Call for Applications: 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 2022 Regional Summer School on International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

Traditionally, the event provides a unique opportunity of IHL learning and networking in the region. This year, following the developments in the region and the armed conflict in Ukraine, members of academia have shown unprecedented interest in IHL, and numerous IHL-related issues and concerns have been raised through different platforms, including media, academic, diplomatic, and political.

This summer school will investigate the role of international humanitarian law in dealing with global challenges posed by armed conflicts worldwide. We will link the general IHL to present-day challenges of global interest. Meanwhile, the summer course will introduce the participants to the most important tenets of international law. These include the nature and function of international humanitarian law, its sources, and general principles.

The mission of this year’s summer school is to develop a general understanding on the essence and limits of IHL, as well as the specificities of the ICRC work in different contexts.

The 2022 Regional Summer School will be dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the ICRC presence in Armenia.

The lecturers of the summer school will clarify IHL-related questions, help attendees to better orient themselves in the IHL field, and elaborate and strengthen their trust on the importance of IHL and ICRC for the protection of those affected by the armed conflicts in the most severe ways. This year, the IHL Summer School will feature Vaios Koutroulis, Professor of Public International Law at the Centre Université libre de Bruxelles and member of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC), ICRC representatives Dr. Andrey Kozik and Dr. Michael Riepl, as well as other experienced national and international experts.

The summer school welcomes advanced students and young professionals working in government and non-governmental organizations who encounter tasks related to public international law and its branches in their work.

Interested candidates are asked to complete the registration form by Wednesday, July 20, 2022 (23:59 GMT). All eligible candidates will be notified of their acceptance to enroll by August 1, 2022.

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