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International Humanitarian Law Research Initiative

December 2002 - present

Established in 2002, the International Humanitarian Law Research Initiative (IHLRI) is a research, policy and information project that promotes a scientific approach to emerging challenges in the implementation of IHL, including such issues as the increasing participation and targeting of civilians, the evolving use of high-tech warfare in asymmetrical conflicts and the spread of suicide attacks against civilians. In support of this mission, IHLRI aims (i) to develop an international network of scholars, policymakers and humanitarian practitioners on related themes and (ii) to serve as a central resource for initiatives related to the reaffirmation and development of IHL. This project was created as an independent expert-driven initiative to complement other law-making and implementation efforts led by states, the International Committee of the Red Cross and international governmental organizations.

Two central elements of IHLRI include the IHL Research Portal and a series of informal expert meetings. Regularly updated by a team of Harvard-based researchers, the IHL Portal offers access to a comprehensive database of on-line academic and policy-oriented research materials related to international humanitarian law. Concurrently, Informal, High-Level Expert Meetings were held in January 2003, June 2004 and May 2006 to facilitate information sharing between state and independent experts. Co-organized with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, these meetings aim to advance a debate on key challenges to IHL and promote research and policy activities on these challenges in cooperation with the academic community.

Partnerships: Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sweden; International Committee of the Red Cross; the UN World Food Programme; Geneva Humanitarian Forum
Website: International Humanitarian Law Portal
 
Related Projects
Related Publications
Transnationality, War and the Law - Roundtable Report - Apr 2006 (PDF)
OPS Issue 6: Transnational Armed Groups and International Humanitarian Law (Marco Sassoli) - Winter 2006 (PDF)
"Al-Qaida : une guerre non lineaire," a contrario vol.3 (Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou) - Dec 2005 (PDF)
OPS Issue 5: Cluster Bombs: Is There a Case for New Law? (William Boothby) - Fall 2005 (PDF)
OPS Issue 4: War, Technology, and International Humanitarian Law (Michael Schmitt) - Summer 2005 (PDF)
Non-Linearity of Engagement: Transnational Armed Groups, International Law, and the Conflict between Al Qaeda and the United States - Jul 2005 (PDF)
OPS Issue 3: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law (Bertrand Ramcharan) - Spring 2005 (PDF)
OPS Issue 2: Warriors Without Rights? Combatants, Unprivileged Belligerents, and the Struggle Over Legitimacy (Kenneth Watkin) - Winter 2005 (PDF)
OPS Issue 1: Legislation Under Article 43 of the Hague Regulations: Belligerent Occupation and Peacebuilding (Yoram Dinstein) - Fall 2004 (PDF)
Article 43 of the Hague Regulations and Peace Operations in the Twenty-First Century - Jun 2004 (PDF)
Combatants, Unprivileged Belligerents and Conflicts in the 21st Century - Jun 2004 (PDF)
Computers and War: The Legal Battlespace - Jun 2004 (PDF)
Improving Compliance with International Humanitarian Law - Jun 2004 (PDF)
Legitimate Targets of Attacks Under International Humanitarian Law - Jun 2004 (PDF)
The Dilemmas Relating to Legislation Under Article 43 of the Hague Regulations, and Peace-Building - Jun 2004 (PDF)
The Temporal Scope of Application of International Humanitarian Law in Contemporary Conflicts - Jun 2004 (PDF)
Compliance with IHL by Non-State Actors (NSAs) - Nov 2003 (HTML)
Direct Participation of Civilians in Hostilities - Nov 2003 (HTML)
Occupation and Peacebuilding - Nov 2003 (HTML)
Suicide Attacks Against Civilians during an Armed Conflict - Nov 2003 (HTML)
The Impact of High- and Low-Technology Warfare on IHL - Nov 2003 (HTML)
Humanitarian Access to the Civilian Population - Oct 2003 (HTML)
The End of Innocence: An Essay on Humanitarian Protection in the 21st Century - Apr 2001 (PDF)
New Challenges of Humanitarian Protection," BMJ vol.319 (by Claude Bruderlein and Jennifer Leaning) - Aug 1999 (HTML)
Related Events
Advanced Training: International Humanitarian Law and Current Conflicts - Jul 2005 (Website)
Second Informal High-Level Meeting on Current Challenges to International Humanitarian Law - Jun 2004 (Website)
Colloquium on the Interplay between Human Rights and Humanitarian Law: Global and Regional Perspectives - Apr 2004