14-23 May 2025
Application start 5 August 2024
Application end 30 April 2025
Fee: 1250 Swiss Francs
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.
This course focuses on the practice of states and international organizations. It has two main closely related objectives. First, it 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. During the course, the legal issues raised by the main recent cases of unilateral force, especially Kosovo (1999), Iraq (2003), Syria (since 2014), Ukraine (2014 and 2022), and Gaza (since 2023), as well as their normative implications will be thoroughly and critically analysed. Second, the course will address the key features, evolution and shortcomings of the United Nations collective security system, from its creation in 1945 to the so-called authorization practice, which was inaugurated during the first Gulf Crisis (1990-1). The interventions in Libya (2011) and Mali (2012-3) will serve to trigger a discussion on the role of the United Nations and regional organizations in maintaining and restoring international peace and security.
This is an online short course.
Classes will take place online during lunchtime on:
This 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.
The fee for this short course is 1,250 Swiss Francs. In case of cancellation by the participants, CHF 200 won't be returned.
Participants obtain a certificate at the end of the course (no ECTS credits are gained).
Applications must be submitted via this online form.
If you encounter problems with your application, do not hesitate to contact us.
Tarcisio Gazzini is Professor of International Law at the University of Padua.
Online course
The course will be conducted online using the ZOOM platform.
As part of the programme’s annual study trip, students of our LLM in International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and Human Rights travelled to Belgrade, Sarajevo and Budapest where they met experts and institutions who work in the fields of IHL, international human rights law and international criminal law.
Geneva Academy
Since 2012, the Government of Mali has engaged in multiple and overlapping non-international armed conflicts (NIACs) against various insurgent groups. Our Rule of Law in Armed Conflict online portal provides a detailed analysis and legal classification of these NIACs, including information about parties to these conflicts.
EDA-DFAE (FDFA)
The opening lecture of the 2025 Spring Semester will be given by Ambassador Jürg Lauber, President of the Human Rights Council and the Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations.
In this public lecture Alain Berset, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, will discuss with our director, Paola Gaeta and students from the Geneva Graduate Institute, University of Geneva and Geneva Academy.
Medical Aid for Palestinians / Ezz Al Zanoon
This project aimed to ensure better protection of and assistance for persons with disabilities in situations of armed conflict or its aftermath by identifying legal obligations to protect and assist persons with disabilities during conflict, and the policies and practices required to put these obligations into effect.
UNAMID
This project will develop guidance to inform security, human rights and environmental debates on the linkages between environmental rights and conflict, and how their better management can serve as a tool in conflict prevention, resilience and early warning.