Skip to content
Research and policy engagement

Research Projects

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

Research 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 research 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 research projects also inform policy discussions and engagement activities by providing the legal foundations on which dialogue and practice can build.

Below, you will find the Academy’s current research projects, each reflecting a distinct contribution to legal analysis within the Academy’s priority areas.

Current and Recent Research Projects

War WATCH

November 2025 – Present
An interactive platform tracking armed conflicts and civilian harm that brings together legal conflict classification and documentation

IHL in Focus

November 2023 – Present
Classification of situations of armed conflict and assessment of civilian harm, combining systematic legal analysis with reliable secondary data to promote compliance with international humanitarian law and accountability for violations.

IHL Expert Pool

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

Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC)

January 2008 – Present
Our longest running research project, providing independent and authoritative legal classifications of situations of armed conflict worldwide

Neurotechnology and Human Rights

August 2023 – Present
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.

Digitalization of armed conflicts

January 2020 – December 2024
Assessing how digitalization, cyber operations, and emerging military technologies are reshaping the conduct of hostilities and the protection of civilians.

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.