International Institute of Humanitarian Law

The Council oversees the management of the Institute, determining the programme of activities, elects the President and Vice-Presidents and appoints the Secretary-General and Treasurer, who then form the Executive Board.

These activities are designed for a diverse, international and multicultural audience with participation welcomed from military personnel, government officials, diplomats, experts, representatives of non-governmental organisations and students from around the world.

To foster the development of knowledge in International Humanitarian Law, the Institute structures its training at three levels, which develop progressively and all emphasise the practical application of IHL: At all levels of training, the Institute aims at complementing plenary presentations with interactive discussion, debate and exercises designed to strengthen each participant’s knowledge and facilitate the sharing of different national approaches and best practice.

Through its training, capacity-building, and horizontal sharing of experiences, the Institute advocates for the safeguarding of rights in a way that complements and adds on the efforts of donors in the field of protection of refugees, IDPs, stateless persons and migrants.

These training programmes strike a fine balance between theory and practice, allowing the audience to exchange experiences and ideas, and utilize the participants’ existing skills to deal with complex legal issues in a pragmatic manner.

Ever since it was created, the Institute has drawn particular attention to current trends and developments in humanitarian law and related subjects, by organizing an annual international gathering that takes place in Sanremo.

The Manual, compiled by a team of internationally-renowned experts, serves as a practical guide to the implementation by military forces of the rules governing the protection of cultural property in the event of armed conflict.

It combines a military-focused account of the international legal obligations of states and individuals with suggestions as to best practice at the different levels of command during the conducting of military operations by land, sea or air.

For over 20 years now, since 1998, the Institute has then continued to produce a series of publications dedicated to the proceedings of the Round Table on current issues of international humanitarian law.