About the author(s):
Rogier is a researcher at the Netherlands Defence Academy (NLDA) and works at the Dutch National Prosecutor’s Office. He holds LL.M-degrees from Utrecht University and the University of Nottingham. Before taking up his current positions, he was an associate legal officer in Chambers at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and a legal adviser at the International Humanitarian Law Division of the Netherlands Red Cross.
Rogier is an adjunct-lecturer at the Hague University of Applied Sciences, where he teaches international humanitarian law, and he co-convenes the Hague Initiative for Law and Armed Conflict.
This year’s Colloquium will focus on the scope of application of international humanitarian law. It will take place on 18-19 October 2012. Apart from the appeal of the lovely city of Bruges (with its pretty old town, good food and beer), this yearly IHL-conference, organised by the College of Europe and the ICRC, is known for its interesting topics and high level discussions.
The proceedings of previous years can be accessed (for free) online. Previous topics include: the Relevance of IHL to Non-State Actors, Improving compliance with IHL, and Armed Conflicts and Parties to Armed Conflicts under IHL: Confronting Legal Categories to Contemporary Realities.
The 2012 Colloquium will consist of five parts: a session for each of the four scopes of application (ratione materiae, personae, temporis, and loci) and a panel discussion on current and future challenges to the scope of application of IHL. Issues discussed on this blog, such as the lower threshold of non-international armed conflicts and the qualification of conflicts, will be addressed by experts in the field, both academics and practitioners. Practical information is available here.
The provisional programme is as follows:
DAY 1: Thursday, 18 October
9:30 – 9:40 Welcome address by Paul Demaret, Rector of the College of Europe
9:40 – 9:50 Welcome address by Mr. Francois Bellon, Head of Delegation, ICRC Brussels
9:50 – 10:10 Keynote address by Ms. Christine Beerli, Vice-President of the ICRC
SESSION ONE: MATERIAL SCOPE OF APPLICATION OF IHL
Chair person: tbc
10:30 – 10:50 What does IHL regulate and is the current armed conflict classification adequate? Noam Lubell, University of Essex
10:50 – 11:10 Non-international armed conflicts: the applicable law. Sandesh Sivakumaran, University of Nottingham
11:10 – 11:30 When does violence cross the armed conflict threshold: current dilemma. Pierre Vimont, European External Action Service
11:30 – 12:30 Discussion
SESSION TWO: PERSONAL SCOPE OF APPLICATION OF IHL
Chair person: Knut Dörmann, ICRC Legal Division
14:00 – 14:20 Persons protected by IHL in IAC: the law and current challenges. Kirby Abbott, SHAPE
14:20 – 14:40 Personal scope of IHL protection in NIAC: legal and practical challenges. Francoise Hampson, University of Essex
14:40 – 15:00 Does IHL protect “unlawful combatants”? Gabor Rona, Human Rights First
15:00 – 15:45 Discussion
SESSION THREE: TEMPORAL SCOPE OF APPLICATION OF IHL
Chair person: Abdul Koroma, former Judge, ICJ
16:00 – 16:20 Beginning of IHL application: overview and challenges. Louise Arimatsu, Chatham House
16:20 – 16:40 End of IHL application: overview and challenges. Marko Milanovic, University of Nottingham
16:40 – 17:00 Is there a need for clarification of the temporal scope of IHL? Darren Stewart, British Army (tbc)
17:00 – 18:00 Discussion
DAY 2: Friday, 19 October
SESSION FOUR: GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE OF APPLICATION OF IHL
Chair person: Paul Berman, Council of the EU Legal Service
9:00 – 9:20 The geographic reach of IHL: the law and current challenges. Jelena Pejic, ICRC Legal Division
9:20 – 9:40 Transnational armed conflict: does it exist? Rogier Bartels, Netherlands Defence Academy
9:40 – 10:10 Discussion
10:40 – 12:30 PANEL DISCUSSION: CURRENT AND FUTURE CHALLENGES TO THE SCOPE OF APPLICATION OF IHL?
Moderator: Elizabeth Wilmshurst, Chatham House
Panelists: Sandesh Sivakumaran, Kirby Abbott, Francoise Hampson, Knut Dörmann
12:30 – 13:00 CONCLUDING REMARKS AND CLOSURE by Ms. Christine Beerli