27 January 2020
Robin Geiß is the new Swiss Chair of International Humanitarian Law (Swiss IHL Chair) at the Geneva Academy.
He succeeds to Professor Noam Lubell who held this position from 2013 to 2019 and developed, in this context, the Guidelines on Investigating Violations of International Humanitarian Law with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Robin Geiß is Professor of International Law and Security at the University of Glasgow, Director of the Glasgow Centre for International Law and Security (GCILS) and a former Legal Adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross. He has taught, researched and published on a variety of topics related to international humanitarian law, human rights law and the legal and ethical implications of new technologies, and is recognized as a leading expert in these fields.
As Swiss IHL Chair, Professor Geiß will develop and promote the Geneva Academy’s expertise in the area of new military technologies via policy work, cutting-edge research, expert meetings, the development of partnerships, teaching and the launch of a new lecture series on this issue.
‘I will put a particular focus on the humanitarian, legal and ethical challenges raised by cyberwarfare and military applications of artificial intelligence. Technological advances in other fields such as space technology, quantum computing, nanotechnology, biotechnology and human enhancement will also be considered in light of their disruptive potential and humanitarian implications’ underlines Robin Geiß.
‘New (military) technologies are set to revolutionize the ways wars are fought. They are at the forefront of contemporary geopolitical power struggles and are already bringing about major transformative shifts in military and humanitarian affairs. The deployment of these new technologies in times of armed conflict will have far-reaching and not yet fully understood consequences for future humanitarian protection needs and the humanitarian legal framework at large’ he adds.
Applications for the upcoming academic year of our Online Executive Master – MAS in International Law in Armed Conflict - are now open. They will remain open until 30 May 2025, with courses starting at the end of September 2025.
Each year, the Geneva Academy sends a team of students to the Jean-Pictet Competition. Participating in this leading moot court is a life-changing experience and an integral part of our programmes.
ICRC
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.
ICRC
This online short course discusses the extent to which states may limit and/or derogate from their international human rights obligations in order to prevent and counter-terrorism and thus protect persons under their jurisdiction.
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.
UN Photo/Violaine Martin
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.