IHL in Focus

Assessing Compliance in Contemporary Armed Conflicts

Started in January 2024

The ‘IHL in Focus’ project aims to provide states, international organizations, civil society and academics with tools of IHL analysis that are independent, impartial and pursued in accordance with the highest academic standards to support advocacy and humanitarian diplomacy, with the ultimate goal of contributing towards increased respect for IHL.

NEWS AND UPCOMING EVENTS

ECOSOC Panel United Nations News

Dr Erica Harper Warns of Dangerous Global Conflict Surge at UN ECOSOC Panel

23 June 2025

Our Head of Research and Policy Studies, Dr Erica Harper, spoke at a United Nations Economic and Social Council panel on June 16th, focused on Humanitarian Aid Under Siege.

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IHL in Focus Spot Report News

Spot Report – Water Crisis in War and Under Occupation: Current Israeli Policy and Practice in Occupied Palestinian Territory Under International Humanitarian Law

16 June 2025

The Geneva Academy has published a new spot report analysing Israeli policy and practice relating to water in the Occupied Palestinian Territory through the lens of IHL.

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IHL Lab Geneva Academy News

The Geneva IHL Lab: Bridging Theory and Practice

21 May 2025

The Geneva Academy has launched a practice-oriented course designed to equip our Master of Advanced Studies students with skills in open-source research and legal analysis under international humanitarian law.

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RESEARCHERS

Picture of Gloria Gaggioli

Gloria Gaggioli

Former Director of the Geneva Academy and Associate Professor and Vice-Dean of the Law Faculty, University of Geneva

Gloria Gaggioli is a renowned scholar in international humanitarian law and human rights and has published widely in various fields of public international law.

Portrait of Dr Erica Harper

Erica Harper

Head of Research and Policy Studies

Erica Harper is a practitioner-academic specializing in international criminal law, human rights law and post-conflict governance.

Portrait of Anna Rosalie Greipl

Anna Rosalie Greipl

Researcher

Anna Rosalie Greipl is a Researcher contributing to the IHL in Focus project and developing updates for the RULAC portal

Portrait of Juliette Graf

Juliette Graf

Research Collaborator

Juliette Graf is a Research Collaborator for the IHL in Focus Project at the Geneva Academy

Portrait of Stuart Casey-Maslen

Stuart Casey-Maslen

Special Advisor to the IHL in Focus Project

Stuart Casey-Maslen is a Special Advisor to the IHL in Focus Project at the Geneva Academy

Past Events

Food Insecurity in Armed Conflict

10 December 2024, 18:15-20:00

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MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

IHL Lab Geneva Academy News

Addressing Compliance Gaps in Arms Transfers - is the Arms Trade above International Law?

28 May 2025

Organized with the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the Quaker United Nations Office in Geneva, and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights, this event explored legal gaps and accountability failures in global arms transfers.

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IHL Lab Geneva Academy News

The Geneva IHL Lab: Bridging Theory and Practice

21 May 2025

The Geneva Academy has launched a practice-oriented course designed to equip our Master of Advanced Studies students with skills in open-source research and legal analysis under international humanitarian law.

Read more

Warzone Event

Advanced IHL Seminar for Academics and Policymakers

25-29 August 2025, 09:00-17:30

Co-hosted with the ICRC, this event aims to enhance the capacity of academics to teach and research international humanitarian law, while also equipping policymakers with an in-depth understanding of ongoing legal debates.

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A destroyed camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Khor Abeche, South Darfur, Project

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

Started in May 2023

This project will develop guidance to inform security, human rights and environmental debates on the linkages between environmental rights and conflict, and how their better management can serve as a tool in conflict prevention, resilience and early warning.

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Screenshot of the RULAC webpage Project

Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts (RULAC)

Started in May 2007

The Rule of Law in Armed Conflicts project (RULAC) is a unique online portal that identifies and classifies all situations of armed violence that amount to an armed conflict under international humanitarian law (IHL). It is primarily a legal reference source for a broad audience, including non-specialists, interested in issues surrounding the classification of armed conflicts under IHL.

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Cover of the 2023 Geneva Academy Annual Report Publication

Annual Report 2023

published on July 2024

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