The course will cover the fundamentals of international weapons law – restrictions on police use of force under the law of law enforcement and human rights; the regulation of use of means of warfare under international humanitarian law; and the application and content of disarmament law, including the legality of weapons transfers.
Presentation of the material will be in an interactive manner online. Participants do not require previous international law experience or technical knowledge of weaponry.
A downloadable flyer is available here.
- Knowledge of the key principles of weapons law during peacetime and in armed conflict and definitions of key terms
- Understanding of the regulation of weapons under international humanitarian law and disarmament law and the distinction between the two bodies of international law
- Experience in adjudging the legality of proposed weapons transfers under the Arms Trade Treaty
Stuart Casey-Maslen, Head of the IHL in Focus project at the Geneva Academy and visiting professor at the University of Johannesburg.
The facilitator is an academic and practitioner with 30 years’ experience in weapons law, international human rights and humanitarian law, counterterrorism law, disarmament law, and jus ad bellum. He holds a doctorate in international humanitarian law (on landmines) from the University of Tilburg in the Netherlands and master’s degrees in forensic ballistics from Cranfield University and in international human rights law from the University of Essex, both in the United Kingdom.
Among his recent publications are The Prohibition of Torture and Ill-Treatment under International Law, published in 2025 by Cambridge University Press and International Counterterrorism Law, published by Cambridge University Press in 2024. His co-authored commentary on the Arms Trade Treaty will be published by Oxford University Press in its second edition in late 2026.
- Tuesday 7 July, 12:00 to 13:00 – Introduction
- Wednesday 8 July, 12:00 to 14:00
- Thursday 9 July,12:00 to 14:00
- Monday 13 July, 12:00 to 14:00
- Tuesday 14 July, 12:00 to 14:00
- Wednesday 15 July, 12:00 to 14:00
- Thursday 16 July, 12:00 to 14:00
- Friday 17 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, IHEID, and individuals who have previously participated in our trainings or educational activities.