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Resources | Reference Material | Other Documents and Studies Documents are grouped by year of publication and listed alphabetically. The views expressed in the documents and reference materials provided below are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Geneva Call. Copyright remains with the authors. Texts for consideration, in English, Spanish or in French, should be sent in electronic format (Word or PDF) by email to: info@genevacall.org
La définition du terrorisme et le droit international humanitaire. Published by Professor Marco Sassòli in the "Revue québécoise de droit international (hors série)" in 2007 with the collaboration of Lindy Rouillard and as a tribute to Katia Boustany, the article tries to elaborate a definition of the notion of “terrorism” that would be strictly juridical and not – as it is too often the case nowadays – influenced by political issues. In that respect Professor Sassòli makes a revue of the rules already codifying acts of terrorism in international humanitarian law and international criminal law. This should be useful to draft a definition of terrorism enforceable in times of war and peace. Mine Action and Armed Non-State Actors: The Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs organized jointly with Geneva Call a side event in the margins of the 7^th Meeting of State Parties (MSP) to the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT) on mine action and armed non-state actors (ANSAs), in particular on the implementation of Action 46 of the Nairobi Action Plan. The Swiss delegation presented a Non Paper on implementing Action 46 of the Nairobi Action Plan. Human Rights Obligations of Non-State Actors. Armed and Aimless: Armed Groups, Guns, and Human Security in the ECOWAS Region. [PDF - Full Report 13MB]. Edited by Nicolas Florquin and Eric G. Berman, May 2005. The book provides detailed information on more than 35 armed groups which have been active in West Africa since 1998, and explores important related themes through 6 field-based case study chapters. Engaging Non-State Armed Groups in Humanitarian Action. State Actor and Non-Governmental Approaches, August 2004 by Claudia Hofman. German Development Institute. Summary of findings: From war to peace, lessons learned from achievements and failures in peace agreements over the past decade, a strategy for peace process optimization, August 2004. Foreword by Dr. Oscar Arias. This summary contains descriptive overviews of Peace Processes for intra-State conflicts in Cambodia, Georgia/Abkhazia, Guatemala, Mindanao (Philippines), Mozambique, Northern Ireland, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Tajikistan. The summary also contains an introduction and a conclusion which evaluates the impact of the 11th September event on Peace Building, an appendix. To order complete report. Armed non-state actors and the ban on anti-personnel mines, The Journal of Humanitarian Assistance (2003). This paper examines the efficacy of the Ottawa treaty as an instrument of arms control. Child soldiers and armed groups, Jo Becker, Human Rights Watch (2003). Heightened attention to the issue of child soldiers has prompted a growing number of armed groups to make public commitments to end their use of children. In some cases, such commitments have led to actual demobilizations of child soldiers, but more commonly, the groups concerned continue to recruit and use children. Improving compliance with international humanitarian law, ICRC Expert Seminars (2003). The primary objective of the seminar series was to engage experts in international humanitarian in a creative and forward-thinking discussion of ways in which the States' obligation to "ensure respect" for international humanitarian law, might be operationalized. An emphasis was also placed on the specific problem of ensuring a better compliance with international humanitarian law by parties to noninternational armed conflicts. Mine action guidelines for ceasefire and peace agreements, UNMAS (2003). Prepared to provide guidance to governments, organisations, and individuals involved in the negotiation and drafting of cease-fire agreements and peace accords, this paper aims to make them aware of the mine action concerns to be considered in such documents and to help them draft appropriate references and clauses related to mine action. Peace and conflict 2003. The Centre for International Development and Conflict Management (2003). This edition of the Peace and Conflict series includes new contributions that examine trends in human rights, globalization protests, and international crises. Politics and humanitarianism, Coherence in Crisis? Henry Dunant Centre (2003). By its very nature humanitarian work takes place in the most political and politicised of human situations. It is not possible to avoid the interaction of humanitarian work and politics. The question is: on what terms should the interaction take place, and what trade-offs among equally legitimate interests are necessary to ensure optimum solutions? Possible Legal Mechanisms to Improve Compliance by Armed Groups with International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law. Marco Sassòli (2003). This paper explores how armed groups could participate in the development, interpretation and operationalization of IHL and international human rights law, and ways to encourage, monitor and control the respect of those laws by armed groups. Includes discussion of ways ways to apply criminal, civil and international responsibility, including sanctions, in case of violations. Relevance of international humanitarian law to non-state actors, special edition, proceedings of the Bruges Colloquium (2003). A detailed report addressing IHL and challenges in the new trends in international security; terrorism, collective security and IHL and binding non-state actors to respect IHL . Accountability of armed groups in international law, Liesbeth Zegveld (2002). Practice of international bodies convincingly demonstrates that international humanitarian law applicable to armed opposition groups extends well beyond Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and Additional Protocol II to the Geneva Conventions. It remains the case, however, that the ‘new’ humanitarian law applicable to armed opposition groups concerns principles rather than detailed rules. Human rights and armed groups: toward a new policy architecture, Pablo Policzer (2002). Some of the most serious human rights violations today are not committed by states but by non-state armed groups. A generation ago the international community barely paid attention to such violations. As a result, even gross violations by non-state groups were defined as merely “criminal” violence that fell within the domestic jurisdiction of sovereign states. People’s security as a new measure of global stability, Claude Bruderlein (2001) Entire populations in Europe, Africa and Central Asia have been displaced, harassed or subjected to extreme forms of violence as a consequence of armed conflicts, in violation of the most fundamental rules of international humanitarian and human rights law. As a result, traditional schemes of protection enshrined in international law are increasingly questioned, revealing the need to develop new strategies to enhance the protection of civilians in times of war. End & means: human rights approaches to armed groups, International Council on Human Rights Policy (2000). Human rights organisations often find themselves faced with the problem of human rights abuses committed by armed groups. Humanitarian organisations too are increasingly preoccupied with the need to insure armed groups respect their operations, or the safety and dignity of the populations they assist. The role of non-state actors in building human security, Claude Bruderlein (2000). This paper, part of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue's project of analysing the role of non-state actors in building human security, reviews the role of armed groups in the protection of civilian populations in internal armed conflicts. It addresses the need to develop effective strategies to enhance the receptivity and compliance of armed groups to international standards. The International Criminal Court and rebel groups, Soliman M. Santos, Jr. (1999). This paper focuses on the legal aspects of rebel groups (referred to by some as 'non-state actors') vis-à-vis the new Roman Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) which deals with the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide and aggression. The Ottawa treaty and non-state actors, Soliman M. Santos, Jr.( 1999). The Ottawa Treaty basically provides for State Party undertakings or obligations. Sub-national entities become obligated only through national implementation measures to be taken by each State Party. The ICBL has cited as one of the main areas of concern in the Treaty its 'failure to include specific language regarding application to non-state actors'. |