ECHO>
25 March 2024
Our new research project IHL in Focus – launched at the beginning of the year – has been presented and discussed at the 2024 European Humanitarian Forum, a major yearly event convened by the European Union focusing on prominent humanitarian issues and challenges.
In his closing remarks, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič – in charge of European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid – welcomed the ‘new independent initiative IHL in Focus’, underlying the need for efficient monitoring and reporting of IHL infringements in a context where the rising defiance of IHL is putting at risk both people in need and humanitarian workers.
ECHO
ECHO
Our Director Professor Gloria Gaggioli intervened on the panel ‘(Dis)respecting International Humanitarian Law in today’s armed conflicts: monitoring and reporting’ and underscored the need for collecting credible data about violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) on a global scale and for offering an impartial and solid analysis of belligerents’ behaviour under IHL.
‘Our IHL in Focus project precisely aims at fulfilling these needs by providing tools to ensure a global overview of the state of IHL. Very concretely, our project will do so through the publication of a Global Annual Report on IHL violations that will analyse all situations of violence amounting to armed conflicts under international law to determine the existence of credible allegations of IHL violations’ underlines Gloria Gaggioli.
‘Coupled with spot reports on specific IHL themes and situations, this will provide states, international organizations, NGOs and academics with tools of IHL analysis that are independent, impartial and conducted according to the highest academic standards to support IHL advocacy and humanitarian diplomacy to increase respect with IHL’ she adds.
ECHO
Geneva Academy
In her intervention, Professor Gaggioli detailed the main contours of the Global Annual Report, its methodology and the need to avoid double standards to ensure the universality, legitimacy and credibility of IHL-related initiatives.
‘The Global Annual Report will provide an overview of potential IHL violations committed by belligerent parties at the macro level. As such, we will not focus on individual criminal responsibility or investigate war crimes or other international crimes to attribute responsibility to specific individuals. The core objective of the project is to identify and signal credible allegations of IHL violations that states or commissions of inquiry could further investigate explains’ Gloria Gaggioli.
‘It is also important to understand that this project is not a naming and shaming exercise but a data-driven or evidence-based analytical exercise that will allow identifying trends of violations globally, in certain regions or by certain actors. Last but not least, the Global Annual Report will draw attention to violations occurring in armed conflicts that are not high on the international community's agenda. Indeed, avoiding double standards is our priority and an absolute necessity to ensure the universality, legitimacy and credibility of IHL-related initiatives’ she adds.
Geneva Academy
During the 79th UN General Assembly Ministerial Week a high-level side event on the obligation to respect and ensure respect for International Humanitarian Law took place.
Geneva Academy
We organize online information sessions for prospective students interested in our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and Master in Transitional Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law.
Brill Nijhoff
In his book launch, Linus Mührel will discuss his book’s main findings with experts from academia and the ICRC.
ICRC
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.
ICRC
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.
The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts project (RULAC) is a unique online portal that identifies and classifies all situations of armed violence that amount to an armed conflict under international humanitarian law (IHL). It is primarily a legal reference source for a broad audience, including non-specialists, interested in issues surrounding the classification of armed conflicts under IHL.
Shutterstock
This project will explore humanitarian consequences and protection needs caused by the digitalization of armed conflicts and the extent to which these needs are addressed by international law, especially international humanitarian law.