International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law

In this DIIS Working Paper, analyst Kristoffer Nilaus Tarp and postdoc Mikkel Runge Olesen argue, thatensuring that national security authorities adhere to integrating International Humanitarian Law (IHL)and International Human Rights Laws (IHRL)principles is a precondition for shifting the loyalty and trust of local populations from competing centres of authority towards the elected government and its formal security institutions.

The working paper seeks to document Danish experiences with IHL and IHRL in capacity building and training of foreign armed forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and other contexts. The paper builds on a range of interviews with individuals directly or indirectly involved in training and capacity building activities such as military legal advisors and civilian advisors as well as members of the armed forces.