Call for paper: Field Marshal SHHJ Manekshaw Memorial 2nd International Humanitarian Law Symposium by Army Law College, Pune and ISIL, Delhi [10 – 11 May; Hybrid; Pune]: Submit Abstracts by May 8.

About Army Law College Pune

Army Law College, Pune is a distinctive institution established in July 2018 with a noble objective of imparting quality legal education to the children of our brave, patriotic & selfless Army Personnel.

The College is governed and managed by Army Welfare Education Society (AWES). The College is approved by the Bar Council of India (BCI) and Government of Maharashtra.

It offers a five-year B.B.A, LL. B integrated course. Army Law College, Pune, is affiliated to ‘Savitribai Phule Pune University’ (SPPU).

The Research & Journal Cell with its moto त ववेध न यम, strives to instil understanding of diverse spectrums of laws. The Cell throughout academic year organises eight annual academic programs and contributes to scholarship through two annual research publications to raise the bar of legal education.

About Indian Society of International Law

The Indian Society of International Law (ISIL or Society), a premier national institution for teaching, research and promotion of international law, was established in 1959, primarily due to the efforts of the late V.K. Krishna Menon.

It has indeed been a long and fulfilling journey for the ISIL that it has earned a pride of place among the community of international lawyers through out the world. In six decades of its existence, the ISIL, under the dynamic leadership and guidance of distinguished persons, has grown into a prestigious research and teaching centre of international law in India. At present it enjoys the able stewardship of its President Shri Pravin H. Parekh.

In its endeavour to disseminate international law, the ISIL has traditionally received the whole-hearted support and cooperation from the various Ministries, particularly External Affairs, Finance, and Environment and Forests, of the Government of India. The ISIL has benefited from the guidance and support of many judges – present and former – of the Supreme Court of India and Delhi High Court. The ISIL is housed at V.K. Krishna Menon Bhawan, Bhagwan Dass Road, opposite to the Supreme Court of India and next to the Indian Law Institute (ILI).

About IHL Symposium

“We feel that warfare is something ‘out there’, something others are instigating, and yet we live perpetually with internal ‘wars’ even as we attempt to live a peaceful life.” – Krishnamurti

Is it possible to have a world without conflict? This has been a cry and question for millennia. Two and a half thousand years ago Buddha preached peace as a means and end in itself, many scholars, saints, activists, statesmen emphasized the need of peace and order to sustain humanity; realising all this, we must question- what should we as individuals must do to minimize conflict and sustain peace?

Perhaps outward events can energise our inquiry into not only why the current wars are taking place, but moreover into the very cause of conflict, and whether it is possible for humanity to live without war. Humanity has always been crying out for peace on earth – Pacem in Terris.

Whether the current state of world affairs goes in line with ultimate objective of ‘peaceful coexistence’? In pursuit of better understanding and implementation of Principles of IHL, Geneva Conventions and dynamics between war and its lawful regulation under existing humanitarian regime, the Research & Journal Cell, of Army Law College, Pune organises sui generis Field Marshal SHFJ Manekshaw Memorial 2nd International Humanitarian Law Symposium on 10th – 11th May 2024.

The Symposium Consists of 4 Segments

Law on War-field (Speaker’s session) (10 May, 2024)
War and Peace simulation competition (Offline mode) (10 May, 2024)
IHL Research presentation competition (Hybrid Mode) (11 May, 2024)
IHL panel discussion. (11 May, 2024)

The Symposium will be featuring senior Indian Army officers, Judges and Jurists, illustrious scholars in the field of Humanitarian Law, Defense Studies, Diplomacy, etc. The research outcomes of Symposium will be published in the form of edited book consisting of contemporary issues and Challenges prevailing in the domain of Humanitarian Law.

DAY 1: War and Peace Simulation Competition, (Offline) 10 May, 2024.

The nature of Competition: War and Peace Simulation Competitiondesigned to augment the knowledge of International Humanitarian Law and further hone the skills of participants to apply norms of IHL to real-life situations in armed conflict situations (such as giving legal advice on targeting civilian objects, legitimacy of using civilians as human shield, the effect of bombing a bridge which is used to transport weapons to enemy troops but is also essential to the delivery of essential food supplies to the civilian population, etc.).
The object and purpose of Competition: The competition is to educate and familiarize students with the different aspects and delicate balances within IHL. The students are not only required to acquire a vast knowledge in international law and in particular in IHL, but they also to learn how to advocate such rules in accordance with their role in the simulations.
The format of Competition: A team shall consist of two participants. A problem shall be released/ mailed beforehand, indicating certain war situations and challenges to humanitarian rules. The same problem shall be used as a ground to create simulated dialogue, negotiation and to raise claims or defend against key issues pertaining to humanitarian crisis. In a team, one participant will participate in a simulated capacity of a military commander and one as a legal advisor. The teams have to prepare short write-up concerning key issues of given problem, laws referred and evidences if any. The submission shall be prepared for both the sides of conflicting states given in a problem. The sides of team will be selected based on draw of lots on the day of competition. The performance of teams will be evaluated by judges on prescribed parameters.

DAY 2: IHL Research Presentation Competiton (Hybrid Mode) (11 May 2024)

Research Themes of Symposium

The concept of just war and genesis of IHL. Prevailing causes and effects of armed conflicts. The necessity of rules and laws to regulate warfare.
Protected Stakeholders and their position under Geneva Conventions.
Modern methods and means of warfare. The ongoing conflicts and stand of India i.e.
Russia- Ukraine conflict, Indo-China conflict, Israel-Palestine, etc.
The perspective of armed forces on rules of warfare and need of training.
Contemporary challenges in the application of Humanitarian Law.
Role of United Nations and International Organisations, i.e. ICRC, in upholding Humanitarian Laws.
The role of academics and students in increasing awareness about humanitarian principles.
Non-state entities and warfare.
Technology and warfare- Drone War, War in Space, Cyber War, etc.
Environmental effects of warfare.
The above sub-themes are only illustrative. Editors would welcome chapters on other topics related to International Humanitarian Law.

Author Guidelines

Abstract: All submissions (except Book Reviews) should be accompanied by an abstract of not more than 300 words and important 5 Keywords
Cover Letter: The cover letter shall mention the name/s of the author/s, designation/status, institutional affiliation if any, postal address, email ID, and mobile number.
Word Limit (inclusive of footnotes): 6000 to 8000 words.
Citation Style: OSCOLA citation rules (Oxford University Standard for the Citation of Legal Authorities, Fourth Edition)

See- https://www.law.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxlaw/oscola_4th_edn_hart_2 012.pdf

Co-authorship: The submissions may be co-authored by a maximum of two authors.
Formatting guidelines:
The contributions shall be sent in “Microsoft Word Format” (.doc/ .docx format).
The manuscript shall be typed in “Time New Roman” with a font size of 12 and line spacing of 1.5.
Plagiarism Limit: 15%
Alignment- Justified
The Title of the article should be equal or not more than 100 characters.
Footnotes must be in Times New Roman, Size 10, with line spacing.
Cases should be cited in italics using the full name of the parties along with the full citation in the first instance. If used as a defined term, it should be made bold, italicized, and placed inside (parenthesis) at the first occurrence. Thereafter, the defined term should continue to be used in italics. For example, ABC v Union of India (ABC).
All headings must have uniform formatting. All sub-headings must be left aligned, in bold.
Statutes and legislations must be mentioned by their full name including the year, at the first occurrence. For example, The Competition Act 2002.
The file name must be in the following format: Topic Author Name.docx

Submission Timeline

Stage 1: Abstract Submission: 8^th May 2024
Stage 2: Communication of Selection: 7^th May 2024
Stage 3: Date of Research Presentation: 11 May 2024

*Date for submission of full chapter after symposium shall be intimated in due course.

All submissions are required to be sent to jalcp2021@gmail.com. A signed copy of the Cover Letter” and Copyright & Plagiarism Declaration shall be scanned and emailed along with the contribution.

On the date of presentation, please submit;