Training and Short Courses

The Geneva Academy offers regular online short courses which run alongside our Executive Master in the Law of Armed Conflict. These are ideal for professionals who are not enrolled in the Executive Master and want to deepen their expertise in specific issues. Alongside these the Geneva Human Rights Platform organises practical training courses on the work and functioning of United Nations human rights mechanisms. Participants obtain a certificate at the end of each course or training (no ECTS credits are gained).

The UN Security Council Short Course

Introduction to Public International Law and Subjects of the International Legal Order

25 September - 16 October 2024

This online short course focuses on the role of public international law in international relations and on international legal persons.

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Greece, ylakio, pre-removal center. Short Course

Introduction to International Human Rights Law

10 October - 14 November 2024

This online short course will provide participants with an introduction to substantive human rights law.

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Somalia, explosion of a bomb in the Mogadishu's market place. Short Course

The Classification of Armed Conflicts

11 October - 15 November 2024

This online short course provides an in-depth study of an emblematic example of the complexity of international humanitarian law and the challenges it raises: the classification of armed conflicts.

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The International Court of Justice in session Short Course

Sources of Public International Law

23 October - 27 November 2024

This online short course dwells on the means of international law-making (treaties, customary international law, unilateral acts, general principles of law etc.). In other words, the course looks at the sources from which public international law rules stem and at the entities that are empowered with the capacity of law-making in the international legal order.

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Al Mahdi case: ICC Trial Chamber VIII issues reparations order, 17 August 2017 Short Course

International Criminal Law: General Principles and International Crimes

5-29 November 2024

This online short course reviews the origins of international criminal law, its relationship with the international legal order including the UN Security Council and its coexistence with national justice institutions. The scope of international crimes – genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression – is considered alongside initiatives to expand or add to these categories.

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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

11-15 November 2024

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.

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Syria, destroyed building and ambulance Short Course

The Law of International Armed Conflicts – Geneva Law

4 December - 28 January 2025

This online short course will examine the sources of international humanitarian law (IHL), as well as the threshold criteria for its applicability in an armed conflict

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Prison visit by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Haiti Short Course

The Implementation of International Human Rights Law

5-20 December 2024

This online short course aims at presenting the institutions and procedures in charge of the implementation of international human rights law.

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A wide view of the UN Security Council Short Course

Sanctions in Public International Law

15 January - 19 February 2025

This online short course provides an introduction to the regime of sanctions under international law and their effectiveness in addressing contemporary forms of conflict. It addresses the questions related to state responsibility, the pacific settlement of international disputes and the role of the International Court of Justice.

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Ukraine, damaged bicycle and car in front of a destroyed building Short Course

The Law of International Armed Conflicts – Hague Law

16-31 January 2025

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.

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Short Course

The Law of Non-International Armed Conflicts

6-21 February 2025

This online short course discusses the protection offered by international humanitarian law (IHL) in non-international armed conflicts (NIACs) and addresses some problems and controversies specific to IHL of NIACs, including the difficulty to ensure the respect of IHL by armed non-state actors.

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An aerial view of camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs), which have appeared following latest attacks by M23 rebels and other armed groups in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Short Course

International Refugee Law

26 February - 2 April 2025

This online short course analyses the main international and regional norms governing the international protection of refugees. It notably examines the sources of international refugee law, including the 1951 Geneva Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and their interaction with human rights law and international humanitarian law.

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Syria,  Aleppo, great Umayyad mosque. Destructions. Short Course

The Interplay between International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights

27 February - 14 March 2025

This online short course focuses on the specific issues that arise in times of armed conflict regarding the respect, protection and fulfilment of human rights. It addresses key issues like the applicability of human rights in times of armed conflict; the possibilities of restricting human rights under systems of limitations and derogations; and the extraterritorial application of human rights law.

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Côte d'Ivoire,  Abidjan, military instruction center in Akandjé. An ICRC dissemination session on international humanitarian law for the 1st bataillon of commando paratroopers. Short Course

The Implementation of International Humanitarian Law

20 March - 4 April 2025

This online short course will cover the ‘nuts and bolts’ of implementation, including national legislation, dissemination and training, and discuss the mechanisms such as the International Fact-Finding Commission, as set out in the treaties.

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22 March 2022, Maxime Jeoffroy Eli Mokom Gawaka (“Mr Mokom”) appeared before Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court ( Short Course

Accountability for Atrocity Crimes

9-30 April 2025

This online short course examines and discusses the main criminal jurisdictions fostering individual legal accountability for international crimes.

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Afghanistan, Parwan detention facility. Inside a room where detainees of the prison, separated by an acrylic glass, are allowed to meet with their families a couple of times per year with the help of the ICRC employees who facilitate the programme. Short Course

Preventing and Combating Terrorism

24 April - 13 May 2025

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.

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Yemen,  Sana'a, Faj Attan district. Destruction. Short Course

The Rules Governing the Use of Force in International Law

14-23 May 2025

This online short course provides an overview of the content and evolution of the rules governing the use of unilateral force in international law, including military intervention on humanitarian grounds and the fight against international terrorism. It focuses on the practice of states and international organizations.

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