ALMA Newsletter - May 2022

Dear Friends,

Welcome to our May 2022 IHL Newsletter. We have been away for a while, but now we are back with an updated version of our newsletter which includes more IHL news and updates. 

I hope you enjoy this issue of our newsletter. We have a spotlight on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine armed conflict, calls for papers and other opportunities, recent publications, and of course, information about upcoming IHL events.

I would like to also invite you to our upcoming session of our book launch series taking place on May 31, 2022. In this session, we will have a double book launch focused on "Detentions and Confinement in Armed Conflicts" with Ezequiel Heffes and Jelena Plamenac.

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

Spotlight: Russia-Ukraine War

1) Ruth Green, Russia and Ukraine: Going after the money (International Bar Association)

2) Amal Clooney, Remarks at UN Security Council Arria-Formula Meeting on Ensuring Accountability for Atrocities Committed by Russia in Ukraine (Just Security)

3) Michael Matheson, Russian Landmines in Ukraine: The Most Relevant Treaty (just Security)

4) Brian I. Daniels, How Can We Protect Cultural Heritage in Ukraine? Five Key Steps for the Int’l Community (Just Security)

5) Daniel M. Gerstein, Douglas Ligor, Time for a U.N. Peace Enforcement Operation in Northern Ukraine? (LAWFARE)

6) Paul Stephan, Giving Russian Assets to Ukraine—Freezing Is Not Seizing (LAWFARE)

7) Marko Milanovic, ICJ Indicates Provisional Measures Against Russia, in a Near Total Win for Ukraine; Russia Expelled from the Council of Europe (Ejil talk)

8) Talita de Souza Dias, Russia’s “genocide disinformation” and war propaganda are breaches of the International Convention Concerning the Use of Broadcasting in the Cause of Peace and fall within the ICJ’s jurisdiction (Ejil talk)

9) Chiara Giorgetti, Markiyan Kliuchkovskyi and Patrick W Pearsall, Launching an International Claims Commission for Ukraine (Ejil talk)

10) Emma J Marchant, Intelligence Sharing and Ukraine: The Jus in Bello (Opinio Juris)

11) Ronald Alcala, Ukraine symposium – the ukraine conflict and the future of digital cultural property (Articles of War)

12) Michael N. Schmitt, Ukraine symposium – are we at war? (Articles of War)

13) Elizabeth Whatcott, Compilation of Countries’ Statements Calling Russian Actions in Ukraine “Genocide” (Just Security)

14) Samuel Helfont, From Iraq to Ukraine: A new perspective on the Russian-Western confrontation (USNWC)


IHL Articles and Media

Calls for Papers and Opportunities

1) Commonwealth Cybercrime Journal (1st Edition). The Commonwealth Cybercrime journal will be published under the auspice of the Commonwealth Secretariat. The journal aims to produce scholarly articles and commentary by academics, policymakers, practitioners, and experts exploring significant developments and current issues of cybercrime with the goal to understand both the magnitude of the challenges and the opportunities necessary to tackle them. Articles for the journal must specifically focus on the Commonwealth region, or a case study where the victim or perpetuator of the cybercrime is from a Commonwealth country and the author should be from a Commonwealth country. This will be the inaugural edition of the journal. Submission by June 16, 2022. Publication by 25 November 2022.


2) “The Warfare of Tomorrow”. the 5th Young Researchers Workshop on Terrorism and Belligerency University of Haifa Haifa, Israel. The Minerva Center for the Rule of Law under Extreme Conditions (RLEC) at the University of Haifa, Faculty of Law and the Geography and Environmental Studies Department, invite submissions for participation in the fifth young researchers workshop on “Terrorism and Belligerency”. The workshop will be held at the Minerva Center, University of Haifa. Submission by July 7, 2022. University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel, November 13-24, 2022.


3) War and Peace in the 21st Century – The Lifecycle of Modern Armed Conflicts. It has been a longstanding belief that armed conflicts in their traditional sense are specters of the past. However, in February 2022, the unthinkable happened: one state has used its armed force to attack another on the continent of Europe. The war between Russia and Ukraine has reignited old debates on the right to wage war (ius ad bellum) as well as rules to abide by in an armed conflict (ius in bello) along with their ramifications in international criminal law. The conference aims not only to provide a platform for these notions but to also delve deeper into how conflicts can be prevented and resolved, either through diplomatic or judicial methods and how modern peace treaties can be envisioned. Submission by July 15, 2022. The Department of International Law at Ludovika – University of Public Service, Budapest, Hungary. Ludovika Campus (Budapest, Hungary), 23 September 2022.


4) Non-use measures for global goods and commons in international law. The Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS) and the Utrecht Center for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law (UCWOSL) of Utrecht University, in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), are organizing the workshop “Non-use measures for global goods and commons in international law”, which will take place on 8-9 May 2023 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The workshop intends to look at a selection of non-use measures (e.g., bans, moratoria, closed areas) to better understand how specific non-use measures were adopted (or not) and with what effects, and to consider the potential for success of proposals currently under discussion or consideration. Non-use measures related to four themes will be discussed: marine living resources, Antarctica, areas beyond national jurisdiction at sea, and the atmosphere and outer-space. The deadline to submit an abstract is July 31, 2022.


5) Conference: The Legacy of Robert Cryer. An eclectic conference that will feature: ‘traditional’ panels; conversations about law, life, and Rob; musings, music, and meditations; and literature and reminiscing. We are interested in papers that reflect upon Rob’s scholarly writing in and from all areas of law, but also his pedagogy; and his distinctive combinations of playfulness, precision, palavering… Submission by August 1, 2022. Birmingham UK, June 29-July 1, 2023.


6) Call for submissions for GSP’s new Arts & Literature section. This space is dedicated to presenting work from contemporary artists and academics working in a variety of disciplines. GSP strives to present art that reflects and promotes the diversity of cultural and political perspectives that shape perspectives on Genocide Studies and Prevention. Various art forms are welcome in this category, among them being poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, visual representations such as short movies, paintings, drawings, virtual representations and other immersive technologies. We are also open to reviews of all works of art including but not limited to graphic novels, films, museums and art exhibitions. Submissions from emerging, mid-career and senior academics, as well as artists whose works are alternative, experimental and/or critically engaged are welcome. Genocide Punish and Prevention.


7) International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) invites scholars, activists, artists, journalists, policy makers and others in the field of genocide research, education and prevention to become members and benefit from it's network. IAGS is a global, interdisciplinary, non-partisan organization working to further research and teaching about the nature, causes, and consequences of genocide, and advance policy studies on genocide prevention. In addition to in-person international conferences (most recently in Barcelona, Phnom Penh, Brisbane, Yerevan and Winnipeg), IAGS hosts online lectures, a members-only forum that allows discussion within a community dedicated to developing genocide studies, the open-access journal Genocide Studies and Prevention, policy brief series and a listserv with many updates on topical issues and developments in the field. IAGS offers support for emerging scholars through a mentorship program with senior scholars in the field, as well as an emerging scholars-only reading group.


Upcoming IHL Events

1) Armed Conflicts Envrionment and Human Rights. This conference, co-organized with the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue, will address the adverse implications for the enjoyment of human rights caused by environmental degradation in armed conflicts. Geneva Academy of IHL and HR, Geneva, Switzerland, June 8, 2022.


2) The Evolving Face of Cyber Conflict and International Law: A Futurespective. Until recently states have remained relatively silent on their views of how international law regulates their cyber activities. That has begun to change, however, with an increasing number of states making official pronouncements of their opinio juris, either independently or through established multilateral processes like the UNGGE and OEWG. While this is a positive trend, it has also highlighted several disparate views on critical issues and the difficulty in achieving anything more than limited clarity and consensus. What can we discern from these state pronouncements? What is the present state of the law governing state cyber activities, and where is it headed? That is the focus of this symposium. Washington College of Law, Washington DC, USA, June 15 - 17, 2022.


3) The 1st World Conference on Health in Detention. Health in detention is public health. Health authorities, senior management, healthcare and safety workers, academics and researchers from a range of relevant disciplines involved in health in detention will enhance their awareness, knowledge and skills to improve the health outcomes of persons deprived of liberty. By strengthening health systems in detention through effective and collaborative management and interministerial coordination, and promoting the application of fundamental rights and standards, professionals can: Ensure equality and promote equivalence of care in places of detention, in accordance with ethical and international standards; Improve public health for all members of society by integrating detention health systems into national health systems. ICRC, Centre International de Conférences Genève, Rue de Varembé 17, 1202 Genève, Switzerland, June 27 - 29, 2022.


For information about more IHL events from all over the world, please visit our Upcoming IHL Events webpage

Online Events

1) Book Launch: Detentions and Confinements in Armed Conflicts. ALMA, Online, May 31, 2022.


2) 10 Years of Health Care in Danger in the Movement. The protection of health care is an issue of direct relevance internally given that health is the often the largest program of National Societies and externally for communities where we work. All interested National Societies, volunteers and staff both at National HQ and branch levels, in addition to those in the IFRC and ICRC, are welcome to join this event. ICRC, May 31, 2022.


3) Armed Conflicts Envrionment and Human Rights. Geneva Academy of IHL and HR, June 8, 2022.


4) “Minimalism vs. Maximalism in the ECHR”. Challenges and Future Directions in the Interpretation of the European Convention on Human Rights. Professor Eva Brems, June 8, 2022.


5) The Wagner Group: Options for Justice. Geneva Academy of IHL and HR, June 9, 2022.



For information about more IHL events from all over the world, please visit our Upcoming IHL Events webpage