Command Responsibility: May 2015

TRAINING COURSE

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25-29 MAY 2015

COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY 5-day programme

Course Directors

Preventing war crimes by subordinates

Stephane Bourgon

On the battlefield, only military commanders are capable of ensuring that the rules and principles codified in the law of armed conflict are respected.

Accordingly, the law of armed conflict requires military commanders to prevent and, where necessary, to suppress and report violations of that law by their subordinates to the competent authorities. This specialised seminar provides military commanders with the knowledge, skills and training enabling them to fulfill their duties and responsibilities under international law.

International Criminal Defence Attorney Former Legal Advisor (JAG) for the Canadian Armed Forces

Key benefits for you The course will enable you to: • Acquire the in-depth understanding required to fulfill your supervisory duties and responsibilities as a military commander under international law;

Nils Melzer Senior Programme Advisor and Senior Fellow, GCSP Former Legal Adviser and Deputy Head of Delegation at the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

• Develop your judgment and decision making through practical case studies; • Exchange views among peers and experienced experts and practitioners in a neutral and open environment; • Access an extensive network of experts in international affairs, law and security as a GCSP alumnus.

Faculty profiles The faculty teaching this course includes experienced international judicial practitioners and military commanders, as well as renowned legal experts in the field of international criminal law and international humanitarian law.

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Why you should attend

Alumni community

Proceedings before national and international courts and tribunals demonstrate that many military commanders are not sufficiently familiar with their duties and responsibilities under international law, or with the practical steps required to fulfill them. Based on a broad range of real world scenarios taken from the case law of international criminal tribunals, and animated by experienced judicial and military practitioners, this specialised seminar provides military commanders with the knowledge, skills and training enabling them to fulfill their duties and responsibilities under international law.

Upon completion of the course, you become part of the expanding GCSP alumni network and enjoy continued access to our events. Security policy conferences enable current and past participants to meet, debate policy issues and share ideas and experiences in an informal setting.

Admission For further details about the course and the application process, please contact: law@gcsp.ch

Course focus This 5-day course is composed of 4 modules, which will be expanded upon through practice-oriented analysis of various case studies taken from real-life examples.

Module 1: Introduction to the command responsibility doctrine – The commander’s duties and responsibilities.

+41 (0)22 730 96 00 Module 2: The existence of a superior-to-subordinate relationship.

Module 3: The commander knew or had reason to know.

Module 4: The failure of the commander to take the necessary and reasonable measures to prevent or punish.

Course design

Participant profile

The course design is based on a learning cycle starting with knowledge transfer in short presentational sessions, continuing with the practical application and discussion of that knowledge in small groups through case studies (experience) and leading to consolidated expertise and skills.

The course is designed to provide highlevel military commanders (LTC / COL / GEN) with the necessary understanding of their legal responsibilities for the conduct of their subordinates. The course does not assume any particular level of knowledge of, or previous experience in international law or the law of armed conflict.

GCSP The Geneva Centre for Security Policy is an international foundation with 45 member states from across the globe that provides forward-thinking and innovative solutions for leaders and policymakers concerned with international affairs and security in today’s complex, globalised world.

Application deadline: Monday, 6 April 2015 Tuition fees: CHF 2,500 (includes tuition, teaching materials, and lunches). In a limited number of cases, partial scholarships may be available.

Language requirements: The course will be held in English. No translation will be provided.

Venue: GCSP Maison de la paix Chemin Eugène-Rigot 2D P.O. Box 1295 CH-1211 Geneva 1 www.gcsp.ch Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn