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This contribution is meant as a counterpoint to a recent RSQ article by Hugo Storey on the inter-penetration of international humanitarian law (IHL) and refugee law. In lieu of Storey’s pivotal concept of armed conflict, this analysis is articulated around a discussion of discriminate and indiscriminate violence, informed by the basic distinction under international law between refugee protection and other forms of extra-territorial protection. ‘Victims of armed conflict’ who find themselves outside their countries of nationality qualify for extra-territorial protection, not as a homogeneous category, but on a number of distinct and different grounds, which respect a logic that cannot be reduced to a simple IHL paradigm. In particular, to take IHL as a starting point for the assessment of refugee claims under the 1951 Convention obscures the fact that persecution – the central concept in refugee law – often occurs in the midst of, and at times by means of, armed violence. While ‘matters of armed conflict’ would be expected to assume greater prominence in the application of complementary (regional) refugee criteria, such as those found in the 1969 OAU Convention or the 1984 Cartagena Declaration, the IHL reading of these additional grounds has failed to explore the causal link between the conduct of belligerents and displacement or flight. As for the significance of armed conflict and other IHL-looking concepts in Article 15(c) of the EU Qualification Directive, it is marred by the convoluted language of this compromise provision, which has not been remedied by the interpretive acrobatics of the European Court of Justice. In the final analysis, the most relevant question is the following: what rights and/or interests, threatened by armed violence, are protected by Article 15(c), that are not covered by Article 1 A(2) of the 1951 Refugee Convention? Recent research into the causes and character of armed conflict and the effects on civilians’ survival strategies points to the continuing inability of existing legal definitions to answer the above question in ways that meet the needs of today’s refugees. The article suggests a few avenues to confront this practical ‘war-flaw’, including a reflection on the non-refoulement potential of customary rules of IHL. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This article charts the difficulties refugee law – and more widely the legal regime governing international protection – has encountered from the outset in dealing with asylum-related claims by persons fleeing armed conflict. It analyses the origins of the prevailing “exceptionality approach”, which regards such claims as unable to succeed unless they can make out a special case. It explains why its opposite, the “normalcy approach”, equally does not resolve underlying problems.The “war-flaw” is seen to consist in the failure of international protection to analyse claims by persons fleeing armed conflict by reference to the correct international law framework. Whilst the development within refugee law of a human rights approach has been a major achievement, its inability to deal effectively with armed conflict-related claims is located in its conspicuous failure, or unwillingness, to recognize that international law regards international humanitarian law as the lex specialis in situations of armed conflict. Curiously, despite the increasing acknowledgment of the complementarity of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by human rights bodies, the human rights paradigm remains stuck trying to analyse such situations exclusively in international human rights law terms. It is argued that this “war flaw” afflicts not only contemporary refugee law but also current human rights jurisprudence dealing with problems of refoulement, and regional protection schemes such as subsidiary protection within the European Union. Tentative suggestions are made as to how the prevailing international human rights law paradigm can be revised to take account of international humanitarian law and as to how the two branches of international law can be applied in tandem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts of reference books including "L'action humanitaire du Canada: histoire, concepts, politiques et pratiques de terrain," edited by Y. Conoir and G. Verna "After Involuntary Migration: The Political Economy of Refugee Encampments," by M.Z. Bookman and "A Bed for the Night: Humanitarianism in Crisis," by D. Rieff.

The article presents abstracts of books related to refugees including "Afghanistan: A New History," by M. Ewans "Caught Between Borders: Response Strategies of the Internally Displaced," edited by M. Vincent and B. Refslung Sorensen and "China's Tibet Policy," by D. Norbu.

This book measures EC/EU asylum initiatives against international refugee and human rights standards and makes law reform proposals to ensure compliance with international standards. It identifies four areas of concern: the interpretation of the 1951 Convention definition of a refugee; access to asylum procedures; the establishment of fair and effective procedures; and the asylum seekers’ status pending the determination of their asylum claims. The author argues that any departure from international standards by the EU and its Member States risks undermining the right to seek refugee status and protection as a humanitarian concept. The author also considers Member states’ laws and practices, with special emphasis on the United Kingdom and France. This inclusion reflects the mutual influence that national and European measures exercise on one another and reveals existing discrepancies and tensions between national laws and practices. The author urges the European Union to remain true to its commitment to the Treaty of Amsterdam and its humanitarian tradition and vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partant du constat qu'il existe environ 300 000 enfants-soldats dans le monde, cet ouvrage traite le problème en trois parties: bilan, actions et perspectives. Le bilan dressé est accablant: les chiffres sont en hausse du fait de la multiplication des guerres non-conventionnelles (notamment en milieu urbain), mais aussi en raison de la prolifération incontrôlée des armes légères. L'esclavage sexuel est ensuite évoqué ainsi que les conditions de vie et d'enrôlement de ces enfants. Ce bilan est illustré par plusieurs exemples récents au Sri Lanka, en Afghanistan, en Ouganda et en République Démocratique du Congo. Ce pays et le Mozambique sont cités comme exemples des difficultés à réintégrer ces enfants. La troisième partie du livre récapitule les lois internationales en matière de protection des enfants. L'ouvrage propose ensuite des solutions juridiques, en insistant sur l'importance de la prévention du phénomène des enfantssoldats et de la lutte contre le trafic d'armes légères. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cet ouvrage pose un regard critique sur les opérations militaro-humanitaires, en trouvant des contradictions dans le double rôle des forces armées concernées. L'objectif des auteurs est de comprendre quelles sont les motivations des acteurs humanitaires (civils et militaires) et de déterminer pourquoi une collaboration entre eux s'est avérée souvent difficile. Ce livre présente, d'abord les concepts, les définitions et les acteurs de l'action humanitaire, pour passer ensuite à l'évolution récente des forces armées et de leur engagement dans des contextes de catastrophe naturelle ou de conflits, que ce soit sur le plan de la doctrine ou des opérations elle-mêmes. Les exemples cités concernent l'OTAN, l'Union européenne et la Belgique. Le rôle des médias, en tant que nouvel acteur, est aussi abordé. Selon les auteurs, cette étude jette les bases d'un dialogue pour que les différents acteurs se comprennent et reconnaissent les possibilités et les limites de chacun. En croisant les points de vue des acteurs humanitaires et des militaires, ainsi que des hommes d'Etat, les auteurs essayent de comprendre leurs points de convergence et de divergence dans le mandat et les objectifs. Les conclusions portent sur quatre problématiques: la confusion générale dans l'utilisation du terme “humanitaire”; la confusion des rôles et l'utilisation abusive du terme “humanitaire” dans les institutions militaires; l'indépendance de l'humanitaire face à la politique des Etats ou des institutions internationales et les valeurs des organisations humanitaires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

These contributions to an International Colloquy on Human Rights attempt a systematic analysis of the prevention of human rights violations. They focus of five aspects: conventional regimes, non-conventional monitoring mechanisms, international commissioners and Ombudsmen, national Ombudsmen and human rights institutions and the development of a human rights culture. The contributors develop a theoretical synthesis of the various approaches to the prevention of human rights violations and highlight the context, the concept and function and methods and techniques of prevention. The volume also includes a message from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, empowering every individual with responsibility in the protection and prevention of human rights violation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This book discusses the challenges and response of the international community in the face of increasing intra-state conflicts. It studies the impact of internal wars on the international community in its ethical, legal, humanitarian, analytical and prescriptive dimensions. Though the causes, costs and impacts of internal conflict remain essentially domestic, these conflicts spread across borders, they feed off and sustain trans-national and commercial penetrations, international relief operations and evoke external interventions ranging from humanitarian intervention to UN Security Council enforcement engagements. These conflicts are seriously testing existing institutional, policy and analytical practices in international relations. In this book, the author investigates the roots of internal conflicts and their international implications, including, small arms supplies and intervention controversies, human rights and international humanitarian law, refugees and the internally displaced, and post-conflict reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contributors to this volume, the third and the last in the series of academic publications on human rights initiated by UNESCO, take an institutional approach to the international protection of human rights. In Part 1, they examine the UN system of protection and its human rights machinery and procedures. Within the context of human rights protection, the volume also presents studies on two specialized agencies - ILO and UNESCO. Part 2 analyses regional systems of protection and deals with four regional systems: the European, the Inter-American, African and Arab. Their regional procedures differ as far as their organs and ways and means of protection of human rights are concerned. Part 3 raises the question of how international human rights protection can be further strengthened. The volume ends with reflections concerning the role of non-governmental organizations in the protection and enforcement of human rights. They are considered vital in the process of monitoring, collecting and disseminating information on human rights violations and mobilizing international public opinion against the violators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this guidance document is to provide a working tool to ensure the provision of appropriate programmes and services to and with women affected by armed conflict. It is targeted to ICRC policy-makers, field staff and international organizations concerned with the planning, funding and implementation of humanitarian programmes for women. The document also presents an overview of the relevant legal framework of humanitarian law, human rights law and refugee law specific to women in situations of armed conflict. It is divided into two parts. Part 1 discusses violations of human rights when the distinction between civilians and combatants gets blurred in conflict situations. Part 2 highlights the specific needs of women deprived of their freedom and offers tools for more effective and appropriate responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Le droit des conflits armés est vaste. L’auteur a voulu se limiter aux conflits stricto sensu et signale qu’il ne traite pas certains sujets, tels que les réfugiés ou les règles de la neutralité. Le premier des cinq chapitres délimite l’application du droit des conflits armés (qui, où, quand, comment) ainsi que le rôle des protagonistes (état, armée, individu, ONU) par rapport à ce droit. Le deuxième chapitre décrit le contenu du droit proprement dit : les interdictions et limitations qu’il a fixé concernant les armes et exactions en cas de conflit internationaux et non-internationaux (Droit de La Haye), puis les principes relatifs aux personnes - victimes et acteurs (Droit de Genève). Relativement court, le troisième chapitre traite de la mise en oeuvre du droit des conflits armés par les Etats et par le CICR, puis les méthodes employées pour contrôler l’application de ce droit. Le chapitre suivant aborde le sujet des réparations en cas de violation du droit en deux temps : la première partie relate la responsabilité des Etats belligérants et la deuxième celle des individus. Cette dernière est très dévelopée : elle traite des crimes de guerre et des crimes contre l’humanité, de la responsabilité pénale des criminels directs ou indirects quant aux violations du Droit de Genève et de celui de La Haye et décrit le fonctionnement des institutions internationales créées pour juger et légiférer sur ces questions : Tribunaux pénaux internationaux (TPI), Cour pénale internationale (CPI), tribunaux spéciaux. Le dernier chapitre touche à plusieurs disciplines (histoire, philosophie, psychologie, sociologie) afin de déterminer pourquoi le droit des conflits armés est souvent peu respecté. Ce chapitre est agrémenté de nombreux témoignages de belligérants ayant commis des exactions graves lors des conflits du siècle dernier. Des passages tirés de la littérature des XIXème et XXème siècles sont inclus dans cet ouvrages comme illustrations concrètes de la nécessité du droit dans les conflits armés. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This volume presents a collection of essays on different aspects of public international law, international criminal law, human rights and humanitarian law. The diversity and topicality of issues honour the professional experience and contribution of Antonio Cassesse, the first president of the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia. Written by renowned academics and practitioners, the essays offer insight into the workings of the International Criminal Court, the ICTY and the International Criminal tribunal for Rwanda; on the truth commissions and amnesties in the aftermath of armed conflicts; on military humanitarian intervention and the development of human rights protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite universal consensus on a large number of standards in the field of human rights and humanitarian law, large-scale violations of fundamental human rights continue and the international community to prevent these violations. The author believes that it is important to understand why these violations occur and investigate what can be achieved with the already existing body of normative instruments. The author initiates a comparative study of the two legal systems of human rights and humanitarian law. The study analyses systemic similarities and differences in the construct of human rights and humanitarian law and assesses to what extent they protect individual integrity or whether gaps exist whereby neither set of norms apply. The inquiry in conducted through three transversal themes. The first traces the normative frameworks of human rights and humanitarian law and the legal structures used to achieve their related goal of protection of the individual. The second theme deals with their reciprocity, a fundamental principle in human rights and humanitarian law. The final theme studies the normative indeterminacy in the application of human rights and humanitarian law and examines the difficulties faced by the international community to translate protection norms into concrete standards. The analysis reveals a significant difference between human rights and humanitarian law but each body performs a task for which they are best suited. The author supports his thesis by presenting relevant material from UN, ICTY and ICTR and regional organizations in Europe, Africa and Latin America. He presents extensive tables of cases, treaties and international instruments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus on situations of mass influx in this book demonstrates the size and urgency daunting evidence of human sufferings and the restrictive interpretation and implementation of refugee rights and entitlements. The purpose of this thesis is to identify, describe and examine existing legal and practical obstacles for an effective and consistent implementation of these basic refugee rights in host countries. The book is divided into three parts. Part I contains an introduction detailing the basic premises of this study that include a working hypothesis, methods and sources and establishes the terminology used in the book. Part II addresses the question of international co-operation and the international legal responsibility to protect refugees, particularly in situations of mass influx that overwhelm domestic reception capacities in financial, practical and social terms. Part III studies why refugees remain at risk while in exile. The book also includes a summary of conclusions mapped out in headlines, a postscript highlighting historical aspects of the movement and treatment of refugees and a select table of cases with reference to the case-law examined in the analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This collection of essays reviews the institutions and procedures devoted to the national implementation of human rights and the international monitoring of state performance. It covers many of the monitoring instances available at intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations: complaints, fact-finding and investigative procedures, state reporting obligations, good office actions, dialogue functions, human rights education, dissemination of human rights information, letter campaigns and technical cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aftermath of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, has posed a challenge for the human rights regime and tested the relationship between freedom and security. As the quest for human security becomes the defining issue, the need to understand the link between human rights and human security becomes imperative. This book attempts to trace these linkages and emphasises that governments devise policies and methods of governance to realize the specific rights and freedoms in the main human rights conventions. The author suggests three conceptual pillars to guide future endeavours: first, maintaining the UN consensus on the universality of human rights; second, emphasising the elements of independent expertise in following up on treaty obligations of governments to uphold human rights; and third, drawing on grass root support for human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This volume examines the grounds of refugee protection under the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees as developed in Canadian and US case law and how these jurisdictions address refugee protection in the modern context. The problem areas discussed include: persecution during periods of upheaval; resistance to the state in times of civil war; opposition to coercive family planning; and the diverse issues raised by gender-based asylum claims. The study contends that the grounds of refugee protection are not fixed but parallel discriminatory social and political attitudes towards defined groups. It advocates that human rights and humanitarian law principles should continue to shape the evolution of refugee jurisprudence to achieve more effectively the Convention's goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This practical guide compiles the different ways in which international law can be used for relief actions for the benefit of the victim. It sets forth an interpretation of the rules that defend the interest of the weakest. It covers humanitarian law and other applicable branches of international law, as well as certain aspects of international relations. The guide presents the main provisions of the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols relating to protection and assistance for victims of conflict. It also discusses key elements of other legal instruments likely to be applicable to situations in which humanitarian law cannot be applied like refugee law; conventions on torture, genocide, the rights of the child and human rights; international criminal law; and rules governing peacekeeping, including the interstate solidarity mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Noting the post-Cold War conflicts' tendency to focus on ethnic issues, this book exposes the case of four such conflicts and their partial or complete resolution in South Africa, Northern Ireland, Israel/Palestine and Bosnia and Herzegovina. This work describes peace agreements signed by the parties in each of those four conflicts. Having defined what “peace agreement”, “peace processes” and “human rights” stand for, the book deals with the history of each case and the respective peace agreements in detail. The agreements' provisions (or lack of) regarding minority self-determination are viewed in the light of international law's “constructive ambiguity” in this particular field; various solutions to this problem are discussed. The book then examines why and how the peace agreements (except for the Israel/Palestine case) include human rights institutions and what provisions were made for the refugees' right to return as well as their claims on land and propriety. Finally, the question of prisoners, accountability and responsibility are depicted as the last step towards peace, and are thus explored with reference to the four conflicts' peace agreements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This volume offers an analysis of context-specific human rights discourses from East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Muslim world and suggests how the international human rights system can respond to them. The author examines to what extent human rights conceptions that challenge the largely western-dominated discourse on the subject can be accommodated in order to further the universality of human rights. The author develops a theory of 'inclusive universality' and translates it into legal techniques. The volume is divided into four parts. Part 1 discusses the different meanings of the term 'universality' in contemporary human rights discourse and puts the term in a historical context. Part 2 analyses non-western human rights views by examining political and academic texts from East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Islamic world. Part 3 proposes a theoretical framework of 'inclusive universality' as inseparable from its universal application. Finally, part 4 examines the contribution law can make to the reconciliation of universality and diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on the principal and most urgent needs of women in situations of armed conflict and analyses the ICRC's response to those needs even when these needs do not fall within the ICRC's mandate. It identifies the applicable law governing situations of armed conflict and uses international humanitarian law as the yardstick for the assessment of ICRC's response. Each section of the study identifying a specific need contains a sub-section on the law that sets out the applicable norms of relevance to that need. In addition to identifying relevant general and specific rules relating to women, the study also outlines rules for the protection of the girl child. It contains an annex on the ICRC response to detained persons in situations of internal violence, an extensive bibliography, a glossary of abbreviations and detailed notes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International human rights law, international humanitarian law and international refugee law have sought to provide a comprehensive framework to address the harms experienced by both men and women in war. However, discriminatory interpretation and application of these laws and the failure to recognise women's singular experience of armed conflict reveals that this framework has not provided sufficient protection and response for women subjected to gender-based harms, including sexual assault during conflict. This volume is a broad-based critique of international law. It takes the experience of women of armed conflict, matches it with existing provisions of international law, including the contribution of the UN through its focus on human rights, and investigates the gaps in implementation. Discrimination and women's inequality exacerbating women's adverse experience of armed conflict. The authors underscore the need for new approaches to the issue of women and armed conflict, and present recommendations for better protection and redress for women whose already lesser status is affected by armed conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ce livre traite des questions humanitaires devenues un phénomène de société et une donnée de poids dans les relations internationales. Dans la première partie de cet ouvrage, l’auteur met l’accent sur la genèse et les cadres de l’action humanitaire. Il poursuit, dans la deuxième partie, sur les mécanismes de fonctionnement d’un véritable pôle humanitaire (organisations internationales, ONG, Croix-Rouge et Etats) qui a considérablement évolué depuis le début de la décennie 90 et qui s’est montré tout autant capable de créer des synergies bienfaisantes qu’une concurrence parfois malvenue, et brosse le portrait des acteurs ainsi que des personnalités marquantes du pôle humanitaire. Enfin, dans la troisième partie, cet ouvrage dresse un bilan des actions marquantes et fait l’état des lieux des questions soulevées par l’aide humanitaire internationale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contributors to this volume attempt to assess the Kosovo tragedy from a human rights perspective. The editors bring together key documents and academic surveys of the evolving standards of human rights protection and a personal memoir of the evolution of the crisis by the head of the OSCE mission, and debate the meaning of ‘humanitarian war’. Specialists offer perspectives on the key human rights concepts of ‘genocide’, ‘ethnic cleansing’ and ‘rape in war’. They discuss lessons learnt from Bosnia, examine evidence of abuses leading up to the outbreak of fighting between NATO and Serbia, and interrogate the legitimacy of NATO’s humanitarian actions. The problems and prospects on the ground in Kosovo are considered in terms of the development of human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the difficulties faced by inter-governmental organizations and nongovernmental organizations in providing assistance and protection to women affected by armed conflict. The author reviews the developing legal concerns regarding gender-based violence and the need for clarification of gender as a status for refugee protection. The author provides analytical tools for approaching gender and suggests ways in which women experience war differently from men. It examines recent experience in three major crisis in Bosnia, Kosovo and Afghanistan. The text outlines the supportive framework offered by international law and presents its own conclusions and recommendations on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]