糖心Vlog

Short course

International Law in Armed Conflict

Lake in front of Silberrad Centre at Colchester Campus

 

The details
International Law in Armed Conflict
4 to 8 August 2025
In person
Human Rights professionals

Monday 4 August to Friday 8 August 2025

The 糖心Vlog Human Rights Centre and the 糖心Vlog Armed Conflict and Crisis Hub are once again presenting their successful practical development course in 2025, taught by leading practitioners in the field of international Human Rights and Armed Conflict.

Applications for our 2025 course are now open!  



If you are interested in joining future cohorts please complete the and we will keep you informed of future course dates.  
鈥淥ne of the highlights for me has been speaking with renowned experts who have not only academic experience, but also a lot of practical experience. Engaging with militaries and other relevant international stakeholders has been really valuable to get their insights, which is something that hopefully us as practitioners, can utilize in our work. Also meeting all the other people, I鈥檝e met some really amazing people with some really diverse backgrounds and developed connections with them.鈥
Timothy Bishop INTERNATIONAL LAW IN ARMED CONFLICT PARTICIPANT 2024

Overview

This course is designed to provide the foundations for understanding the role of international law in situations of armed conflict. We will learn how the law regulates the conduct of parties to the conflict, how it seeks to combine principles of military necessity and humanity, and the protections it provides to affected populations. Alongside the applicable rules, the course will provide insight into how these are implemented in practice, with a focus on the real-world challenges faced by those in the field.

All participants who successfully complete the course will receive a 糖心Vlog, Human Rights Centre Certificate.

The design of the course requires limiting enrolment to a maximum of 40 participants.

Meet the course facilitators

  • Professor Noam Lubell (Course Director) is Professor of International Law of Armed Conflict in the School of Law, 糖心Vlog. He was Head of the Law School from 2014 to 2017. Between 2013-2019 Prof Lubell held the Swiss Chair of International Humanitarian Law at The Geneva Academy, and from 2010 to 2018 he was the Rapporteur of the International Law Association's Committee on the Use of Force. Prof Lubell is a Senior Research Fellow at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in the US, working on the legal aspects of new military technologies. He has been a member of numerous expert groups and consultations with governments, militaries, the ICRC and the UN on topics such as the law of occupation, self-defence, the scope of the battlefield, and autonomous weapon systems.
  • Professor Carla Ferstman has over 25 year鈥檚 experience working with intergovernmental organizations, civil society organizations and in private practice on human rights and peacebuilding in a variety of post-conflict and fragile settings, including Rwanda (1995-1997) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (1999-2001). She was the Legal Director (2001-2004) then Director (2004 - 2018) of British NGO REDRESS, a specialist organization supporting victims of torture and related abuses to obtain justice. She is a recognised expert on victims of conflict and human rights abuses and is a member of the Justice Rapid Response expert roster on sexual and gender based violence investigations. She has delivered specialised training all over the world, and contributed to legal challenges and parliamentary inquiries concerning investigations and accountability processes involving military and other actors in humanitarian and conflict settings.
  • Professor Geoff Gilbert has worked alongside UNHCR since 1995 and has been part of 16 Air Assault Brigade鈥檚 Demeter鈥檚 Eagle training programme for officers with respect to humanitarian operations and displacement for much the same period. In 2019, he took part in the training programme for the Brigade and the French 17eme Brigade on joint operations. His expertise is in relation to displacement in acute crises and the operationalization of interoperability between the military and humanitarian actors. He has written widely on this topic and has carried out training for the San Remo International Institute of Humanitarian Law. He has advised governments and humanitarian actors, both in Geneva and in the field, including Sarajevo, Kosovo, Serbia, Ethiopia and Jordan. He is Co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Refugee Law.
  • Dr Claire Simmons is a senior lecturer at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (UK), and fellow of the 糖心Vlog Armed Conflict and Crisis Hub. She is one of the authors of the 鈥淕uidelines on Investigating Violations of International Humanitarian Law鈥 published by the Geneva Academy and ICRC, and has experience working on international humanitarian law and human rights in academic institutions and non-profit organisations. 

Teaching programme

The international Law in Armed Conflict course is held at our Colchester campus, starting Monday lunchtime and finishing Friday lunchtime with the sessions Tuesday to Thursday running between 9am to 5pm (lunch and refreshments are provided)

All sessions will include an interactive approach combining presentations, discussion, and case-studies.

A more detailed teaching programme will be sent to eligible participants ahead of the course along with any pre-reading materials.

Day 1:

  • Overview of legal frameworks and bodies
  • International and Non-International Armed Conflicts
  • Targeting and Conduct of Hostilities

Day 2:

  • Protection of Civilians and Detainees
  • Refugees and Displaced Persons

Day 3:

  • International Criminal Law
  • Implementation and National Investigations

Day 4:

  • Human Rights in Armed Conflict
  • Current & Future Challenges

Learning outcomes

In taking this course participants will:

  • learn the underlying legal principles and frameworks regulating armed conflicts
  • acquire insight into the challenges of implementing these rules in practice
  • become familiar with the rules governing conduct of hostilities, including distinction, proportionality, and use of weapons
  • gain an understanding of the protections provided to detainees, civilians in occupied territory, and other affected populations
  • learn about the legal frameworks and bodies providing protection to refugees and internally displaced persons
  • understand how implementation and enforcement mechanisms seek to ensure accountability at national and international levels
  • learn about current and future challenges to regulating armed conflict arising from technologies such as cyber operations and artificial intelligence
     

Eligibility

The content of the course is suitable for practitioners - from the humanitarian and human rights world as well as staff from government and international bodies - intending to gain an understanding of the legal frameworks for regulating armed conflict.

It is also suited to post-graduate students and academics seeking knowledge in this field. A law degree is not required, but some familiarity with international law is recommended.

The course is delivered entirely in English. Thus, you are required to be highly competent in English.

 

Fees

Fees for the International Law in Armed Conflict course 2025 are;

Fee

 Early Bird (Closes 02/05/2025)

Standard Fee (Closes 18/07/2025)

Full/Commercial &苍产蝉辫;拢840 拢970
 Student 拢670&苍产蝉辫; 拢775
Academic/Alumni 拢715 拢825
Public Sector/NGO/Charity &苍产蝉辫;拢715 拢825
Please note that the course fee does not include accommodation (See Accommodation section for more details).

Fee includes:

  •  Daily lunches* and  1 Evening meal*  provided by our on campus caterer.
  • A certification upon completing your course, endorsed by the 糖心Vlog Human Rights Centre

* Delegates will be responsible for obtaining their own food outside of these times. We recommend taking this into account when you budget for attendance. There is a Tesco located nearby, as well as many food outlets on campus.

    Accommodation

    Accommodation is not included in our Short Course package.

    Delegates will be able to book on campus accommodation at very affordable rates.

    We offer room only (拢49) or bed and breakfast (拢55) accommodation. Rooms have en-suite facilities with bedlinen provided as well as shared access to a kitchen.

    The 糖心Vlog's Colchester Campus is just one hour from London and Stansted Airport, and set in over 200 acres of beautiful parkland, and homes over 20 academic departments and schools.

    Find out more about travelling to our Colchester Campus.

    Once your application has been accepted, we will send you all the necessary information and links to make your accommodation booking. 

    鈥淔or me, the highlight of the four days was the examples we were discussing and the different background of the participants of this course. For example, there were people from NGOs, from the University, and the military. This makes the examples very debatable, and we discussed the current dilemmas of international conflicts. But the greatest thing for me is the huge experience of the staff and the professors. The professor鈥檚 knowledge is beyond my imagination. So, I enjoyed every day listening and taking part in the course discussions. So, if you have time during your summer to get some more experience and skills and to get familiar with international law, I recommend this summer school very much.鈥
    Michael Piechowicz聽 International Law in Armed Conflict participant 2024

    How to apply

    To apply, complete the steps below:

    • Applicants should complete the .
    • Your application will then be reviewed by a member of the Summer Schools team and you will be contacted if you are successful.
    • We will then send you a link to the payment page. Once you have paid you will receive confirmation of your place we will be in touch with all the necessary information to complete your registration.
    • Applications will need to be finalised by 18 July 2025 in order for you to be given necessary access.

    Webshop

    You can pay for your place online via our Webshop which you will be sent a link to after completing the application form. The University bank will accept Visa, Mastercard, and Eurocard.

     

    If you are interested in joining future cohorts please complete the and we will be in touch when applications go live.        

      鈥淭his course equipped me with the understanding of basic concepts and principles of the legal framework governing armed conflict but also provided an opportunity to discuss topical issues of modern-day and past conflicts through the prism of International Humanitarian Law, International Criminal Law and other fields of International Law. It was fun, interactive, and extremely nicely explained (some of the concepts I have been grappling with for months were eloquently explained in 10-15 minutes!), we could ask questions, discuss our opinions and ask for the opinions of the lecturers. This is, by far, the best short course I've ever attended. I highly recommend it to anyone wishing to obtain knowledge of the international legal framework governing armed conflict from the renowned experts in the field.鈥
      Anastasiia Zhuravel International Law in Armed Conflict participant 2024