan in the early 2000s.
The current use of the nuclear threat to shield (as opposed to prevent or circumscribe) an invasion, the blurring distinction between nuclear and conventional warfare, the role of the victim state and that of the international community at large raise the question of whether the premises upon which the nuclear discourse was built for the past 75 years – deterrence, reciprocity, the preeminence of state interests – are still valid today, and what this implies for the applicable legal framework and scope for legal regulation.
This IHL Talk will consider these questions through a multi-disciplinary lens, interrogating experts from diverse disciplines in order to obtain a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of all the aspects contributing to the nuclear debate.
The topic of nuclear weapons and their place in the contemporary world will be addressed by taking into account their humanitarian impact, the impact of technological advancements, the ongoing relevance of the deterrence narrative and the implications on the international legal framework, including the scope for international norms to circumscribe and govern technological and strategic dynamics.
The IHL Talks are a series of events, hosted by the Geneva Academy, on international humanitarian law and current humanitarian topics. Academic experts, practitioners, policymakers and journalists discuss burning humanitarian issues and their regulation under international law.
In this IHL Talk on nuclear weapons and their place in the contemporary world, panelists discussed the humanitarian impact, the impact of technological advancements, the ongoing relevance of the deterrence narrative and the implications on the international legal framework, including the scope for international norms to circumscribe and govern technological and strategic dynamics.
Daniel Fyfe follows our online Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict while working as an Associate Expert at OHCHR in Geneva on UN treaty bodies’ individual communications procedures.
Sandra Pointet/Geneva Academy
We organize online Q&A information sessions for prospective students interested in our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and MAS in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law.
Adobe
This annual conference co-organized with the University of Essex provides a space for experts and practitioners, diplomats, academics, young scholars and civil society representatives to discuss contemporary legal issues in armed conflict.
ICRC
After having followed this online short course, participants will know who the protected persons and goods are and what rules of IHL can be used for their protection in an international armed conflict. An overview of the rules applicable in non-international armed conflicts will also be given.
ICRC
This online short course discusses the extent to which states may limit and/or derogate from their international human rights obligations in order to prevent and counter-terrorism and thus protect persons under their jurisdiction.
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.
UNAMID
This project will develop guidance to inform security, human rights and environmental debates on the linkages between environmental rights and conflict, and how their better management can serve as a tool in conflict prevention, resilience and early warning.
Geneva Academy