This event will feature content from the upcoming issue of the International Review of the Red Cross on “Scope of the law in armed conflict”, available in print in May 2015.

Where: ICRC Humanitarium, Geneva

When: 19.02.2015, 17:30 – 18:45

The constant development and increasing complexity of armed conflicts around the world today have solicited a number of debates on the scope of applicability of international humanitarian law (IHL). Conflicts such as those in Afghanistan, Iraq or Somalia have implications that reach far beyond their borders. The pursuit of the “war on terror” by military means has given rise to concerns over the emergence of a “global battlefield” governed by IHL. Contemporary armed conflicts also feature a multitude of actors, making it challenging to identify the parties to the conflict and the level of protection afforded to all present on the ground. The fragmentation of non-state armed groups and extraterritorial involvement of State armed forces raise further questions about the classification and typology of non-international armed conflicts. In addition, the interplay between IHL and other bodies of law, such as human rights law, continues to have practical consequences for military operations, both as regards the conduct of hostilities and the treatment of persons in enemy hands.

Thus, many of the seemingly basic questions on the applicability and application of IHL – where, when, who and what – are not so simple to resolve in practice. Yet the answers seem fundamental in the effort to address the realities of modern warfare to protect victims of armed conflict.

This expert panel discussion will take stock of recent debates on the material, temporal and geographical scopes of application of IHL, and provide reflections forward for the regulation of modern warfare.

Moderator: Prof. Noam Lubell, Head, School of Law, University of Essex and IHL Chair at the ADH Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights   

Panelists:

• Prof. Marco Sassòli, Professor of international law and Director of the Department of international law and international organization at the University of Geneva
• Ms. Jelena Pejic, Senior Thematic Legal Advisor at ICRC
• Prof. Marko Milanovic, Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham School of Law

This event will feature content from the upcoming issue of the International Review of the Red Cross on “Scope of the law in armed conflict”, available in print in May 2015. Reception to follow.

See also:
The International Review of the Red Cross 
The Law and Policy Platform: ICRC’s platform for training, research and debate on humanitarian law and action
ICRC: Contemporary Challenges for IHL 
The Bruges Colloquium proceedings