ALMA Newsletter May 2019
Dear Friends,
Welcome to our May 2019 newsletter. We hope that you enjoyed the spring holidays and look forward to continue this very interesting IHL year.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the team from Tel-Aviv University for their amazing achievement of winning the 32nd edition of the prestigious international Jean-Pictet Competition. This is the first victory for the Tel-Aviv University, and the third for an Israeli institution. Congratulations to Dina Wecker, Layan Yassin and Tomer Levinger, their coaches Roy Ariav and Shani Rosenzweig, and their academic supervisor, Dr. Eliav Lieblich.
The fact that in the 12 years of participation of Israeli teams in the Jean-Pictet competition, three Israeli teams have won and many more have made it to the respectful semi-finals, testifies for the strength and quality of the Israeli national IHL competition organized by the local ICRC delegation with the assistance of ALMA. We already look forward to the next national competition that will take place on October 28 - 31, 2019.
As always, you are welcome to keep in touch via our Facebook page and twitter. In order to subscribe to our mailing list please click here
Best regards
Ido Rosenzweig
ALMA Chairman
Opinio Juris Symposium: Soldier Self-Defense
1) Elvina Pothelet and Kevin Jon Heller, Highlighting and Framing the Issue
2) Hans Boddens Hosang and Terry Gill, Netherlands Views on Self-Defence for Military Personnel
3) Camilla G. Cooper and Sigrid Redse Johansen, Norwegian Soldiers’ Self-Defense
4) Randall Bagwell, Individual Self-Defense in Armed Conflict – a US Perspective
5) Bruce Oswald, The Evolution of the UN Doctrine of Self-Defence in UN Peacekeeping
Calls for Papers and Opportunities
1) Historical perspectives on medical care in armed conflict, ICRC Law & Policy: The ICRC is interested in a multidisciplinary approach to this issue; submissions from academics or policy researchers with expertise in law, history, military strategy, social science or other relevant fields are welcome. Authors are invited to send short research proposals (about 2 pages) to the Washington Delegation of the ICRC at icrcevents@gmail.com for review and feedback at any time. Completed policy papers should be submitted by31 April 2019.
2) Essay competition - Cyber warfare and artificial intelligence in warfare: On the occasion of the 42nd Round Table on Current Issues of International Humanitarian Law, the International Institute of Humanitarian Law and the International Committee of the Red Cross are pleased to announce the second ‘Sanremo New Voices in International Humanitarian Law’ essay competition. The winner will be invited to present at the Round Table in Sanremo (Italy) on 4-6 September 2019 and to publish their essay in the proceedings. All essays must be submitted by 7 June 2019.
IHL Articles and Media
1) Charlie Dunlap J.D., Cyber norm development: is the U.S. at an inflection point? (Lawfire)
2) Ruwanthika Gunaratne, Humanitarian Assistance and Security Council Sanctions: Different Approaches to International Humanitarian Law (EJIL: Talk!)
3) Yahli Shereshevsky, HCJ 3003/18 Yesh Din – Volunteers for Human Rights v. Chief of General Staff, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) (Cambridge Core)
4) Leander Beinlich,Germany and its Involvement in the US Drone Programme before German Administrative Courts (EJIL: Talk!)
5) Nicholas Grossman, Trump Cancels Drone Strike Civilian Casualty Report: Does It Matter? (warontherocks)
6) Daniel R. Mahanty and Alex Moorehead,Costs of War Can’t Be Assessed Without Official Civilian Casualty Estimates (Just Security)
Upcoming IHL Events
1) Geneva 2019 Core Professional Training on Humanitarian Law and Policy: an intensive three-day program that serves as an opportunity for experienced humanitarian practitioners, policymakers, and others operating in or dealing with conflict settings to deepen their understanding of international humanitarian law (IHL) and other legal frameworks applicable in times of war, and to explore related policy and operational challenges. PHAP, Geneva, Switzerland, 29 April - 1 May 2019.
2) Geneva 2019 Thematic Workshop on Effective Implementation of IHL: Challenges and opportunities at national and international levels: Using a holistic approach, this workshop takes stock of implementation mechanisms and processes and how they work in practice. Along with a critical exploration of relevant challenges, this workshop aims to uncover opportunities to use and further strengthen existing mechanisms, as part of protection of civilians efforts. PHAP, Geneva, Switzerland, 2-3 May 2019.
3) Advanced Course on the Law of Armed Conflict: This intensive course is designed for experienced military/civilian legal advisers, military officers and those from Government or International Organisations with an in depth knowledge of IHL/LOAC. International Institute of Humanitarian Law, Sanremo, Italy, 6-10 May 2019.
4) Course for Directors and Instructors of Training Programmes in Law of Armed Conflict: This Course is designed for military officers, military lawyers and others responsible in planning IHL training and education programmes or those who are involved in writing doctrine, determining training requirements, curriculum development, the design of course modules and materials for IHL education within their armed forces (Directors) and military officers and military lawyers responsible for teaching IHL (Instructors). International Institute of Humanitarian Law, Sanremo, Italy, 13-17 May 2019.
5) Peace Support Operations Course: The aim of this course is to prepare civilian and military staff augmentees for Peace Support Operations (PSOs) by examining the wide ranging legal issues underpinning PSO mandates and mission design which shape and govern the conduct of operations of the deployed force. International Institute of Humanitarian Law, Sanremo, Italy, 20-24 May 2019.
For information about more IHL events from all over the world, please visit ourUpcoming IHL Events webpage