[hr-education] Law professors integrate IHL into curricula in Jordan

26-05-2004  ICRC News 04/69
Jordan: Law professors discuss contemporary challenges to IHL

As several public and private universities in Jordan have started to
integrate international humanitarian law (IHL) into their curricula, a
group of law professors met in Amman on 16 and 17 May 2004 to discuss
contemporary challenges facing IHL, particularly in recent conflicts.

The two-day workshop organized by the ICRC was attended by 15 professors
from nine public and private universities. Among the issues discussed were
terrorism and IHL, recent developments on the subject of weapons and IHL,
national implementation of IHL and the results of the 28th International
Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. During the workshop,
representatives of the different universities reported on progress made in
integrating IHL into their teaching programmes.

The participants underlined the special value of such workshops, which,
they said, helped to consolidate links among law professors and provided a
unique forum for objective discussion of contemporary legal issues and the
challenges faced in teaching IHL at the different universities.

>From 11 to 13 May 2004, the ICRC took part in a conference on IHL,
organized by Jerash University law faculty as its annual event. Around 50
law professors from different Arab universities attended. The ICRC was
represented by its Cairo-based regional advisor on academic affairs, who
delivered an opening speech underlining the importance of integrating IHL
into the curricula of academic institutions. The president of Jerash
University stressed that IHL continues to provide a haven to all those who
seek to nourish hope in these gloomy times of war and armed conflict.
However, he warned that more effort is needed to ensure the protection of
civilians in accordance with the four Geneva Conventions and their two
Additional Protocols.

Over the three days of the conference, the participants, who came from
different Arab universities, discussed the ICRC’s role in the development
of IHL, the rules applicable during occupation, the implementation of IHL
at national level and the challenges facing IHL in recent conflicts.


For further information, please contact:
Muin Kassis, ICRC Amman, tel: ++962 656 886 45 or ++962 795 90 11



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