Responsibility to Protect and Humanitarian Interventions – Military Force in the Name of Human Rights?

Symposium with Hendrik Simon, Thorsten Gromes, Regine Schwab & Simone Wisotzki

Event poster

The pro­tection of human rights is a continuous motif of national and inter­national policy. However, there is no generally binding legal de­finition of what constitutes a Responsibility to Protect (R2P). Never­theless, the pro­tection of human rights serves as a justi­fication for using military force in humanitarian inte­rventions. Are R2P and humanitarian inter­ventions concepts susceptible to abuse? When does R2P apply? And what is to be done if R2P fails?

The symposium “Respon­sibility to Protect and Humanitarian Interventions – Mili­tary Force in the Name of Human Rights?” explores the answers to these questions and offers a collegial ex­change on the subject. It is hosted by ICWC of Philipps-University Marburg and the Uni­versity of Cologne, and sponsored by Volkswagen­Stiftung.

A number of PRIF researchers participates in the sym­posium on Tuesday, November 7th: Hendrik Simon will hold a Key­note Speech about “Abuse of Humanitarian Inter­vention: Progress or Regress of Inter­national Law?”, followed by Thorsten Gromes presenting on “Germany's Foreign and Security Policy and the Practice of Humanitarian Inter­vention Today” and Regine Schwab joining Simon in pre­senting “Abuse of Humanitarian Inter­vention” as part of the World Café. Simone Wisotzki will present on “Gender in Armed Conflict” as part of the Negative and Positive Conferences.

When: 6-8 November 2023,
Where: Schloss Herrenhausen, Hanover

Information on the University Marburg webpage (in German)
Program (in English)

Program

Monday, 6 November 2023

9:30am-1:00pm

Welcome

  • Lunch

1:00pm-2:30pm

Future and Challenges of Humanitarian Interventions

  • Introduction (15 minutes) by Henning de Vries, Philipps-University Marburg
  • Fish Bowl Discussion with Guest Position (60 minutes) with Kevin Jon Heller, University of Copen­hagen/Center for Military Studies, Martin Mennecke, University of Southern Den­mark, John-Mark Iyi, University of the Western Cape, and Guest Position

2:30pm-3:00pm

Coffee Break

3:00pm-6:00pm

Global Responsibility – Just a Construct?

  • Keynote Lecture (45 minutes) with Discussion (20 minutes) by Director Savita Pawnday, Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
  • Break/Change of Room (15 minutes)
  • 3 Discussion Groups (45 minutes)

    • Universal Individual Res­ponsibility in International Criminal Law by Stefanie Bock, Philipps-University Marburg, and Eckart Conze, Philipps-University Marburg
    • Responsibility in Violent Conflicts through R2P and International Humanitarian Law by Henning de Vries, Philipps-University Marburg
    • Responsibility through Human Rights by Andreas Heinemann-Grüder, Bonn Inter­national Centre for Conflict Studies

  • Change of Room (10 minutes)
  • Presentation (15 minutes – 5 minutes per group)
  • Debate in Plenum (30 minutes)

From 6:30pm

Dinner

Tuesday, 7 November 2023

9:00am-12:00

Concept and Practice of Humanitarian Intervention(s)

  • Keynote Speeches (40 minutes – 10 minutes per topic)

    • Practice of Humanitarian Intervention in the 19th Century by Fabian Klose, University of Cologne
    • Germany's Foreign and Security Policy and the Practice of Humanitarian Inter­vention Today by Hubert Zimmer­mann, Philipps-University Marburg
    • Conception of R2P and Humanitarian Inter­vention by Werner Distler, University of Groningen
    • Abuse of Humanitarian Inter­vention by Hendrik Simon, PRIF

  • World Café (60 minutes – 15 minutes per booth)

    • Practice of Humanitarian Inter­vention in the 19th Century by Fabian Klose, University of Cologne, and Tatjana Tönsmeyer, Bergische University Wuppertal
    • Germany's Foreign and Security Policy and the Practice of Humanitarian Inter­vention Today by Hubert Zimmermann, Philipps-University Marburg, and Thorsten Gromes, PRIF
    • Conception of R2P and Humanitarian Inter­vention by Werner Distler, University of Groningen, and Alexander Reichwein, Justus-Liebig-University Gießen
    • Abuse of Humanitarian Inter­vention by Hendrik Simon, PRIF, and Regine Schwab, PRIF

  • Break (20 minutes – compilation of results by input providers)
  • Presentation of Results (20 minutes)
  • Discussion in Plenum (40 minutes)

12:00-1:00pm

Lunch

1:00pm-4:00pm

Whose Responsibility – Whose Protection?

  • Keynote Lecture (15 minutes) with Discussion (15 minutes) by Noelle Quenivet, UWE Bristol
  • Change of Room (10 minutes)
  • Negative Conference (45 minutes) and Positive Conference (45 minutes) in Groups

    • Responsibility to Protect in Inter­national Criminal Law by Stefanie Bock, Philipps-University Marburg
    • Gender in Armed Conflict by Simone Wisotzki, PRIF, and Linn-Sophie Löber, Philipps-University Marburg
    • Military and Gender by Major Friederike Hartung, Center for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundes­wehr, and Claudia Kemper, LWL Institute for West­phalian Regional History

  • Break/Change of Room (15 minutes)
  • Discussion of the Overall Picture (45 minutes)

From 4:00pm

Joint Activity and Dinner

Wednesday, 8 November 2023

9:30am-12:00

R2P and Humanitarian Intervention – Outdated Concepts?

  • Keynote Lecture (30 minutes) with Discussion (15 minutes) by Rhiannon Neilsen, University of Stanford
  • Break (10 minutes)
  • Presentation of Mind Map (20 minutes) by Henning de Vries, Philipps-University Marburg
  • Extension of Mind Map (60 minutes)
  • Securing Results (10 minutes)

12:00-1:00pm

Joint Closing

1:00pm-2:00pm

Lunch

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