The course will aim at better understanding the role and regulation of Armed Non-State Actors (ANSA) in contemporary armed conflicts. We will try to understand what types of actors are concerned and how IHL, Human Rights Law and International Criminal Law address them.
We will also study the impact of anti-terrorist legislation on the issue and if and to what extent humanitarian engagement with ANSA is feasible or even desirable. The course will be based on legal and policy considerations.
- Better understand the role and impact of ANSAs in contemporary international relations;
- Learn about the international law applicable to ANSAs and its current challenges;
- Learn about the policy implications of engaging ANSAs from a humanitarian and peacebuilding perspective.
Dr Annyssa Bellal is an international lawyer with over 20 years of experience in conflict studies at both academic and policy levels, with particular expertise on armed non-state actors. She is the Executive Director of the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform Foundation and teaches public international law and the law of armed conflict at the Graduate Institute, the University of Bern and the Geneva Academy.
She previously served as Strategic Adviser on International Humanitarian Law and Senior Research Fellow at the Geneva Academy, and held senior legal roles with Geneva Call, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs. She also led the ICRC’s Customary IHL Project and has direct field experience engaging with armed groups in contexts such as Syria, Iraq and the DRC. Dr Bellal has published extensively, briefed the UN Security Council, and holds a PhD in Public International Law from the Graduate Institute.
- Friday 26 June, 12:00 to 13:00 – Introduction
- Monday 29 June, 12:00 to 14:00
- Tuesday 30 June, 12:00 to 14:00
- Wednesday 1 July, 12:00 to 14:00
- Thursday 2 July, 12:00 to 14:00
- Friday 3 July, 12:00 to 14:00
- Monday 6 July, 12:00 to 14:00
- Tuesday 7 July, 12:00 to 14:00
Please send an email to digital.academy@geneva-academy.ch with a CV and a motivation letter letter expressing your interest in the specific course.
Selected applicants will receive a confirmation of acceptance. To secure their place, accepted participants are required to pay a non-refundable deposit of CHF 100.
Please note that this course is subject to a minimum of 10 participants. If this minimum is not reached two weeks prior to the start date, this course will not be delivered and all registered participants will receive a full refund of the deposit. Places are limited to 25 participants, and therefore early application is strongly encouraged.
CHF 950.
A discount of CHF 100 is available for students and alumni of the Academy, UNIGE and IHEID, and individuals who have previously participated in our trainings or educational activities.