From 9 to 13 November 2011, I participated in an international conference on international humanitarian law and peace operations held at the Empark Grand Hotel in Beijing. The conference was co-organized by the Academy of Military Science of China’s People’s Liberation Army and the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War, and hosted by China’s Military Law Society.
The conference brought together around one hundred participants from around the world. This was my first time in Beijing (or indeed in China) and I hugely enjoyed the experience.
I spoke on certain aspects of status of forces agreements, sharing a panel with Kjetil Mujezinović Larsen, who gave a presentation on the applicability of human rights treaties to peace support operations. It was particularly interesting to hear the views of our Chinese hosts on these matters during the question and answer session. The panel was chaired by Claude Bruderlein.
A more detailed account of the event may be found at the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War’s website.
