PHAP: Learning sessions and webinars

Speakers: Jemilah Mahmood, Linda Poteat, Oliver Lacey-Hall, Paul Empole Event date: 28 May 2015 This live online event was an excellent opportunity for everyone interested to learn more about the World Humanitarian Summit, to take place in Istanbul in 2016, and the process leading up to this major global event. Participants learned about both the online and onsite consultation processes at the reg...

Speakers: Naz Modirzadeh, Founding Director of the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (PILAC) & Dustin Lewis, Senior Researcher, PILAC In December 2014, President Obama said that the United States “combat mission in Afghanistan is ending, and the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion.” Yet over a year later hostilities continue. What...

With the launch of “One Humanity: Shared Responsibility”, the Report of the Secretary-General for the World Humanitarian Summit, the Summit process is entering the final stretch of preparation for Istanbul. On 18 February 2016, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and PHAP organized an online event to discuss the report and its impact on the future of humanitarian action. This was an opportunity to...

Main speaker: Katarina Grenfell, Legal Officer in the UN Office of Legal Affairs The mandates of contemporary United Nations Peacekeeping missions are increasingly robust, often authorizing a range of activities far beyond those historically envisioned as within the remit of UN peacekeepers. For instance, the mandate for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Repub...

Main speaker: Théo Boutruche, Independent consultant in international human rights and humanitarian law The International Criminal Court (ICC) is heralded as a significant development in the field of international justice and accountability. Established by the Rome Statute, the ICC is a unique legal mechanism in terms of its broad jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and...

Main speaker: Robin Geiß, Professor of International Law and Security, School of Law, University of Glasgow On 3 October 2015, a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, was destroyed in a strike carried out by the United States Air Force. 22 civilians were killed - 12 MSF staff members and ten patients; 37 individuals were injured, including 19 MSF staff. Condemnation of th...

Main speaker: Elizabeth Holland, Consulting Expert on IHL, PHAP International humanitarian law (IHL) establishes a number of provisions designed to enhance protections for civilians in armed conflict. The provision of humanitarian assistance, and securing the requisite humanitarian access to do so, are critical to addressing the suffering of the civilian population. IHL provides a legal basis for...

Main speaker: Anne Quintin, Head of Sector for Legal Training at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) International humanitarian law (IHL) establishes rules to protect civilians during armed conflict. One of the most important dictates that “civilians [shall not be the object of attack], unless and for such time as they take a direct part in hostilities.” This standard, known as “di...

Main speaker: Sean Lowrie, Director of the START Network This learning session provides a more in-depth treatment of the principle of independence, focusing on practical dilemmas in its application and humanitarian funding mechanisms.

Main speaker: Kate Mackintosh This learning session provides a more in-depth treatment of the principle of neutrality, focusing on practical dilemmas in its application. For more info, resources, and assessments for PHAP members, visit https://phap.org/OLS-HLP-11

Main speaker: Chris Jenks, Assistant Professor of Law, SMU Dedman School of Law How can international humanitarian law (IHL) be implemented and enforced? International criminal law (ICL) plays an important role in this respect, placing responsibility on individual persons for serious atrocities including genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. On 29 September, P...

Main speaker: Jérémie Labbé, Head of Project for Principles Guiding Humanitarian Action, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) This learning session will provide a more in-depth treatment of the principle of impartiality, focusing on practical dilemmas in its application. Learning objectives: - Understanding of the core humanitarian principle of impartiality, both in its definition and i...

Main speaker: John Cerone, Paul Martin Senior Professor in International Affairs and Law at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law International law plays a central role in the protection of civilians in armed conflict, and both international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law (IHRL) establish important principles and rules. This session will provide an introduction to the...

Main speaker: Dr Hugo Slim, Head of Policy at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) This learning session will provide a more in-depth treatment of the principle of humanity, focusing on practical dilemmas in its application. Directly following this learning session, a discussion and consultation event in support of the World Humanitarian Summit was organized on the same topic. Learn...

Main speaker: Marc DuBois, Consulting Expert on Humanitarian Principles, PHAP In September and October 2015, PHAP is organizing a special series of live online discussions structured around the principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. As part of the association’s support to the World Humanitarian Summit process, the focus of these events is less on theoretical definition...

Main speakers: - Laurie Blank, Clinical Professor of Law and the Director of the International Humanitarian Law Clinic at Emory University School of Law - Sareta Ashraph, Chief Analyst on the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic On 21 July, PHAP organized an online learning session on the qualification of situations. Following on our introductory session on this topic, we looked at...

Main speaker: Dr. Noëlle Quénivet, Associate Professor in International Law at the Faculty of Business and Law of the University of the West of England Qualifying – or classifying – a situation as an international armed conflict (IAC) or non-international armed conflict (NIAC) is an important and often necessary step when determining whether the rules of international humanitarian law (IHL) apply...

Main speaker: Dick Jackson, Special Assistant to the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General for Law of War Matters The rules regulating the conduct of hostilities are central to the framework of international humanitarian law (IHL). This highly articulated set of rules, found in both treaty and customary law, establishes the parameters by which adversaries must conduct their operations. These rules aim...

Main speaker: Elizabeth Holland, Consulting Expert on International Humanitarian Law, PHAP The four core humanitarian principles – humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence – undergird the humanitarian enterprise. They are referenced in UN Resolutions, included in the Red Cross and NGO Code of Conduct, cited in the missions and mandates of various organizations, noted in various best pr...

Main speaker: Elizabeth Holland, Consulting Expert on International Humanitarian Law, PHAP. International humanitarian law (“IHL”) aims to regulate the behavior of those involved in armed conflict. Though formally it binds states and armed groups, it also has great practical relevance to humanitarian actors. It provides a set of principles, rules, and norms that govern a myriad of activities, incl...

In its fourth Online Learning Session on Trends and Challenges of Humanitarian Action, Erin Kenny gave a presentation on addressing gender based violence in emergencies. Learning objectives - An ability to define gender-based violence - An understanding of the principles that guide our work to address GBV in humanitarian contexts - Familiarity with the elements of effective GBV programming in huma...

In its third Online Learning Session on Trends and Challenges of Humanitarian Action, Professor Alastair Ager gave a presentation on psychology, trauma, and staff wellness in humanitarian action. This session focused on the following: - Stressors in humanitarian work and their effects. - Organizational factors influencing the impact of stressors. - The effect of anxiety and burnout on humanitarian...

In the context of growing humanitarian needs and increasingly limited resources, finding innovative solutions to reducing human suffering is critical. However, the humanitarian sector lacks organizational frameworks, resources, and tools dedicated to managing innovation, and innovation strategies are rarely systematically adapted and applied to humanitarianism. The past few years have seen an infl...

This learning session featured guest speaker Prof Alastair Ager, who provided a brief overview of the history of the relationship between religion and humanitarian action. Humanitarian agencies across the globe are seeking to come to terms with the religiosity that so clearly continues as a major influence in today's world.. But how are they to engage with religion, when humanitarianism holds neut...