The Pretoria Regional Delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross together with the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa and the Centre for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria will be presenting the nineteenth All Africa Course on International Humanitarian Law between 25 October and 04 November 2022.

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The course is a comprehensive introduction to the law of armed conflict and contemporary issues in International Humanitarian Law (IHL). The following topics are amongst those that will be addressed:

• The Legal Status and Mandate of the ICRC;
• The Role of the Components of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement;
• The Distinction between ius ad bellum and ius in bello;
• The Historical Development of IHL;
• The Classification of an Armed Conflict, and the Consequences of Classification;
• Combatant Status and the Protection of Prisoners of War;
• The Protection of Civilian Persons;
• Armed Conflicts of a non-international Character;
• Conduct of Hostilities and Means and Methods of Warfare;
• The relationship between International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law;
• Practical Measures for the Implementation of IHL;
• The Protection of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons;
• Suppression and Punishment for Violations and Grave Breaches of IHL;
• New technologies in warfare.

The various topics (considered by way of online lectures and case studies) are presented, principally, by African legal academics.  In addition, certain topics are presented by academics from other parts of the world and by the ICRC’s own legal experts.

Those that might benefit from attending the course include:

• Academics with limited knowledge of IHL but who are interested in improving their knowledge of IHL or introducing teaching programmes in IHL into their institutions;
• Postgraduate students of Public International Law and / or Human Rights Law;
• Persons employed within government or the NGO sector requiring knowledge of the humanitarian law environment.

Please note that the course is expected to take place in a hybrid format, participants will be able to join online and in person at the University of Pretoria campus.  Participants are expected to commit to the whole duration of the course. The results of the selection process will be communicated to all candidates in the second week of October 2022. If interested in participating, please complete the attached application form and submit to the indicated address no later than Monday 05 September 2022.