Advanced IHL Training for the Next Generation of International Lawyers in the Middle East and North Africa

Diakonia Lebanon IHL Resource Desk

1 July 2020

From 31 August to 21 September 2020, around 20 young international lawyers from the Middle East and North Africa will have the opportunity to attend – either online or in Beirut – the Beirut Advanced (BEYA) School of International Humanitarian Law 2020.

Organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Diakonia Lebanon Resource Desk for IHL and the Geneva Academy, it aims at empowering the next generation of international lawyers from the region with advanced knowledge of international law applicable in armed conflict and to promote a culture of peace.

Dr Jelena Plamenac, an alumna of our LLM in IHL and Human Rights who manages Diakonia Lebanon Resource Desk for IHL in Lebanon, leads this new regional education project together with Dr Omar Mekky, Head of the ICRC Regional IHL Department for the Middle East and North Africa.

‘We have mindfully created the Beirut Advanced IHL School to empower upcoming humanitarian lawyers and leaders in the Arab region with the world-class knowledge of international humanitarian law, and to encourage students to master legal skills and learning habits that every successful international lawyer should have to thrive in excellence, authenticity and a strong sense of self’ says Jelena Plamenac.

Dr Mekky adds that ‘this exciting and unique learning IHL space is open to enthusiastic and committed Arab students and professionals who are ready to gain ground as competent and stalwart legal advisors, innovative legal researchers and responsible decision-makers leading the compliance with international legal standards and humanitarian values in the Arab region.’

An Intense Programme with Innovative and High-Quality Teaching

The programme spans over three intense weeks and combines interactive lectures based on case studies taken from ICRC’s Online Casebook – prepared notably by Geneva Academy students –, professional tutorials, and practitioners’ testimonies of applying IHL in practical situations.

The overall teaching methodology follows the one developed by Professor Marco Sassòli, Director of the Geneva Academy, for our LLM. In this respect, Professor Sassòli will teach a series of courses on international law in armed conflict from 31 August to 5 September on the classification of armed conflicts, prisoners of war and fighters in non-international armed conflict, protection of civilians, the law of belligerent occupation, and the relationship between IHL and international human rights law. He will also open the BEYA School with an introductory discussion on IHL, including its concept and historical development, sources, and the distinction between jus ad bellum and jus in bello.

‘I look forward to exchanging with promising international lawyers from the Middle East and North Africa on the protection international law affords in times of armed conflict, an issue that is particularly relevant for many countries in the region’ explains Professor Sassòli.

‘The method chosen will allow students to engage in an interactive learning environment to practise the acquired knowledge and skills through simulation exercises and discussing cases drawn from contemporary practice,’ he adds.

Admission Interview

More information on criteria, deadlines and how to submit an application is availble in the invitation to admission interview.

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