Training in International humanitarian Law
In 1976, the Institute organized the first international course on international humanitarian law addressed to personnel of the armed forces from all over the world. The one-week course, held in English, gathered a small group of seven participants.
Since then, this course, which is now known as the foundation course, has become the flagship of the Institute’s training activities. It has been developed into a ten-day course and is held in English, French, Spanish, Arabic and Russian. Over the years, more than 4500 participants from 160 countries have attended this course.
In order to meet the growing need for increasingly specialized training in international humanitarian law, the Institute has developed a number of different types of courses for both military personnel and civilians. Such courses include: advanced courses on international humanitarian law; specialized courses on the application of humanitarian law for naval and air operators; the planning of training programmes in humanitarian law, human rights and humanitarian law in peace operations; the summer course on international humanitarian law, all of which annually attract experts, academics and officials of international organisations, NGO representatives and students, and have become the core of the training programme of the Sanremo Institute.
The teaching staff includes legal experts, academics, senior military officers from all around the world who participate in the implementation of the courses of the Institute on a voluntary basis. Besides the teaching staff, experts from the ICRC, UNHCR, ITY and other international organisations, together with academics from different European universities, regularly give lectures at the courses.
The teaching methods, based on a multidimensional and practical approach to international humanitarian law, and combined with the multicultural origin of the participants coming from different regions of the world, create a unique, international environment making the Institute an international centre of excellence where military and civilian experts on humanitarian law may benefit from high- level training.
Forty years of activity in the training and promotion of humanitarian law have created what is recognized worldwide as the "Spirit of San Remo," the real driving force of the Institute, which motivates participants to continue to disseminate and promote training and respect for humanitarian law once they return to their countries of origin.