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Research and policy engagement

Our Projects

The Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights conducts projects that examine how international law responds to the challenges of armed conflict, repression, technological change, and accountability for serious violations.

At the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, our projects aim to advance rigorous legal analysis and deepen understanding of international legal frameworks applicable to situations of armed conflict, repression, and structural violence.

These projects are academic-oriented in nature. They are designed to clarify contested areas of international law, develop conceptual and methodological approaches, and contribute to scholarly debate. Through sustained and in-depth research, the Academy seeks to strengthen legal certainty and provide authoritative analysis on complex and evolving legal questions.

The Academy’s projects are closely connected to its thematic priority areas and often combine doctrinal analysis with contextual examination of practice, jurisprudence, and institutional developments. While primarily academic in orientation, many projects also inform policy discussions and engagement activities by providing the legal foundations on which dialogue and practice can build.

Current Projects

Recently Completed Projects

Authoritarianism and Human Rights

January 2025 – December 2025
Examining how authoritarian strategies reshape civic space, target minority groups, and weaken global human rights responses.

Conflict, Security and the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment

March 2023 – December 2024
Exploring the linkages between environmental rights, conflict risk and human rights protection to strengthen early warning, resilience and legal responses.

Digitalization of armed conflicts

January 2020 – October 2025
Assessing how digitalization, cyber operations, and emerging military technologies are reshaping the conduct of hostilities and the protection of civilians.

The Human Rights System and Prevention

January 2025 – December 2025
Exploring how more effective human rights analysis, information flows, and early warning tools can contribute to conflict prevention and the protection of populations at risk.

IHL Expert Pool

January 2022 – December 2024
Strengthening the capacity of human rights bodies to interpret and apply International Humanitarian Law effectively.

Neurotechnology and Human Rights

August 2023 – December 2025
This project analyses the legal and ethical implications of brain–computer interfaces and neurodata, promoting human-rights-based approaches to innovation and the development of international regulatory frameworks that safeguard human dignity.

These projects produce a range of outputs, including working papers, policy briefs, guidelines, and expert consultations, with dissemination taking place through podcasts, blogposts, and interviews, as well as conferences, seminars, and expert meetings. Through these channels, the Geneva Academy ensures that its research contributes both to academic debate and to a broader understanding of international law among practitioners and institutions.