Call for applications for HREA e-learning course
"Armed Conflict, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law"


Dear subscribers,

HREA is calling for applications for the new e-learning course Armed Conflict, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, which will be offered from 17 September-16 December 2007.

Please note that the registration deadline for this course is 1 July 2007. Further information about the course and other upcoming HREA e-learning courses can be found below.

Best wishes,

Sandra Quintin
Distance Learning Programme, HREA
http://www.hrea.org/courses/


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HREA Distance Learning Course 15E07:
Armed Conflict, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
17 September - 16 December 2007
Instructor: Dr. Gerd Oberleitner

Armed conflicts, in their various forms, remain rampant in today's world. Old wars and new wars, including the 'war on terror', continue to be fought, and armed violence from Iraq to Darfur impacts on the lives of civilians. Does law offer protection in armed conflicts? And does it allow us to answer questions such as: when is a war illegal? Which conduct is unlawful in an armed conflict? What are non-combatants? What are crimes against humanity? What protection exists in civil wars? What can be done to prevent the use of child soldiers? What are the duties of an occupying force?

This course offers an introduction to the law or armed conflict, or international humanitarian law. It critically examines the role of law in armed conflict and demonstrates how law can guide the conduct of hostilities, mitigate the consequences of the use of armed force, and protect civilians in both international and non-international armed conflicts. It puts the law of armed conflict in a political context, traces recent developments in this particular area of law, discusses the role of international criminal law, the convergence between human rights and humanitarian law, gender and law, and the protection of vulnerable groups such as children. It examines situations of occupation and the impact which the 'war on terror' has on the law of armed conflict. The course is less concerned with the application of technical rules of warfare, but explores the potential and limit of law as a protective force in times of armed conflict. It is based on the understanding that knowledge of the three fields of international law which are relevant for today's armed conflicts (international humanitarian law which guides the conduct of war and protects combatants and civilians alike; human rights law, the application of which in times of armed conflict still presents many questions; and the emergence of international criminal law, which aims at deterring and remedying atrocities in armed conflicts) is imperative to analyse the conduct and consequences of armed conflicts.

A more detailed course description, further logistical information, and application forms can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/courses/15E.html


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Other upcoming courses for which the application process is still open:

second semester 2007

- Human Rights Monitoring (5 September-27 November 2007)

- Introduction to the European System of Human Rights Protection and Promotion
(5 September-27 November 2007)

- Research & Evaluation in the NGO Sector (10 September-16 December 2007)

- Introduction to Human Rights Education (12 September-4 December 2007)

- Project Development and Management in the NGO Sector (19 September-11 December 2007)

- Programmation basée sur les droits humains (19 septembre-11 décembre 2007)

More detailed course descriptions, further logistical information, and application forms for all these courses can be found at: http://www.hrea.org/courses/

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