Call for Papers: The Role of Human Rights Mechanisms in Implementing International Humanitarian Law

Voting during the  40th session of the Human Rights Council, March 2019 Voting during the  40th session of the Human Rights Council, March 2019

1 April 2019

In the perspective of a conference co-organized with the Global Studies Institute (University of Geneva), the Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Canton of Geneva, we invite proposals that address the role of human rights mechanisms in implementing international humanitarian law (IHL).

‘Proposals should focus on how human rights mechanisms could increase their impact on the respect of IHL and how the related risks can be reduced or avoided’ explains Professor Marco Sassòli, Director of the Geneva Academy.

‘The Geneva Academy will also prepare, for the conference, a policy paper on overcoming difficulties for human rights protection mechanisms to apply IHL’ he adds.

Eligibility

Graduate and postgraduate law researchers having obtained their PhD within the past 10 years.

Deadlines

Applicants are invited to submit proposals of up to 500 words, in English, plus a short biographical note of 100 words, and 5 keywords to Alice Breathe (alice.breath[at]unige.ch) by Wednesday 15 May 2019.

Applicants whose proposals have been selected will be informed by Monday 1 July 2019.

Final papers, of about 8,000 words in English, to be submitted by selected applicants will be due by Monday 30 September 2019.

Conference

The Conference will take place on 14-15 November in Geneva. It will bring together graduate and postgraduate researchers (selected on the basis of their proposals), experienced academics and practitioners from the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross and elsewhere.

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

Mô Bleeker News

UNSG Special Adviser Mô Bleeker Becomes Senior Fellow at the Geneva Academy

15 April 2025

Mô Bleeker, UNSG Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect, shares how her work as Senior Fellow at the Geneva Academy contributes to our shared goals.

Read more

bombed building News

Expert Consultation on CESCR’s General Comment on ICESCR in Armed Conflict

8 May 2025

The Geneva Academy convened an expert consultation on the CESCR’s General Comment on the Application of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Situations of Armed Conflict.

Read more

AI for Good Event Event

AI for human rights: Smarter, faster, fairer monitoring

8 July 2025, 14:00-16:00

The event, as part of the AI for Good Summit 2025 will explore how AI tools can support faster data analysis, help uncover patterns in large datasets, and expand the reach of human rights work.

Read more

United Nations Geneva Event

‘Urgency Measures’ to face a triple crisis – what insights can be taken from the Treaty Body strengthening process?

4 June 2025, 13:30-15:00

This side event represents a critical opportunity to reflect on the innovative approaches taken through the treaty body strengthening process and to consider the future direction of the treaty body system.

Read more

A general view of participants during of the 33nd ordinary session of the Human Rights Council. Training

Practical Training on Human Rights Council Procedures for SIDS/LDCs

4-5 June 2025

This hands-on training is designed specifically for diplomats from Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries who are current or prospective members of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Read more

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Booklet Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

7-11 July 2025

This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.

Read more

A session of the UN Human Rights Council Project

IHL Expert Pool

Started in January 2022

The IHL-EP works to strengthen the capacity of human rights mechanisms to incorporate IHL into their work in an efficacious and comprehensive manner. By so doing, it aims to address the normative and practical challenges that human rights bodies encounter when dealing with cases in which IHL applies.

Read more

Screenshot of the RULAC webpage Project

Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC)

Started in May 2007

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.

Read more

Cover page of the working paper Publication

AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring

published on January 2025

Milica Mirkovic, Jennifer Victoria Scurrell

Read more

Cover Page of Research Brief Publication

War on Minorities’ Under the Guise of Countering Terrorism and Violent Extremism

published on December 2024

Beatrice Meretti

Read more