This Benjamin Ferencz lecture, organised in cooperation with the Embassy of Switzerland in the Netherlands, the Hague Initiative for Law and Armed Conflict (HILAC) and the International Humanitarian and Criminal Law Platform, will zoom in on the protection of civilians in armed conflict. To keep this topic on the agenda and discuss ways in which civilians can be better protected is unfortunately very necessary.
When the UN Security Council organised a debate on the subject at the end of May, Edem Wosornu, director of the Crisis Response Division in the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, noted that all too often, civilians are not collateral damage, but in fact the target. This is even though international humanitarian law is very clear that parties to the conflict must at all times distinguish between civilians and combatants and that attacks may only be directed against combatants and not against civilians.
Ten years ago, on 3 May 2016, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2286 in response to an alarming increase in the frequency and scale of attacks against medical personnel and facilities. But a decade after its adoption, Wosornu warned that “the situation has only gotten worse”. Resolutions such as UN Security Council Resolution 2730 on the protection of humanitarian and UN personnel in conflict zones, initiated by Switzerland and adopted on 24 May 2024, therefore remain vital.
This panel discussion will first feature a presentation by professor Gloria Gaggioli, who was a contributor and member of the Reading Committee for the updated Commentary on Geneva Convention IV, which specifically deals with the protection of civilian persons in time of war. Thereafter, a presentation by international criminal law expert judge Guénaël Mettraux will be provided, who will focus on the criminal aspects of this discussion and how criminal accountability for violations of international humanitarian law can be secured, in both theory and practice. Finally, the civil dimension will be addressed by professor Chiara Giorgetti, who is vice-chair of the Board of the Register of Damage for Ukraine. She will use Ukraine as a case study to discuss how victims can seek compensation.
After the event, a reception will be organised.
Speakers
- Professor Gloria Gaggioli (University of Geneva);
- Guénaël Mettraux (Judge at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers);
- Professor Chiara Giorgetti (Vice-Chair of the Board of the Register of Damage for Ukraine).
Co-organisers
- Embassy of Switzerland in the Netherlands;
- The Hague Initiative for Law and Armed Conflict (HILAC);
- International Humanitarian and Criminal Law Platform.
Information about the organising strand:
In the public interest: accountability of the state and the prosecution of crimes
This research strand examines the accountability of states, both individually and collectively (e.g., the United Nations or the European Union), in light of public interest standards in the context of counterterrorism. Moreover, this strand looks into the prosecution of individuals for international and transnational crimes in the public interest. Finally, to ensure both the accountability of states and the prosecution of individuals for international and transnational crimes in the public interest, this research strand also investigates the role of journalists, digital media, human rights NGOs, and academics in protecting and promoting public interest standards.