Call for Applications: Online Regional Summer School on International Humanitarian Law

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The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Delegation in Armenia and the American University of Armenia (AUA) Master of Laws (LL.M.) program are pleased to announce the call for applications for the 2021 Regional Summer School on International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Yerevan will be the host of the Regional IHL Summer School for the fifth time but the event will be held online again this year because of the restrictions imposed by COVID-19.

Traditionally the event has provided a unique opportunity for IHL learning and networking in the region. Cognizant of the peculiar circumstances in our region, the topics covered in the IHL Summer School will go beyond textbook content addressing subject matter that will help to overcome emerging issues, such as public mistrust and destructive ideas that give rise to impaired judgements about the relevance of IHL in the region. We hope the lecturers of this year’s Summer School will add clarity and help attendees to grasp situations and be better positioned in dealing with issues in the IHL field. The discussions aim to elaborate and strengthen the participants’ trust in the importance of IHL for the protection of those severely affected from armed conflict.

This year, the central issue in focus and the “umbrella” theme will be the consideration of different categories of persons protected by IHL, as well as international human rights law. These two branches of international law are inextricably intertwined by reason of subject matter and international practice.

The Summer School invites applications by advanced students and young professionals working in government and non-governmental organizations who come across tasks related to public international law as part of their work. The organizers of the IHL Summer School took great care in designing an intensive and content-rich program contributed by seasoned local and international experts. This year, the IHL Summer School will feature Professor Gloria Gaggioli, Director of the Geneva Academy on the International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, Professor Geoff Gilbert from the University of Essex, Chair of the Global Academic Interdisciplinary Network on Forced Displacement, as well as other outstanding experts.

Interested candidates are asked to complete the registration form by Thursday, June 24, 2021 (11pm GMT). All eligible candidates will be notified of their acceptance to enroll by June 30, 2021.

More information on the eligibility criteria, requirements, application procedure, and certification can be found on the IHL summer school web page.

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values. 

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is an impartial, neutral and independent organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. The ICRC also endeavours to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening humanitarian law and universal humanitarian principles. Based on its mandate under the Geneva Conventions, the ICRC has been present in the region since 1992 in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.