Overview

UFRGS IHL Clinic is a center for teaching, research and legal assistance in International Humanitarian Law (IHL), or Law of Armed Conflict. The Clinic's Student Members discuss relevant IHL topics and conduct research in order to contribute to national and international academia. They also collaborate with external partners (especially humanitarian organizations) to provide legal assistance in the field of IHL. In addition, the Clinic acts as the preparation center for the UFRGS team in IHL competitions, with emphasis on the classic Jean Pictet Competition. The name "Clinic" refers to UFRGS IHL Clinic's project to work close to civil society, either in national and international courts as amicus curiae, or as a specialist consultant in IHL. In this sense, the Clinic also organizes other activities aimed at contributing to the IHL training of the civil society, in compliance with the provisions of the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols I and II. The Clinic also aims to train its members, in group and individually, in the fields of International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law and International Criminal Law, as well as Public International Law as an essential basic tool. In this sense, they develop their knowledge to: position themselves in front of different scenarios involving armed conflicts; analyze global overviews of complex legal and factual problems to differentiate them from less relevant issues; and identify strategic points, opportunities and risks for negotiating and implementing IHL. Finally, UFRGS IHL Clinic often promotes academic events in order to insert IHL in a more prominent position in Brazilian universities. Thus, it seeks to encourage students, professors and professionals to develop an essentially Brazilian and critical view of this field of international law.