Our work
The IHL Centre is a leading, independent group of legal experts in international humanitarian law.
How we work
We combine expert legal advice, innovative training, strategic humanitarian advocacy and diplomacy, and capacity development support for the humanitarian and diplomatic ecosystem.
Our main objective is to enhance and support the IHL capacity of the humanitarian ecosystem and strengthen humanitarian diplomacy and advocacy.
Who are we?
The IHL Centre is a leading, independent group of legal experts in international humanitarian law. For over 20 years, and across more than 20 conflict contexts globally, we have supported efforts to protect people affected by armed conflict by providing practical, high-quality legal and policy expertise to humanitarian, human rights, diplomatic and other relevant actors.
Where we work
We combine a global reach with strong regional expertise. Our team of more than 20 international lawyers works from our Stockholm hub and our three regional hubs, with additional presence in key locations including Geneva and Brussels.
Our regional teams are:
- Israel-Palestine, based in Jerusalem
- Middle East, based in Beirut
- Africa, based in Nairobi
This structure allows us to provide both global analysis and context-specific support grounded in regional knowledge and experience.
How we support humanitarian actors
We support humanitarian actors operating in armed conflict with legal advice on previous, on-going, or possible future violations of international humanitarian law. For example, we
- provide detailed legal advice on issues impeding the successful delivery of humanitarian aid
- brief senior officials on specific IHL protection issues
- help with questions of IHL applicability and classification
- assist in the reporting and monitoring of potential IHL violations.
Changing the behaviour of armed actors
We combine expert legal advice, innovative training, strategic humanitarian advocacy and diplomacy, and capacity development support to strengthen the IHL capacity of the humanitarian ecosystem and improve protection by helping to change the behaviour of armed actors. In the regions where we work, we address specific IHL and protection concerns through in-depth thematic interventions.
Impact and achievements
Over the course of the last years, we have helped numerous actors to improve their advocacy for humanitarian protection. We have, for example:
- provided legal analyses that have been utilised by multiple UN commissions of inquiry, for example on Mali and Gaza;
- organised workshops and briefings on IHL, across the Middle East and Africa, for senior UN staff, diplomats and journalists;
- provided technical support to human rights commissions across the Sahel region;
- developed innovative tools such as the Stockholm Manual: A Practitioner’s Guide to Conducting IHL Assessments and Advocacy.