Following the success of the 2008 webcast presentations, HPCR International has launched new series of seminars offered live on the Internet.

The following recorded webcasts on international humanitarian law are currently available on the Forum on the Humanitarian Law and Policy.

To access the online course and discussion forum please click here or visit the Humanitarian Law and Policy forum at http://ihlforum.ning.com and register to the HPCR forum on humanitarian law and policy. Once on the platform, click on "Events" and then follow the link to the homepage of the online course under "Event Description".

2009 Webcasts

Live Seminar: Challenges to the Protection of Children in Armed Conflict

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

As part of its groundbreaking Resolution 1612, the Security Council requested the establishment of a Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism (MRM) designed to improve the protection of children in armed conflict.
With the recent expansion through Resolution 1882 of the triggers for the MRM on grave violations, it is an opportune time to examine the successes of the MRM, as well as the challenges it faces. For instance, who are the key actors involved, how are they coordinated, and how might their contribution to the MRM complicate their presence on the ground in certain areas? What concrete steps are being taken to respond to violations and to combat impunity? How might action plans, “naming and shaming,” and targeted sanctions be employed more effectively?

Visit the IHL Forum to register for this event >>

Live Seminar: Human Rights in the Battlefield: Litigating Violations in Iraq

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

This Live Seminar will examine the role of human rights law -- in its various interactions with international humanitarian law -- in civilian protection in armed conflict, with a particular focus on litigating violations in Iraq. Focus will be placed on attempts to remedy violations of fundamental rights in conflict zones by resort to litigation outside those zones, notably in courts in the U.S. and Europe.

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Live Seminar: 60 Years of the Geneva Conventions: The Role of International Law in Protecting Civilians

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

For sixty years international treaties and norms have served as the foundation for a regime of protection for civilians in armed conflict. Though developed primarily for situations of international armed conflict (conflicts occurring between states), the application of international humanitarian law is required now more often in situations of non-international conflicts (involving non-state armed groups) as their number and scope continue to increase around the globe.

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Live Seminar: Direct Participation in Hostilities

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

This Live Seminar examined the legal and policy responses of different actors to the issue of civilians directly participating in hostilities. A major point of focus was how the changing nature of conflict - marked by increase combat in civilian population centers and the failure of fighters to distinguish themselves from the civilian population - affects the fundamental principle of distinction.

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Live Seminar: Islamic Law and Protection of Civilians

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

This Live Seminar examined the extent to which humanitarian professionals can use an Islamic legal framework to develop protection strategies in Muslim countries.

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Live Seminar:  Peacekeeping Operations under IHL and Human Rights

Organized by HPCR in cooperation with HPCR International

From Congo to the Sudan, from Liberia to Kosovo, peacekeeping forces are increasingly called upon to protect civilians in times of hostilities. The deployment of peacekeeping forces represents opportunities and challenges in humanitarian protection. Yet, are IHL and human rights norms applicable to peacekeeping operations? To what extent may peacekeeping forces use lethal force to protect civilians? How are humanitarian and security concerns balanced within integrated peacekeeping missions?

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Live Seminar:  Youth in Conflict: Policy and Operational Dilemmas

Organized by HPCR in cooperation with HPCR International

Young people are an important demographic in countries in conflict, critical to a successful and sustainable transition to peace. However, the challenges of engaging this generation in processes of reconciliation and reconstruction are manifold.

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Live Seminar:  Somalia: Responding to the Legal Challenges of Offshore Piracy

Organized by HPCR in cooperation with HPCR International

As maritime piracy continues to rise, and as more and more countries seek effective measures against it, the questions regarding the legal and policy challenges involved in countering piracy have become central to much of the debate in the international community. This live seminar identifies and explores these challenges and examine legal arguments from multiple perspectives.

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Live Seminar:  Closing Guantánamo: Legal and Policy Debates

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

Since President Obama signed an executive order calling for the closure of the U.S. detention facilities in Guantánamo Bay, the public debate has shifted from the question of whether indefinite detention practices at Guantánamo should be abrogated, to addressing the consequences of the closing of the facility. This live seminar addressed the various facets and implications of closing Guantánamo.

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2008 Live Seminar Recordings

Live Seminar: Improving Access to Gaza: Key Legal Challenges

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

Visit the IHL Forum for a recording of this event >>

Live Seminar: Ending Impunity and Maintaining Humanitarian Access: Dilemmas in Law and Practice

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

Visit the IHL Forum for a recording of this event >>

Briefings from the Field: IHL in Somalia

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

Visit the IHL Forum for a recording of this event >>

Live Seminar: Humanitarian Access

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

Visit the IHL Forum for a recording of this event >>

Briefings from the Field: Occupation Law and East Timor

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

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Live Seminar: Humanitarian Diplomacy in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

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Live Seminar: IHL and Human Rights: Convergence or Divergence?

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

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Live Seminar: IHL and the Global War on Terror

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

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Live Seminar: The future of International Humanitarian Law

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

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Live Seminar: IHL in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Organized by the Program on Humanitarian Policy and Conflict Research at Harvard University in cooperation with HPCR International

Visit the IHL Forum for a recording of this event >>