Time
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
Presentation and discussion: 18:30 – 19:30
Networking reception: 19:30 – 20:30
To participate either in Geneva or online:
Summary
Impartial wartime medical care for the enemy is at the root of international humanitarian law (IHL). Indeed, in key respects, protections for medical assistance for wounded and sick fighters hors de combat could be considered a — and perhaps the — foundational humanitarian compromise of the laws of war. Yet, increasingly, counterterrorism approaches, at the U.N. Security Council and in a number of states, are recasting medical care as impermissible support to designated terrorists. To date, this slow potential erosion of an IHL normative pillar has occurred largely without public debate.
In a special presentation for PHAP members and guests in Geneva and online, Dustin Lewis, Senior Researcher at the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (HLS PILAC) and longtime expert contributor to several PHAP events and initiatives, will present the Program’s latest research on the intersections between counterterrorism laws and approaches and the protection of impartial wartime medical care in IHL.
NB: The views expressed in this event are those of the speakerand do not necessarily reflect the views of PHAP or other organisations with which the speaker is associated. Participants are attending this informal event in their personal capacity.
Venue
Ground floor
Rue de Varembé 1
1202 Geneva, Switzerland
Registration
In order to attend the event either in Geneva or online, please register in advance at phap.org/13apr2016/register
Speaker
Dustin Lewis is a Senior Researcher at the Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (PILAC). With a focus on public international law sources and methodologies, he leads research projects on the theoretical underpinnings and application of international norms related to contemporary challenges concerning armed conflict.
Image credit: UN Geneva, “Palais des Nations by night,” CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.