Inter-university programme in Lebanon & MENA region

In January 2025, we will kick off the 14^th edition of the Inter-University Programme on International Criminal Law and Procedure (IUP), organised by the T.M.C. Asser Instituut in collaboration with La Sagesse University in Lebanon and IUSTICOM. This year, the IUP has expanded across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and is provided, free of charge, to nearly 300 students from Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq.

This unique programme offers students the opportunity to learn about international criminal law and procedure and the challenges of pursuing justice and accountability. Prominent academics and practitioners deliver the lectures in English or French with simultaneous interpretation into Arabic. To date, more than 2,000 students have graduated.

The IUP covers a wide range of topics, including transitional justice, international humanitarian and criminal law, Sharia law and international criminal proceedings, and teaches students about core international crimes (genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and terrorism), modes of liability, the rights of the accused and the role of victims.

Initially designed for Lebanese undergraduate and graduate students of law, political science and international relations, the course includes students from multiple universities in Lebanon, including:

Beirut Arab University
La Sagesse University
Holy Spirit University of Kaslik

Given the ongoing conflicts and violations of international humanitarian and international criminal law, as well as the lack of accountability across the MENA region, since 2024 the IUP’s reach has expanded to include students from:

Birzeit University (Palestine)
Al-Quds University (Palestine)
An-Najah National University (Palestine)
Hebron University (Palestine)
University of Jordan (Jordan)
Petra University (Jordan)
Ain Chams University (Egypt)
Alexandria University (Egypt)
Al Mansoura University (Egypt)
University of Baghdad (Iraq)
University of Mosul (Iraq)
Basra University (Iraq)
and more

Great enthusiasm
The course has been met with great interest among students of the participating universities. One student wrote:

“Dear T.M.C Asser Instituut, I want to say thanks for this big opportunity that you gave me: first to let me explore the real world of justice. Second to introducing us to respectful professors and judges in this programme which is first of its kind in Lebanon and the Middle East. And finally, all the words of thanks will not be enough to express my gratitude and appreciation for your efforts to build a better future for young generations.”

Professor Georges Masse of the American University of Science and Technology in Beirut referred to the programme as "the best attempt towards reconciliation in Lebanon, because it brings together universities and students from different backgrounds." Professor Reina Sfeir of La Sagesse University added that “the MENA region is in dire need of Arabic-speaking experts in international criminal law. Thanks to the IUP many students are specialising in ICL, some started working in the field of international criminal justice, while others are publishing international criminal law books in Arabic and thus contributing to its promotion in the MENA region”.

IUSTICOM’s Olga Kavran, co-founder of the programme, is thrilled to see the IUP programme expand and hopes “that the growing number of expert voices from the MENA region and their increasing involvement in debates on the topics on international criminal law and international criminal justice will enrich the field and make it far more accessible and equitable, particularly among increasing (and justified) criticisms from the ‘Global South’”.

Fostering cross-cultural understanding
Since the outset, the Asser Institute’s acting academic director and chairperson of the executive board Christophe Paulussen has coordinated the programme on behalf of Asser Institute. Paulussen: “The IUP is an important initiative which promotes international criminal law education and awareness in Lebanon and the MENA region. It is also playing a role in fostering cross-cultural understanding and dialogue and has led to international criminal law becoming an integral part of the Lebanese students’ legal vocabulary. We are grateful to all of the students, professors, and partners who have made the IUP possible. I am very happy that the IUP’s impact is expanding now that students from other universities in the MENA region are joining as well. We look forward to continuing to offer this valuable programme in the years to come.”

Background
The project was set up in 2011 by the T.M.C. Asser Instituut and the Outreach and Legacy Section of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL). At that time, there was no specialisation in international criminal law offered at any Lebanese university, so the IUP was the first of its kind and unprecedented in the Middle East and North Africa region.

From the start, the lectures were streamed online from the Asser Institute to lecture halls in the participating universities in Lebanon. As this happened in pre-pandemic times, an online course was very innovative. Since then, inspired by the IUP, both the International Criminal Court and the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (the residual mechanism of the ICTY and the ICTR) have implemented similar programmes.

Following the withdrawal of the STL in 2020, the programme continued to be implemented by the Asser Institute and the International and Transitional Justice Resource Center (ITJRC). In 2022, La Sagesse University, the International Center for Human Sciences CISH – UNESCO, and IUSTICOM joined as consortium partners. Since 2023, the programme has been run by the Asser Institute, the Human Rights Legal Clinic at La Sagesse University and IUSTICOM in cooperation with 14 universities across the MENA region.

More information
For more information, please contact Dr. Christophe Paulussen, acting academic director and chairperson of the executive board at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut.