The 2019 edition of the Summer school on “Law and Armed Conflict” was launched on Monday, September 2nd, attended by 30 participants representing 8 Arab countries, for the ninth year in a row, with the participation of jurists, researchers and activists, in cooperation with the Faculty of Law of the University la sagesse, in partnership with DIAKONIA. This project is under the supervision of Dr. Karim al-Mufti, the director of the Legal Clinic of Human Rights at the University La Sagesse.
The training program was launched in the presence of Amel International Association founding president and general coordinator of the NGOs network in Lebanon, Dr. Kamel Mohanna, as well as the director of the Diakonia Regional Office in Lebanon, Mr. Cedric Choucair, at Amel House of Human Rights in the headquarters of the Amel – Beirut – Musaitbeh.
Dr. Mohanna emphasized the singularity of Amel’s mission in the framework of humanitarian and social action based on human rights. The activities of Amel focus in particular on empowering the marginalized groups and the most vulnerable in Lebanon, as well as the displaced people and refugees who fled to Lebanon, seeking safety and dignity. Dr. Mohanna recalled the five-pillar vision of “Amel”: a humanitarian action carried out in concert with the vulnerable people concerned, to act against the double standards afflicting the people of the world, equitable distribution of wealth internally and around the world, the establishment of a state of social justice, and the advocacy of the fair causes of the peoples, especially the Palestinian cause.
The regional director of DIAKONIA, Mr. Cedric Choucair, spoke about the emergence of the organization and its advocacy for just causes in the region. He emphasized that DIAKONIA focuses its efforts on supporting young people through sustainable activities in cooperation with different stakeholders, stressing that the goal of the organization is to support every person and activist in the field. He also explained that Diakonia advocates for humanitarian law and human rights under the idea that “people can change the world”. Thus it cooperates with local associations in dozens of countries around the world, including in Lebanon, where it works with 10 local actors on various humanitarian issues.
This two-week training program aims to provide lawyers, researchers and human rights defenders with the knowledge and expertise necessary to act and produce research in the field of international humanitarian law, in order to protect civilians during armed conflict; and to strengthen academic human rights training efforts in Lebanon and the Arab world, particularly in the light of armed conflict and violence in the region. Local and international experts will contribute, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the Appeal to Geneva, the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), Internal Security (ISF), the Blue Shield International organization and Judges from Lebanon and the Arab world.
