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

An Indian soldier in Srinagar, Kashmir News

The International Armed Conflict between India and Pakistan over Kashmir Added to our RULAC Online Portal

30 October 2018

Visitors can discover an overview of the conflict since its inception in 1947, recent developments, the factual and methodological basis for its classification as an IAC, parties to this conflict and the applicable international law.

Read more

Group photo of particiants in the training News

A Workshop in Vietnam on How the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Applies to Survivors of the Conflict

19 February 2019

Our local partner in Vietnam, the Association for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, hosted a one day workshop as part of our research project Disability and Armed Conflict.

Read more

Warzone Event

Advanced IHL Seminar for Academics and Policymakers

25-29 August 2025, 09:00-17:30

Co-hosted with the ICRC, this event aims to enhance the capacity of academics to teach and research international humanitarian law, while also equipping policymakers with an in-depth understanding of ongoing legal debates.

Read more

Neutrotechology Project

Neurotechnology and Human Rights

Started in August 2023

This project addresses the human rights implications stemming from the development of neurotechnology for commercial, non-therapeutic ends, and is based on a partnership between the Geneva Academy, the Geneva University Neurocentre and the UN Human Rights Council Advisory Committee. 

Read more

Iraq, Mosul. View of the west bank after the war. Project

IHL in Focus

Started in January 2024

As a yearly publication, it keeps decision-makers, practitioners and scholars up-to-date with the latest trends and challenges in IHL implementation in over 100 armed conflicts worldwide – both international and non-international.

Read more