[HILAC Lecture] International Humanitarian Law and Due Diligence

On 11 November 2021, the T.M.C. Asser Institute, in cooperation with the International Humanitarian and Criminal Law (IHCL) Platform, will host the HILAC Lecture “International Humanitarian Law and Due Diligence” with guest speakers Dr. Marco Longobardo and Dr. Erica Gaston. Register here.

Recent armed conflicts, such as those in Afghanistan, Syria, and the Sahel region, have seen states interact with or even directly support a variety of actors: from other states to non-state armed groups such as pro-government militias, community-based forces, and rebel or insurgent groups. Such interaction and support has included the training of personnel, the supply of arms, and other material, intelligence, or tactical support.

As armed conflicts have increased in complexity, the duty to ‘undertake to respect and to ensure respect’ for international humanitarian law (IHL) ‘in all circumstances’ has become more relevant, with the obligation’s latter half, ‘to ensure respect’, accepted by many to require states to work to positively influence other actors to comply with IHL. However, as this obligation is one of conduct rather than result – a ‘due diligence obligation’ – it is often uncertain how far the obligation extends, and which practical steps can be taken to fulfil it.

In this HILAC lecture, Dr. Longobardo will explore the relationship between due diligence and IHL more generally, after which Dr. Gaston will focus on how the obligation to ensure respect for IHL shapes interactions between states and non-state actors during contemporary armed conflict.

Following presentations by Dr. Longobardo and Dr. Gaston, a Q&A session will be moderated by Dr. Christophe Paulussen, senior researcher at the T.M.C. Asser Institute.

About the speakers

Dr. Marco Longobardo is a Senior Lecturer in International Law at the University of Westminster, where he teaches public international law, international human rights law, international criminal law, and other related subjects.

Dr. Erica Gaston is the Senior Policy Advisor and Head of Conflict Prevention and Sustaining Peace Programme at the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, and also a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 

About the HILAC lecture series

The Hague Initiative for Law and Armed Conflict (HILAC) Lecture Series is an occasional lecture series on the subject of law and armed conflict organised by the T.M.C. Asser Instituut since 2005, in cooperation with the Netherlands Red Cross and the Amsterdam Center for International Law.