1. First lesson
IHL and armed conflict in contemporary international law and in the contemporary international community
- Short mention of the basic idea and sources of IHL
- Jus ad bellum and jus in bello under the UN Charter
- The concept of armed conflict and the distinction between international and non-international armed conflicts: its relevance and irrelevance in contemporary conflicts
2. Second lesson
Implementation of IHL
- The need for national measures of implementation in peacetime
- The example of the (need for) national legislation on the protection of the emblem of the red cross, red crescent or red crystal in the country where the course is being held
- Monitoring and control by the ICRC: possibilities and limits inherent in the ICRC’s status and approach
- The role of the UN: conflict resolution and humanitarian action
- The prosecution of war crimes by national courts, ad hoc tribunals and the International Criminal Court