Fall 2022
UN Photo
This short course focuses on the role of public international law in international relations and on international legal persons. The first part aims at showing the function of law in the international community and its primacy in regulating international relations. The second part deals with international subjects, that is to say, all those entities, regardless of their intrinsic specificities, that have the capacity to apply public international law rules.
The course can be followed in Geneva or online. Please note that the number of places to follow the course in Geneva is limited.
This short course forms part of the Geneva Academy Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict. It is open to professionals – diplomats, lawyers, legal advisers, judges, NGO staff, human rights advocates, media specialists, professionals working in emergency situations, UN staff and staff from other international organizations – who are not enrolled in the Executive Master and who want to deepen their expertise in this specific issue.
We can admit a maximum of five participants to this short course (in addition to students enrolled in our Executive Master).
The fee for this short course is 1,250 Swiss Francs. In case of cancellation by the participants, CHF 200 won't be returned.
Participants obtain a certificate at the end of the course (no ECTS credits are gained).
Applications for this short course will open in September 2022.
Once admitted to the course, participants receive instructions on how to pay. Proof of payment is required before you begin the course.
Giovanni Distefano's areas of research and expertise include public international law, the law of treaties, state responsibility and use of force.
Tram 15, Direction Nations - tram stop Butini
Bus 1 or 25, Direction Jardin Botanique - bus stop Sécheron
Villa Moynier is accessible to people with disabilities. If you have a disability or any additional needs and require assistance in order to participate fully, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The course will be conducted online using the ZOOM platform.
Creative Coomons:Masoud Akbari
In August 2021, following the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban have rapidly taken control of most of the country, Kabul included.
NASA on Unsplash
In her winning essay Digital Safe Havens: Sheltering Civilians From Military Cyber Operations, Isabelle Peart brings forward novel suggestions on how to reduce the risk of harm to civilians posed by military cyber operations.
ICRC
This short course, which can be followed in Geneva or online, 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.
ICRC
This short course, which can be followed in Geneva or online, 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.
ICC-CPI
This project intends to clarify the conditions of accountability for international crimes by providing a detailed assessment of the customary international law status of, in particular, the actus reus and mens rea elements of modes of liability: planning, instigating, conspiracy, direct and indirect perpetration, co-perpetration, the three forms of joint criminal enterprise, the doctrine of common purpose under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, command responsibility and aiding and abetting.
ICRC
Against the background of the mobilization of ‘foreign fighters’ for the conflicts in Syria and Iraq, the Geneva Academy undertook various research projects to highlight and clarify a range of international law issues that arise through their participation and measures taken to stem their mobilization.
Our teaching enables specialists to apply legal frameworks to complex situations and challenging processes.
We provide training and short courses for professionals who want to deepen their expertise in a specific issue.
Our research examines issues that are under-explored, need clarification, or are unconventional, experimental or challenging.
Our events provide a critical and scholarly forum for experts and practitioners to debate topical humanitarian, human rights and transitional justice issues.