The Geneva Academy engages with the United Nations, states, regional organisations, and civil society through a wide range of policy-oriented activities.
Our work ensures that rigorous academic research translates into practical expertise, informed dialogue, and concrete contributions to international debates on armed conflict, human rights, accountability, and the protection of populations.
Until 31 December 2025, the Geneva Human Rights Platform (GHRP) forms an integral part of our policy engagement work, supporting UN bodies and facilitating exchanges between human rights mechanisms and practitioners
Our main areas of policy engagement can be found below:
Legal and policy expertise for UN mechanisms
We provide specialised legal and policy support to UN treaty bodies, special procedures, investigative mechanisms, and regional human rights courts. This includes drafting assistance, background analysis, submissions and third-party interventions, and targeted legal inputs to strengthen the integration of IHL and human rights law in their work.
Through the GHRP (until 31 December 2025), we also facilitate exchanges and contributed coordinated inputs to UN mechanisms and other international bodies.
Examples include:
- Inputs to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (General Comment on ICESCR in Armed Conflict)
- Submissions to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
- Support to the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council
- Engagement with UN Special Rapporteurs
- Third-party intervention before the European Court of Human Rights in Ukraine and the Netherlands v. Russia
- GHRP-supported engagement with multiple UN mechanisms on human rights in conflict settings (until 2025)
Confidential legal and policy advice
We provide discreet and tailored legal and policy advice to states, diplomatic missions, and international organisations seeking guidance on the application of international humanitarian law, human rights law, and other legal frameworks relevant to situations of conflict and crisis.
This includes analytical notes, closed-door briefings, and expert consultations that inform national positions and multilateral engagement.
Examples include:
- Confidential briefings to diplomatic missions on conflict classification
- Advisory notes for states on obligations in the field of international humanitarian law and accountability
- Legal input requested by governments on digital technologies and armed conflict
- Expert consultations on environmental harm in conflict settings
Translating research into actionable outputs
We develop accessible and operational tools that translate our applied research into concrete support for policymakers and practitioners.
These outputs include policy briefs, thematic reports, guidance documents, mapping tools, and digital platforms such as War WATCH, designed to strengthen evidence-based decision-making on pressing humanitarian and human rights issues.
Examples include:
- Policy briefs on accountability in contemporary armed conflicts
- Guidance on conflict classification and protection of civilians
- Reports on digital technologies, AI governance, and human rights
- Analyses on environmental harm and climate-related risks in armed conflict
- Tools on deprivation of liberty and detention safeguards
- GHRP policy outputs and platforms produced before 2026
Contributing expertise to global policy debates
Our experts participate in international consultations, drafting processes, expert groups, and multilateral negotiations.
Through these contributions, we help shape global discussions on humanitarian norms, human rights protection, environmental security, and the regulation of emerging technologies.
The Geneva Human Rights Platform, until the end of 2025, also played a central role in connecting UN human rights mechanisms and supporting multilateral dialogues in Geneva.
Examples include:
- Engagement in Human Rights Council expert consultations
- Participation in drafting exercises for HRC resolutions
- Contributions to global discussions on climate, environment, and conflict
- Expert input into international processes on cyber operations and AI
- GHRP-facilitated exchanges between UN mechanisms and practitioners (until 2025)
Creating spaces for informed debate
We organise public conferences, expert roundtables, thematic dialogues, and high-level events that bring together diplomats, practitioners, academics, and civil society.
These events create trusted spaces for discussing contemporary issues in IHL, human rights, and accountability, and for sharing research findings with a broad audience.
Examples include:
- Public event on the use of force in urban warfare
- Roundtable on the protection of civilians in protracted conflicts
- Conferences on AI, autonomy, and armed conflict
- Events on environmental protection and climate security
- Workshops on deprivation of liberty in armed conflict
- GHRP annual conference and policy dialogues (until 2025)
Strengthening skills and professional knowledge
We design and deliver tailored capacity-building activities for diplomats, humanitarian professionals, human rights practitioners, and staff of international organisations.
These activities translate legal frameworks into practical skills that can be applied directly in field operations and policy processes.
Examples include:
- Diplomatic seminar on IHL in contemporary armed conflicts (with the ICRC)
- Training on integrating IHL and human rights law in UN mechanisms
- Workshops on detention monitoring and procedural safeguards
- Capacity-building on digital technologies and human rights risks
- GHRP training hub developed before 2026