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14 August 2019
Our Strategic Adviser on international humanitarian law (IHL), Dr Annyssa Bellal, has been invited to brief on 13 August – together with the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross Peter Maurer and the United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Miguel de Serpa Soares – the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the Geneva Conventions.
The briefing, organized in the context of the 70th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, discussed contemporary issues and challenges related to the respect and implementation of IHL.
In her briefing, Dr Bellal notably addressed the protracted nature of armed conflict and the need to mainstream international humanitarian law in the wider international legal system, the prevalence of non-international armed conflicts and the need to increase ownership of humanitarian norms among armed-non state actors, as well as the benefits of peer-pressure evaluation as an interesting way forward to better the overall system of IHL protection.
‘It is a great recognition for both the expertise of Dr Bellal and for the Geneva Academy to be invited to brief members of the UNSC on what we see as the more pressing issues related to the respect and implementation of the Geneva Conventions. The UN Security Council has played in the past a crucial role in enhancing their respect in certain armed conflicts and it can and should do so more systematically’ underlines Professor Marco Sassòli, Director of the Geneva Academy.
‘Having an academic and independent voice in these discussions is crucial and we are very thankful to the organizers for having invited Dr Bellal’ he adds.
The full speech of Dr Annyssa Bellal before the UNSC is available here.
You can watch the briefing on the UN Web TV.
The Geneva Academy has launched a practice-oriented course designed to equip our Master of Advanced Studies students with skills in open-source research and legal analysis under international humanitarian law.
Organized with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva, and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, this event explored legal gaps and accountability failures in global arms transfers.
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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.
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.