Implementation of International Humanitarian Law in Ukraine

Fighting by the Rules in the Midst of Large-Scale Armed Conflicts?

The event will lead off with a keynote presentation on the Ukrainian Voluntary Report on the Implementation of International Humanitarian Law by Lieutenant Colonel Inna Zavorotko, Deputy Head of the International Law Section of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine (MoD) of Ukraine.

The November 2024 Report is unique in addressing internal processes aimed to comply with IHL in the midst of a high-intensity international armed conflict. As stated in the Ministerial Forward: ‘the extreme conditions of war are an ultimate test for legal obligations so solemnly declared in times of peace and prosperity and so frequently, unfortunately, forgotten in times of war and misery’. With dozens of examples, the Report addresses how the MoD of Ukraine implements IHL obligations in areas such as protection of civilians (including children, women and journalists), means and methods of warfare, new technologies, and dissemination of IHL in military education and training systems.

The keynote presentation will be followed by a conversation with interventions by expert IHL discussants in order to both engage on the Report and to highlight lessons for Denmark and beyond. 

Programme

9:00 Registration

9:30

Welcome address

Valeriy Kravchenko, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Ukraine in the Kingdom of Denmark

Astrid Kjeldgaard-Pedersen, Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen

9:45

Keynote Address – ‘Presentation of the Voluntary Report on IHL Implementation’

Inna Zavorotko, Deputy Head of the International Law Section at the MoD of Ukraine and Lieutenant Colonel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine 

10:30

Panel Discussion

Christian Ejby Strøm Karstensen, Head of Department of International Law, Danish MoD

Ievgeniia Lukianchenko, Legal Adviser, Ukrainian Red Cross

Marc Schack, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen
11:30 Closing

Kevin Jon Heller, a Professor at the Centre for Military Studies at the University of Copenhagen, will moderate the event.

Registration