NEWSLETTER N. 49
NEWSLETTER N. 62
J A N U A RY - M A R C H 2 0 1 2
JANUARY - MARCH 2015
The Brazil Declaration and Plan of Action on Refugees
Sanremo, 4-7 March 2015
A high-level workshop on the Brazil Declaration and Plan of Action on Refugees, adopted in December 2014,
opened the Institute’s dense programme of activities for 2015. The Brazil Declaration came at the end of a yearlong commemorative process known as “Cartagena +30”, which included consultations in Argentina, Ecuador,
Nicaragua and the Cayman Islands among governments,
international and regional organizations, ombudsman offices
and civil society representatives. At the end of the proceedings
the Brazil Declaration and Plan of Action was adopted by
acclamaation and it was agreed to work together with the aim
of upholding the highest international and regional protection
standards, implementing innovative solutions for refugees
and other displaced people and ending the plight of stateless
persons throughout the region within a decade. The Institute
and the UNHCR’s Bureau for the Americas decided to address
the Sanremo Refugee Law Course in Spanish to the Cartagena
+30 process with specific regard to the Brazil Action Plan and
its follow-up. For this purpose, the Institute invited one official
from each Latin American country who had participated actively
in the process leading to the Brazil Declaration and Action Plan
to take part in this high-level event. This gathering was of great
importance as it was the first concrete step towards the implementation of the protection activities in the South
American region and was an opportunity for States to prioritize their activities and come up with concrete actions
in the field. More than 30 participants from 14 different countries of Latin America, representatives of international
organizations and the civil society, including researchers and academia, took part in the event and discussed its
main objectives to highlight priorities within the Brasil Action Plan for the years 2015-2017, to promote national
monitoring instruments and explore the role of regional mechanisms.
The 14th Competition on IHL for Military Academies
Sanremo, 23-27 March 2015
Following a consolidated tradition the Institute organized its annual prestigious week-long competition
on international humanitarian law for Military Academies. This event which was held from 23 to 26 March is
considered to be the highlight of the annual programme of the Institute’s activities. The Competition provides
teams of 3 Officer Cadets, from military academies of different regions of the world, with an early appreciation
of the critical importance of humanitarian law in multi-national military operations. This is achieved by dividing
the cadets into multi-national mixed teams representing fictional countries involved in an escalating international
military operation. Each team has to deal effectively with the
reality of complex geopolitical situations while at the same time
conducting an efficient military operation in accordance with
the obligations of IHL. It is also required to provide advice to an
experienced Joint Operations Commander (JOC) in the presence
of IHL experts who continually evaluate the performance of the
cadets both individually and as a team. The 14th Competition
on IHL for Military Academies was coordinated by Professor
Michel Bourbonnière. Almost 80 Officer Cadets from twelve
different countries (Denmark, France, India, Italy, Netherlands,
Nigeria, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom
and United States) gathered at the Institute to follow this
important five-day training, which entailed theory learning
and practical exercises with the objective of familiarizing
the participants with the fundamental principles of IHL.
Introductive lectures in plenary sessions ensured that
all Cadets received the same background information
before they were split into the mixed teams. The aim of
mixed teams was to teach Cadets to interact in English
with native and non-native English speakers in order to
reach an agreement and voice their decision as a team
consensus. The twenty-one mixed teams were then
allocated to four Joint Operations Commanders (JOCs),
which were alternatively led by Colonel John Spierin
(Ireland), Colonel André Retief (South Africa), Colonel
James Stythe (United Kingdom) and Lt.Colonel Christian
De Cock (Belgium). Each JOC was supervised by two
judges who observed and ranked the most talented
Cadets and mixed teams throughout the week with the
aim of awarding prizes at the end of the Competition
to the best mixed teams and the best individual Cadets
according to their overall scores.
The judges, Major General (rtd) Salvatore Lato,
Brigadier Karl Edlinger, Colonel Carl Marchand, Colonel
Xiaodong He, Ambassador Soad Shalaby, Colonel Oleg
Bondarenko, Colonel Jeffrey Palmer and Colonel Xavier
Périllat-Piratoine critically assessed the efficiency of the
practical portion of the Competition: the simulation of
a multinational military operation requiring participants
to balance the complexity of a realistic geopolitical
situation with the successful conduct of a military
operation respectful of the principles of IHL.
This year’s first place was awarded to Cadet Justin
Loutfy (US Air Force Academy); second place ex-aequo
to Officer Cadet Mathilde Quentel (France, Saint-Cyr
Military Academy) and Cadet Jonathan Spiro (US Air
Force Academy); fourth place ex-aequo to Cadet Erik
Petterson (Swedish Defence University), Cadet Christoph
Hans R. Meier (Swiss Military Academy) and Senior
Mustafa Kilic (Turkish Military Academy). Furthermore,
prizes were allocated to mixed teams as follows: first
place to Cadet Justin Loutfy (US Air Force Academy),
Officer Cadet Mathilde Quentel (France, Saint-Cyr
Military Academy) and Cadet Amrendra Narayan Singh
(India National Defence Academy); second place to
Midshipman Steven Hallgren (US Naval Academy), Junior
Murat Koyun (Turkish Military Academy) and Cadet
Martin Forster (Swiss Military Academy); third place to
Cadet Melissa Box (US West Point Military Academy),
Cadet Erik Pettersson (Swedish Defence University) and
Cadet Mayallawas Jonathan Balewa (Nigerian Defence
Academy Kaduna); fourth place to Cadet John Folta
(Virginia Military Institute), Cadet Peter Stensvig (Danish
Military Academy) and Cadet Annalisa De Mizio (Livorno
Naval Academy, Italy); fifth place to Cadet Jonathan
Spiro (US Air Force Academy), Cadet Genevieve C.
Nwaogwugwu (Nigerian Defence Academy Kaduna) and
Officer Cadet Antoine De Pommereau (France, Saint-Cyr
Military Academy). A special “Spirit of Sanremo” prize
was also awarded to the most deserving cadet, Nicolai
Halberg from the Danish Military Academy.
“Martens Prize” presented during the
Competition on IHL for Military Academies
Sanremo, 27 March 2015
The Estonian Reserve Officers’ Association Military
Law Department, in collaboration with Mr. Tõnu
Põder Law of War Foundation, presented the “Martens
Prize” in occasion of the closing ceremony of the 14th
Competition on IHL for Military Academies. The Prize,
which recalls the Estonian lawyer Friedrich Martens and
the clause provided in the Hague Convention of 1889,
was awarded to the first place Cadet Justin Loutfy of
the US Air Force Academy and underlines the need to
honour the principles of international humanitarian
law remembering that “we all remain under the
principles of international law, as they result from the
usages established between civilized nations, from the
laws of humanity and the requirements of the public
conscience”. The prize was preseneted by Ms Mari-Liis
Põder Korjagina, Chairman of the Estonian Reserve
Officers’ Association Military Law Department.
The Annual Institute’s Working Group on
Refugee and Migration Law Courses
Geneva, 12 February 2015
The annual Working Group on Refugee and Migration
Law Courses took place at the Institute’s liaison office in
Geneva. It offered an occasion to report on the activities
held in 2014 with regard to training activities on refugee
and IDPs as well as migration law, and to present the
Institute’s programme for 2015 in the same fields. The
meeting was open to all those who were interested
in supporting the Institute but it was particularly
adressed, to representatives of all donor countries
and organizations which generously contributed to
the Institute’s training projects on refugee law, IDPs’
protection and migration law courses.
they attended, under the coordination of Dr Gian Luca
Beruto, a number of lectures on different subjects of
international humanitarian law, human rights and
refugee law. The students were welcomed by the
President of the Institute, Professor Fausto Pocar, who
took part in a very enjoyable questions & answers
session.
80th Course on International Refugee Law
Sanremo, 17-21 March 2015
The 80th Course on International Refugee Law was
organized by the Institute with the support of the
UNHCR, the Swiss Federal Office for Migration and
the US Department of State (Bureau of Population).
The course was coordinated by Dr. Jean François
Durieux with the assistance of Ms Olga Nikolova. The
teaching staff further included Mr. Steven Wolfson
and Ms Sandrine Desamours, senior refugee law
training officers from the Budapest UNHCR Global
Learning Centre. More than fifty participants, including
governmental officials, legal advisers, members of
the civil society and professionals involved in the
application of legislation and policies affecting people
in need of protection and coming from 28 different
countries took part to the five-day course. Sessions
were organized to address different crucial topics, such
as the international legal framework for the protection
of refugees, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV),
refugee status determination, refugee protection in
the context of mixed migration flows, protection of
internally displaced persons (IDPs), statelessness and
the search for comprehensive and durable solutions.
Institute’s Council meeting
Sanremo, 27 March 2015
The first meeting of the Council was held at Villa
Ormond on 27 March 2015. The agenda included,
among other issues, the presentation of 2014 Report
of Activities, the approval of the 2014 final accounts
and the 2015 provisional budget; the preparation of
the XXXVIII Round Table, and the possible updating of
the NIAC manual.
Group of young Students from Reggio
Emilia at the Institute
Sanremo, 24-27 March 2015
A group of students from the high school “Rinaldo
Corso” in Reggio Emilia paid a week-long visit to
the Institute in order to become acquainted with
international humanitarian law. During their visit
XXXVIII Round Table on current Issues of
IHL: “The Distinction between International
and Non-International Armed Conflict:
Challenges for IHL?”
Sanremo 3-5 September 2015
The XXXVIII Round Table on current issues of
International Humanitarian Law, jointly organized by
the International Institute of Humanitarian Law and
the International Committee of the Red Cross, will take
place in Sanremo from 3 to 5 September 2015. This
year, the Sanremo Round Table will focus on the topical
issue of “The Distinction between International and
Non-International Armed Conflict: Challenges for IHL?”.
Discussions and debates, drawn upon the expertise
of international IHL academics and specialists and the
field-tested experience of military practitioners, will
aim at identifying lessons to be learned from recent
developments in the subject and will look at specific
issues that can be drawn from such lessons, including
detention and humanitarian assistance. The Round
Table will be articulated in the following sessions, lead
by eminent experts in the field:
•
International Armed Conflict (IAC) and NonInternational Armed Conflict (NIAC): what are we
talking about?
•
Categorizing armed conflicts under IHL.
•
Current forms of armed conflict: a challenge to
categorization?
•
IHL temporal and geographical scope of application.
•
Human rights and IHL in relation to IAC and NIAC.
•
The use of force in IAC and NIAC.
•
The question of detention.
•
Convergence in the law governing IAC and NIAC
(panel discussion).
•
Humanitarian assistance.
•
Compliance with IHL.
2015 PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES
For more information please contact us at: [email protected]
Training Programme in the Law of Armed Conflict – LOAC
Tier 1: Foundation
157th International Military Course on LOAC
French
13 - 24 April, Salon de Provence (France)
158th International Military Course on LOAC
English with Arabic class
11-22 May, Sanremo
159th International Military Course on LOAC
Spanish with Portuguese class
7 – 18 September, Sanremo
160th International Military Course on LOAC
English with Chinese and Russian classes
2 – 13 November, Sanremo
Tier 2: Advanced
28th Advanced Course on IHL (LOAC)
Spanish
21 - 29 September, Sanremo
29th Advanced Course on IHL (LOAC)English5 - 9 October, Sanremo
30th Advanced Course on IHL (LOAC)French5 - 9 October, Sanremo
Tier 3: Specialised
14th Competition on IHL for Military Academies 11th Conduct of Peace Operations Course
3rd Course on Naval Operations and the Law
32nd Course for Directors of Courses and Trainers in IHL
33rd Course for Directors of Courses and Trainers in IHL
English
English English
English
French
15th Summer Course on International Humanitarian Law English
23 - 27 March, Sanremo
15 – 19 June, Sanremo
26 - 30 October, Sanremo
7 – 11 December, Sanremo
7 - 11 December, Sanremo
22 June - 3 July, Sanremo/Geneva
Contemporary Workshops in International Humanitarian Law
Detainee handling in International Military Operations
English
28 - 30 April, Sanremo
Targeting: Terrestrial, Cyber & SpaceEnglish5 - 8 May, Sanremo
Africa Accountability ColloquiumEnglish2 - 4 June, Sanremo
Non-International Armed Conflicts
English
26 - 29 May, Sanremo
Rules of Engagement (ROE)
English
7 – 11 September, Sanremo
Training Programme on Refugee Law, Migration Law and the Protection
of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
Refugee Law
80th Course on Refugee Law
81st Course on Refugee Law
82nd Course on Refugee Law
83rd Course on Refugee Law
English
French English
English
17
14
20
17
- 21 March, Sanremo
- 18 April, Sanremo
– 24 October, Sanremo
– 21 November, Sanremo (TBC)
English
28 September – 2 October, Sanremo
English TBC, Sanremo
English 27 April - 1 May, Sanremo
Migration Law
11th International Migration Law Course Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs)
11th Course on the Law of Internal Displacement
International Disaster Law Course
Course on the Law and Legal Protection in Natural Disasters
International Round Table EnglishTBC, Sanremo
English, French, Italian and Arabic
Sanremo 3-5 September 2015
The Distinction between IAC and NIAC:
Challenges for IHL?
Villa Ormond, Corso Cavallotti 113
18038 Sanremo - Italia
Tel 0184 541 848
Fax 0184 541 600
[email protected] • www.iihl.org
Liaison Office - 7 bis, Av. de la Paix
1202 Geneva - Switzerland
Tel. +41 22 9073 671/70
Fax +41 22 9073 679
e-mail: [email protected]
IIHL NEWSLETTER N° 62
January - March 2015