Information

25 September - 16 October 2024
Application start 5 August 2024
Application end 11 September 2024
Fee: 1250 Swiss Francs

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

The UN Security Council The UN Security Council

Descriptive

This online 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.

Online

This is an online short course.

Schedule

Classes will take place online during lunchtime on:

  • Wednesday, 25 September 2024, 12:00–14:00 (CET)
  • Friday, 27 September 2024, 12:00–14:00 (CET)
  • Wednesday, 02 October 2024, 12:00–14:00 (CET)
  • Friday, 04 October 2024, 12:00–14:00 (CET)
  • Wednesday, 09 October 2024, 12:00–14:00 (CET)
  • Wednesday, 16 October 2024, 12:00–14:00 (CET)

Audience

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.

Fee

The fee for this short course is 1,250 Swiss Francs. In case of cancellation by the participants, CHF 200 won't be returned.

Certificate

Participants obtain a certificate at the end of the course (no ECTS credits are gained).

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted via this online form.

Your application will have to include:

  • A short motivation letter (no more than one page)
  • Your curriculum vitae
  • Proof of your competence in English (a certificate or statement highlighting your solid background in English)
  • A valid copy of your visa or residence permit for candidates wishing to follow the short course in Geneva (only applicants who require a visa to enter the Schengen area).

Once admitted to the course, participants receive instructions on how to pay. Proof of payment is required before you begin the course.

Professor and Lecturer

Picture of Giovanni Distefano

Giovanni Distefano

Professor of International Law at the University of Neuchatel

Giovanni Distefano's areas of research and expertise include public international law, the law of treaties, state responsibility and use of force.

Location

Online course

Access

The course will be conducted online using the ZOOM platform.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

Cover page of the book The Wall and the Gate: Israel, Palestine and the Legal Battle for Human Rights News

February: Two Lectures by Michael Sfard, a Leading Israeli Lawyer Defending Palestinian Victims of Israeli Occupation

29 January 2018

Michael Sfard, a prominent Israeli human rights lawyer, will give two lectures in the week of 26 February, one on his new book and the other one on the new trends and challenges related to the protection of human rights in the  Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Read more

Portrait of Jelena Plamenac News

LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights: What our Alumni Say

10 December 2019

In this interview, our alumna Jelena Plamenac, an international humanitarian lawyer with over 10 years’ experience in practicing humanitarian and human rights law in international criminal justice systems and humanitarian organizations, tells us about the programme and what it brought to her career.

Read more

Cover page of the book Event

Book Launch - International Law and the Principle of Non-Intervention: History, Theory, and Interactions with Other Principles

7 October 2024, 18:30-20:00

In this book launch our Swiss IHL Chair, Professor Marco Roscini, will discuss the main findings of his new book on the principle of non-intervention with leading experts.

Read more

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.

Read more

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.

Read more

Libya, Misrata, Tripoli Street. Combattants carefully move into a building. Project

Armed Non-State Actors and the Protection of Civilians

Completed in March 2010

This research project looked at the reactions to norms of more than 30 armed groups worldwide.

Read more

A session of the UN Human Rights Committtee at Palais Wilson Project

Implementing International Humanitarian Law Through Human Rights Mechanisms

Completed in April 2019

This project examined how IHL could be more systematically, appropriately and correctly dealt with by the human rights mechanisms emanating from the UN Charter, as well as from universal and regional treaties.

Read more