The International Institute of Humanitarian Law has for many years delivered general and specialised training programmes on international humanitarian law (IHL) at the Institute in Sanremo. In order to continue its core mission of disseminating and encouraging compliance with IHL to the widest possible audience, the Military Department of the Institute is developing a number of online courses in the field.  The hope and desire is those who might not otherwise be able to come in person may still be able to experience the “Spirit of Sanremo” while growing as IHL practitioners. To that end, the Institute is pleased to offer its first Introduction to International Humanitarian Law online course. 

Overall Objectives

The goal of the course is to provide military officers, including operators and military lawyers, as well as civilians, with the opportunity to learn the basic principles and rules of IHL and the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) and how to apply them. This course also serves as a primer for many of the specialized courses offered at the Institute by providing introductory level instruction on a wide array of subjects and their interplay with IHL.  Students completing this course will have a strong foundation upon which to expand their IHL knowledge and a working understanding of how IHL principles factor in to all levels of conflict and across all operational domains. 

Target audience

The course is designed for military personnel, both legal advisers and operators, as well as civilians working in the field and others with an interest in how international humanitarian law is applied across the broad spectrum of conflict.  The course is primarily designed for those new to the practice and application of IHL but will also serve as a useful refresher for those with prior experience. It will be delivered by experienced military practitioners and academics and consider both legal theory and military practice. 

Methodology

The online training will adapt the standard Sanremo methodology of presentations and practical work taking advantage of the recently developed IIHL online learning platform. The programme will consist of live online sessions with a mix of lectures from the teaching staff, group discussions, and vignette training.  The course will run over six weeks with two live sessions of 120 minutes each week.  Students may need to engage in some self-paced preparation outside of class time to full participate in the group discussions. Study materials and texts will be available on the Institute Online Learning Platform.