22 March 2023, 18:30-20:00
Register start 16 March 2023
Register end 21 March 2023
Military Briefings
NATO
The armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine, raging for more than a year now, might arguably have both reinforced and transformed NATO: it refocused the alliance on its collective defence mission while exposing it to considerable challenges, especially in the legal field. From a jus ad bellum perspective, NATO is not a party to the Ukrainian conflict, however, some triggering conditions could be met and lead to the activation of article 5 of the Washington Treaty, in theory at least. As a military alliance, NATO is also preparing and planning for the potential of high-intensity conflict involving its members.
The possibility of such a scenario materializing – long deemed close to impossible – raises some sensitive jus in bello issues, old and new, such as the distinction between regular armed forces and private military companies, the protection of civilians in a large-scale urban conflict, the management of prisoners of war, as well as also the use of cyber and space in multi-domains operations. Other emerging challenges further complicate the legal landscape of the conflict, for a military alliance in particular: most notably disinformation and misinformation, which have the potential to open new ‘battlefields’. All these issues push NATO to its limits and generally question the contemporary role of military alliances, a context in which the law is often a source of answers as much as it is a source of further questions.
In this Military Briefing, Colonel Nathalie Durhin, an officer of the French air force currently assigned within the NATO Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), as the Head of the Operational Law Branch, will provide insights into how the Alliance approaches the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and addresses the many related legal challenges.
Cyprien Fluzin, Teaching Assistant at the Geneva Academy, will moderate the conversation with Colonel Nathalie Durhin.
Military Briefings are a unique series of events relating to military institutions and the law. They aim to improve our students’ knowledge of military actors and operations and build bridges between the military and civilian worlds.
Geneva Academy
Applications for the 2023–2024 academic year of our LLM in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights are open. They will run until 27 January 2023 for applications with a scholarship and until 23 February 2023 for applications without a scholarship.
Daniel Fyfe follows our online Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict while working as an Associate Expert at OHCHR in Geneva on UN treaty bodies’ individual communications procedures.
Special Jurisdiction for Peace
In this discussion co-organized with the Permanent Mission of Colombia to the UN in Geneva, the President of Colombia's Special Jurisdiction for Peace Magistrate Roberto Vidal will discuss the challenges and achievements of this body.
Adobe
This IHL Talk will explore various issues related to the potential establishment of a 'Special Tribunal for Aggression' and will discuss whether it is the best or most appropriate option to make sure that the crime of aggression does not go unpunished.
ICRC
Organized by the Geneva Academy and the ICRC, the Advanced IHL seminar for academics and humanitarian policymakers aims to enhance the capacity of academics to teach and research IHL and contemporary issues arising during armed conflict, while also equipping policymakers with an in-depth understanding of ongoing legal debates and their relevance to decision-making.
Shutterstock
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.
Dave Klassen/The EITI
This project aimed at identifying and clarifying policies and practices for states and businesses, including public and private investors, across the full ‘conflict cycle’ and the ‘protect, respect and remedy’ pillars of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.