The Sanremo Round Table webinar series started on Wednesday 9th September at 15.00 (3 pm) CET with the opening session, which was held in person at the “Humanitarium” – the ICRC centre for exchange and debate on humanitarian law, policy and action – in Geneva. The session provided a cross interview on the subject with Edoardo Greppi, President of the IIHL, and Gilles Carbonnier, Vice-President of the ICRC, followed by the opening remarks by Fausto Pocar to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Sanremo Institute. A second part of the webinar was devoted to the introduction of the evolution of urban warfare over the past 50 years and its impact on civilians.
The 43rd edition of the annual Sanremo Round Table on current issues of IHL, which marks the 50th anniversary of the Institute, was held online starting Wednesday 9th September 2020.
The flagship event of the Institute, jointly organized with the International Committee of the Red Cross, covered the whole month of September through five dedicated webinars on the topic “New Dimensions and Challenges of Urban Warfare”.
“Humanitarium”, ICRC, Geneva (Switzerland), Online
OPENING SESSION
THE EVOLUTION OF URBAN WARFARE OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS AND ITS IMPACT ON CIVILIANS
15.00-15.50 OPENING SESSION
Cross-interview
Chair: Helen Durham, Director of International Law and Policy, ICRC
Edoardo Greppi, President, IIHL
Gilles Carbonnier, Vice-President, ICRC
Introductory remarks
Félix Baumann, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva
IIHL 50th anniversary
Gian Lorenzo Cornado, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva
The Institute’s Main Achievements over the Last 50 Years and its challenges ahead
Fausto Pocar, Honorary President, IIHL
15.50-17.00 THE EVOLUTION OF URBAN WARFARE OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS
AND ITS IMPACT ON CIVILIANS
Chair: Edoardo Greppi, President, IIHL
Cities in the Crossfire – the evolution of armed conflict in urban areas over the past 50 years
Antony Beevor, Military Historian
Protecting civilians during urban warfare; challenges from recent conflict and future prospects
Darren Stewart, Brigadier, Head, Operational Law, British Army Headquarters, and Council member, IIHL
Reducing the humanitarian consequences of protracted urban warfare
Cordula Droege, Chief Legal Office and Head of the Legal Division, ICRC
Online, IIHL Zoom webinar
PROTECTING CIVILIANS DURING URBAN WARFARE
LESSONS LEARNED FROM RECENT OPERATIONS
15.00-16.15
Chair: Nils Melzer, Vice-President, IIHL
The vulnerability of modern cities infrastructure to urban warfare
Wendy Pullan, Professor of Architecture and Urban Studies and Director of the Centre for Urban Conflicts Research, University of Cambridge
Gaza: lesson learned from Cast Lead (2008-2009) and Protective Edge (2014) Operations
Eran Shamir-Borer, Colonel, Head of the International Law Department, Israel Defense Forces
The challenges of protecting civilians during urban warfare from the commanders’ perspective – lessons learned from Basra
James Ian Bashall, Lieutenant General (retd), former Commander, Home Command, British Army
23rd September 2020
Online, IIHL Zoom webinar
15.00-16.15
Chair: Robert Mood, President, Norwegian Red Cross
How women with disabilities address the challenges of living in a city at war
Amina Azimi, Afghan Landmine Survivors’ Organisation and Empowering Women with Disabilities, Kabul
Humanitarian consequences and protection risks faced by civilians during urban warfare
Caroline Baudot, Deputy Head of Unit, Protection of the Civilian Population Unit, ICRC
Persons displaced by urban fighting: understanding their needs and how to respond
Nancy Polutan-Teulieres, Senior Protection Officer, Global Protection Cluster, UNHCR
Challenges of ensuring the prompt evacuation and care of wounded and sick during urban operations
Michael von Bertele, Maj. Gen. (retd), Non-Executive Director, Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust; former Humanitarian Director, Save the Children
Online, IIHL Zoom webinar
15.00-16.15
Chair: Thomas Hajnoczi, Director for Disarmament, Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Foreign Affairs Federal Ministry, Austria
The challenges of applying the principles of distinction, proportionality and precaution in urban environment characterised by dual-use objects and intermingled civilians and military
Warren Wells, Colonel, Staff Judge Advocate, XVIII Airborne Corps and Fort Bragg, US Army
Explosive weapons in populated areas – the law and the policy
Eirini Giorgou, Legal Adviser, ICRC
Best practices in the choice and the use of means and methods of warfare in urban operations
Rudolph Stamminger, Colonel, Head, International Humanitarian Law office, French Ministry of the Armed Forces
Online, IIHL Zoom webinar
15.00-16.15
Chair: Cordula Droege, Chief Legal Office and Head of the Legal Division, ICRC
Putting the protection of civilians at the heart of military thinking
Sahr Muhammedally, MENA & South Asia Director at Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC)
Doctrine, planning and training for urban warfare: what remains to be done
John W. Spencer, Major, Chair of urban warfare studies with the Modern War Institute at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point
Collecting the views of armed non-state actors on the conduct of hostilities in urban settings
Annyssa Bellal, Senior Research Fellow and Strategic Adviser in International Humanitarian Law, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
16.15-16.30 CLOSING WORDS
Helen Durham, Director of International Law and Policy, ICRC
Edoardo Greppi, President, International Institute of Humanitarian Law