What are the international law and standards applicable during armed conflict?
Organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), this Course on international humanitarian law (IHL) is specifically designed to help senior humanitarian practitioners and policymakers better understand the international rules, principles, and instruments applicable in armed conflict. The Course offers participants practical knowledge in IHL applicable in their fieldwork and decision-making processes.
Background
Sadly, in many parts of the world, we are constantly confronted by the suffering and loss caused by armed conflict and other situations of violence. Humanitarian agencies can bring some relief to protect life and health and uphold human dignity during armed conflicts. Daily, such agencies must draw on a variety of tools to further their work, and protect their personnel and affected populations. One of those tools is International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
IHL is a set of rules that, in times of armed conflict, seek to protect people who are not or are no longer participating in the hostilities, and to restrict the means and methods of warfare. It provides a normative framework to facilitate humanitarian action for actors and agencies engaged in bringing relief to mitigate the suffering caused by armed conflict. Therefore, it is desirable that humanitarian professionals and policymakers are familiar with the basic concepts of IHL and how they work in practice.
Themes
The course will cover the following main themes:
- Origins, structure, principles, and rules of IHL, as well as contemporary challenges and issues.
- IHL and Counter-Terrorism Operations
- Climate Change and armed conflict
- Relevance of IHL and other legal regimes, such as human rights law and refugee law for humanitarian practitioners
- The role of humanitarian professionals in respecting and ensuring better respect for international law and standards during armed conflict
Participants
The course is open to senior representatives of non-governmental organisations, international organisations, state agencies, and humanitarian donor agencies. Applicants should have decision-making roles in their organisations. A legal background is not required.
Application forms should be completed before 19 August 2022. Successful applicants will be notified by 26 August 2022.
Methodology
The course will follow a methodology combining theory and practice. Participants will be provided with both expert lectures and participative exercises based on the ICRC's experience in more than 150 years of humanitarian action and IHL. The course draws on the participants' collective experience to further illuminate the role and importance of IHL in the daily work of their respective organisations.
Venue: Sawela Lodge, Lake Naivasha, Kenya.
Dates: 25-28 October 2022
Course fees: USD 1,000
Course fees cover full board accommodation, return transport from Nairobi to Naivasha, course materials, and course activities. Upon selection, the participants will be provided with a bank account in which to deposit the course fees. Payment details will be sent to the successful course applicants.
Accommodation: Full board accommodation will be provided at Sawela Lodges, Naivasha.
Language: The course is conducted in English.
Programme
A detailed programme for the course and other practical details will be sent to the selected participants.
Pre-course work
A preparatory online training will be sent to the participants prior to the course.
For further information, please contact:
The International Committee of the Red Cross
Nairobi Regional Delegation, P.O. Box 73226, 00200 Nairobi, Kenya.
Tel: +254 700 772 399. E-mail: nai_ihlmailbox@icrc.org
Please complete the application form by 19 August 2022.