Robin Geiß is the New Swiss IHL Chair

Picture of Robin Geiß Picture of Robin Geiß

27 January 2020

Robin Geiß is the new Swiss Chair of International Humanitarian Law (Swiss IHL Chair) at the Geneva Academy.

He succeeds to Professor Noam Lubell who held this position from 2013 to 2019 and developed, in this context, the Guidelines on Investigating Violations of International Humanitarian Law with the International Committee of the Red Cross. 

Robin Geiß is Professor of International Law and Security at the University of Glasgow, Director of the Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security (GCILS) and a former Legal Adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross. He has taught, researched and published on a variety of topics related to international humanitarian law, human rights law and the legal and ethical implications of new technologies, and is recognized as a leading expert in these fields.

Focus on Disruptive Military Technologies

As Swiss IHL Chair, Professor Geiß will develop and promote the Geneva Academy’s expertise in the area of new military technologies via policy work, cutting-edge research, expert meetings, the development of partnerships, teaching and the launch of a new lecture series on this issue.

‘I will put a particular focus on the humanitarian, legal and ethical challenges raised by cyberwarfare and military applications of artificial intelligence. Technological advances in other fields such as space technology, quantum computing, nanotechnology, biotechnology and human enhancement will also be considered in light of their disruptive potential and humanitarian implications’ underlines Robin Geiß.

‘New (military) technologies are set to revolutionize the ways wars are fought. They are at the forefront of contemporary geopolitical power struggles and are already bringing about major transformative shifts in military and humanitarian affairs. The deployment of these new technologies in times of armed conflict will have far-reaching and not yet fully understood consequences for future humanitarian protection needs and the humanitarian legal framework at large’ he adds.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

LLM students pleading on the 2008 South Ossetia armed conflict in front of the jury News

LLM Students Plead on the 2008 War between Russia and Georgia

24 May 2022

Half of the class of our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights – 26 students – pleaded on 21 May at Villa Moynier on the 2008 South Ossetia armed conflict between Russia and Georgia.

Read more

Norway flag News

Guidance to the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global on Current Armed Conflicts and IHL

5 May 2022

At the request of the Fund's Council on Ethics, the Geneva Academy provided background information – in the form of a report – on current armed conflicts and international humanitarian law.

Read more

Syria, destroyed building and ambulance Short Course

Basic Principles of International Humanitarian Law

Fall 2022

This short course examines the sources of international humanitarian law and provides an introduction to its key principles and terminology.

Read more

The International Court of Justice in session Short Course

Sources of Public International Law

Fall 2022

This short course, which can be followed in Geneva or online, 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. It aims at enabling participants to develop a global perception of the international normative system.

Read more

On the screen, on the screen is Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), briefing the Security Council on the 70th Anniversary of Geneva Conventions. Project

International Humanitarian Law and the United Nations Security Council

Completed in January 2020

Read more

Mine Project

Business, Human Rights and Conflict-Affected Regions

Started in July 2021

This project aims to further identify and clarify policies and practices for States and business, including public and private investors, across the full ‘conflict cycle’ and the ‘Protect, Respect and Remedy’ pillars of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Read more

Cover of the Publication Publication

The Future Digital Battlefield and Challenges for Humanitarian Protection: A Primer

published on April 2022

Henning Lahmann

Read more