Regional IHL Experts Convene in Beirut

The Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre Lebanon convened its first regional expert meeting on the topic of training and education in international humanitarian law (IHL) from 10 to 11 May 2018.

The Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre Lebanon convened its first regional expert meeting on the topic of training and education in IHL on the 10 and 11 May 2018 in Beirut. Participants from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia and Palestine met for a two-day roundtable on regional experiences and lessons learned when providing training on IHL in formal university settings or for professionals.

IHL has been underrepresented in law schools across the region and all participants believe in the importance of putting IHL higher on the agenda of ministries, armed forces, and universities in their countries. Experts from academic institutions in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Switzerland with well-established IHL programs also participated in the conference to help share their experiences. This combination of IHL experts from the region and academics is best placed to enhance the way in which IHL is taught in universities, government institutions, to humanitarian professionals, and journalists.

The Diakonia International Humanitarian Law Centre aims to promote international humanitarian law and share knowledge with national authorities, inter-governmental bodies, international and regional organisations, humanitarian actors, and academia.

Here are some of the latest developments from the meeting:

All practitioners referred to the limited Arabic language training materials for IHL, and in addition there was consensus around the room for the need to develop a range of IHL curriculums, making use of innovative teaching methods and technology.