akram.alrasny/Adobe>
1 February 2024
Applications for the upcoming academic year of our Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict are now open.
They will remain open until 31 May 2024 – meaning that interested candidates have two months to apply – with courses starting at the end of September 2024.
Olivier Chamard/Geneva Academy
Anton.Matushchak /Adobe
Adobe>
Our online Executive Master in International Law in Armed Conflict is one of the few innovative and intellectually challenging programmes in the law of armed conflict offered today.
Designed for professionals with demanding jobs and responsibilities, it provides them with a solid legal background to address the multiple challenges that arise in contemporary armed conflicts.
The programme is fully online and part-time. Courses take place over nine months (end of September to the beginning of June), weekdays at lunchtime (12:00 –14:00 CET). When participants cannot follow a course for professional reasons (e.g. missions, travel, conferences), they can watch the recordings afterwards as all the courses are recorded.
We also run tutorials and methodology sessions to support participants in their learning, allowing them to go over key concepts, grasp potentially challenging issues and prepare for the exams.
An online platform allows participants to interact directly with professors, teaching assistants and other participants during classes and access all the course materials and readings as well as submit their exams.
Exams take place online at the end of classes (June-July) with retakes in August-September.
One output of the Executive Master is a master’s paper written under the guidance of a faculty member that allows participants to investigate a subject of special interest and deepen expertise through research as well as potential exchanges with experts, scholars and practitioners. Participants have six months to submit their master’s paper following the successful passing of exams.
‘I particularly enjoy when we work in groups as this allows me to interact with other participants and debate specific cases. In addition, understanding the interplay of public international law, IHL, IHRL, and international criminal law is fascinating and expands my understanding of the legal frameworks applying to armed conflicts.
Giada Rubino, Human Rights Associate at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Colombia
Adobe>
The programme covers international law, international humanitarian law, international human rights law, international criminal law, international refugee law and their interplay, providing solid theoretical and practical knowledge of the law that applies to armed conflicts and how it is implemented in real situations. It also addresses current issues and challenges, including the repression of terrorism or the responsibility to protect.
‘Teaching and interacting with participants from all over the world and with such diverse backgrounds is an experience unrivalled in its rewards. My classes have become a place where we share our respective knowledge, my role is that of recalling over and over the role of public international law in the participants’ everyday professional lives, allowing them to strengthen and enhance the impact of their arguments.’
Giovanni Distefano, Member of the Executive Master Faculty and Professor of International Law at the University of Neuchatel
By providing the necessary tools to apply the international legal framework in complex contemporary conflicts, our Executive Master equips high-level professionals wanting to acquire additional responsibilities or move their careers forward.
‘The programme will reinforce my knowledge of the international legal framework that applies in armed conflicts and enable me to advance in my professional career.’
Myriam Haddad, Legal Adviser at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Libya
Adobe>
You can apply online in three steps:
Make sure you have all the requested information and documents before starting your application!
If you still have questions, our FAQ addresses the main questions related to our Executive Master, the programme and the admission procedure.
You can also contact our Student Office which will respond to your questions and queries about the programme (masters-inquiries@geneva-academy.ch).
Geneva Academy
At the 34th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, we hosted a booth with Geneva Call and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway.
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.
Adobe Stock
This panel event explores the role that emotions play in the development, deployment, and regulation of artificial intelligence in warfare.
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.
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.
ICRC
As a yearly publication, it keeps decision-makers, practitioners and scholars up-to-date with the latest trends and challenges in IHL implementation in over 100 armed conflicts worldwide – both international and non-international.
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.
Geneva Academy ICRC