The Geneva International Humanitarian Law Platform is the Geneva Academy’s integrated hub for research, expertise, policy engagement and training relating to international humanitarian law and contemporary armed conflicts.
Building on the Geneva Academy’s long-standing engagement in the field of the law applicable in armed conflicts, the Platform brings together research initiatives, monitoring tools, expert dialogue, conferences, policy discussions, digital initiatives, and training to strengthen understanding and implementation of, and respect for, international humanitarian law (IHL).
As part of the Geneva Academy’s broader research and policy engagement activities, the Platform contributes to the promotion and effective implementation of international humanitarian law and related legal frameworks applicable in situations of armed conflict and crisis.
The Platform combines academic excellence with practical relevance and serves as a space for thematic and cross-cutting engagement between academia, diplomats, humanitarian practitioners, international organisations, military legal advisers, civil society actors and technical experts.
The Geneva International Humanitarian Law Platform develops activities and initiatives relating to a broad range of contemporary humanitarian and legal challenges arising in armed conflicts, including, but not limited to:
- The protection of civilians;
- The conduct of hostilities;
- Humanitarian access and assistance;
- The prohibition of starvation as a method of warfare and the protection of objects indispensable to civilian survival;
- Open-source investigations and documentation of violations;
- Digital military technologies and cyber operations;
- Artificial intelligence and warfare;
- Weapons law and emerging military technologies;
- Non-State armed groups
- Conflict classification;
- Accountability for violations of IHL;
- The interaction between IHL and international human rights law.
The Geneva International Humanitarian Law Platform serves as a hub for research projects in the field of international humanitarian law.
Ongoing Projects
Arms TRACK
War WATCH
IHL in Focus
Geneva IHL Lab
Publications
War WATCH – IHL in Focus Report – July 2024 to December 2025
Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
The Arms Trade and International Law: Addressing Compliance Gaps
Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
Weapons, Private Military and Security Companies, and International Law: A Critical Analysis of the Fifth Draft of the United Nations Instrument on PMSCs
Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
Nikoloz Mosidze
International Humanitarian Law and the Growing Involvement of Civilians in Cyber Operations and Other Digital Activities During Armed Conflict
Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, ICRC
IHL in Focus Spot Report: Weaponizing Water and Humanitarian Collapse in Sudan: An International Humanitarian Law Assessment
Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
IHL in Focus: Annual Report – Assessing Compliance in Contemporary Armed Conflicts –July 2023 – June 2024
Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
IHL in Focus Spot Report: Water Crisis in War and Under Occupation: Current Israeli Policy and Practice in the Occupied Palestinian Territory Under International Humanitarian Law
Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
Concluded Projects
IHL Expert Pool
Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC)
For all publications prior to 2025, please check our archive website:
The Geneva International Humanitarian Law Platform serves as a hub for specialized events, such as book launches, conferences, expert discussions and consultations, expert meetings and seminars in the field of international humanitarian law.
Book Launches
Conferences
Expert Discussions and Consultations
Podcasts
War WATCH: Episode 1 – Sudan: A War of Atrocities
War WATCH Episode 2 – Mozambique: A War of Neglect and Impunity
War WATCH: Episode 3 – Syria: The Search for Accountability After Assad
War WATCH: Episode 4 – Haiti: Crossing the Threshold
War WATCH: Episode 5 – Iran: No Ceasefire for Civilians
In and Around War(s): Season 3, Episode 0: Introduction
In and Around War(s): Season 3, Episode 1: The Weaponizing of Water in Contemporary Armed Conflicts
In and Around War(s): Season 3, Episode 2: The Prosecution of Ecocide and Other Environmental Crimes
In and Around War(s): Season 3, Episode 3: The Geneva Conventions on Trial
In and Around War(s): Season 3, Episode 4: Food Insecurity in Armed Conflict
In and Around War(s): Season 3, Episode 5: Israel’s Weaponization of Water in Gaza
The Geneva International Humanitarian Law Platform serves as a hub for specialized training and educational activities in the field of international humanitarian law.
Learning activities developed in connection with the Geneva Academy’s broader educational programmes, include:
Training Activities
Summer Intensive Courses
Armed Non-State Actors and International Law
Contemporary Challenges to the Classification of Armed Conflicts
Emerging Actors and Patterns in Cultural Property Protection during Armed Conflict
Introduction to the Islamic Law of Armed Conflict
Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals in Armed Conflicts
