The Institute is composed of six statury bodies namely the General Assembly, the President, the Council, the Executive Board, the Secretary-General and the Treasurer.

Members of the Institute are of different nationalities. They are persons that have particularly distinguished themselves through competence or activities in fields of specific interest to the Organisation. Institutions significantly contributing to the work of the Institute may also be admitted as members. Qualified persons and academic institutions, as also nations and international intergovernmental organisations contributing to the activities of the Institute, may be admitted as Associate members but may not vote.

The General Assembly, including all Members of the Institute, establishes the general policy of the Institute. It meets in an ordinary session each year to approve the annual budget and final accounts.

The Council is composed of twelve members elected by the General Assembly for a period of four years, each of whom may be re-elected for a total period of twelve consecutive years. The Council oversees the management of the Institute, determining the programme of activities, elects the President and Vice-Presidents and appoints the Secretary-General and Treasurer, who then form the Executive Board.  The Municipality of Sanremo and the Italian Red Cross are ex officio members of the Council of the Institute.

The President is elected by the Council every four years and may be re-elected for a second consecutive term up to a maximum of eight consecutive years. The President is the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute and has the primary responsibility to ensure that the Institute pursues its purpose and objectives in conformity with the Statutes and the general policy established by the General Assembly. Current President of the Institute is Lt. Gen. (retd) Giorgio Battisti.

The financial resources of the Institute include membership fees, course participant fees, voluntary contributions of Governments, Institutions or Organisations, and subsidies, bequests or donations. The financial resources of the Institute are modest if compared with the extent of its commitment and activity in a field of increasing interest to the international community.

PRESIDENT*

HONORARY PRESIDENT*

  • Professor Fausto POCAR
    Former President, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; Emeritus Professor, University of Milan

VICE PRESIDENTS*

The Vice Presidents will be appointed by the next Council meeting of the Institute.

COUNCIL MEMBERS*

  • Ambassador Marja LEHTO (Finland), Ambassador, Senior Expert of International Law, Ministry for Foreign Affairs
  • Professor Gabriella VENTURINI (Italy), Professor Emerita, University of Milan
  • Brigadier General (retd) Jan Peter SPIJK (The Netherlands), Honorary President, International Society for Military Law and the Law of War
  • Professor Michael BOTHE (Germany), Professor Emeritus, J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main
  • Professor Geoffrey S. CORN (United States), Chair of Criminal Law and Director of the Center for Military Law and Policy, Texas Tech University School of Law
  • Professor Marco PEDRAZZI (Italy), Full Professor of International Law, University of Milan
  • Professor Bakhtiyar TUZMUKHAMEDOV (Russia), Vice-President of the Russian Association of International Law
  • Colonel Carl MARCHAND (Switzerland), Head, IHL and Human Rights Section, Swiss Armed Forces
  • Brigadier General Darren STEWART OBE (United Kingdom), General Editor, United Kingdom Joint Service Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict; Development, Concepts and Doctrine Centre, UK Ministry of Defence
  • Brigadier General Dr. Karl EDLINGER (Austria), Legal Adviser, Austrian Armed Forces
  • Vidar BIRKELAND (Norway), Lawyer/Medical Doctor (MD); Special advisor, Statnett SF 
  • Professor Nils MELZER (Switzerland), Director of International Law, Policy & Humanitarian Diplomacy, ICRC; Human Rights Chair, Geneva Academy of IHL and Human Rights 
  • MUNICIPALITY OF SANREMO (ex officio member)
  • ITALIAN RED CROSS (ex officio member)

***

  • Mr. Gian Luca Beruto, Secretary-General a.i. **
  • Mr. Mauro GIANCATERINO, Treasurer
(*) President, Honorary President, Vice-Presidents and Council members do not receive any remuneration for their services.