The Hague Academy of International Law was officially inaugurated almost a century ago, on 14 July 1923, in the Netherlands, in the Main Courtroom of The Permanent Court of International Justice. The Academy is undoubtedly a “high-level teaching institution” where courses, seminars, conferences, visits of the Peace Palace, embassies, international institutions, and exchanges on a wide variety of topics, continue unabated throughout the entire year. “A multitude of students from all over the world” come to the Academy and this makes it a truly unique institution.
Summer courses
The Summer Courses are organized in two periods of 3 weeks each, one focusing on Public International Law and one on Private International Law. Since the very outset in 1923 thousands of students from over 100 nationalities have been able to attend them. Many alumni, having thus had the opportunity to meet “great names” in the field of international Law, have subsequently gone on to become themselves well-known academics, lawyers or diplomats, among other occupations. The courses consist of lectures on general or special topics and are subsequently published in the Collected Courses series, of which there are currently over 370 volumes, ranking among the most important encyclopaedic publications on public and private international law.
Winter Courses
The Winter Courses are a new programme since 2019. The second Winter Courses will be held January 6-24 2020, a period of 3 weeks, during which high level courses on International Law (both Public and Private) will be given at The Hague Academy of International Law. The Winter Courses are organised in the exact same manner as the Summer Courses, and consist of courses on general and special topics which are subsequently published in the Collected Courses series, of which there are currently over 386 volumes, ranking among the most important encyclopaedic publications on public and private international law.
Centre for Studies and Research
The Centre for Studies and Research in International Law and International Relations takes place immediately after the end of the Summer Courses for a period of 3 weeks. The Centre is designed to bring together highly qualified young international lawyers from all over the world, to undertake original research on a common general theme which is determined each year by Curatorium of the Academy. The research undertaken during the Centre is included in a collective work published by the Academy. Only the best contributions are selected for this publication. Participants must therefore have a perfect command of legal French or English. The number of admissible participants is set between 20 to 24, subdivided in an English-speaking section and a French-speaking section.The selection of candidates is conducted jointly by the Secretary–General of the Academy and the two Directors of Studies.
External Programme
At the end of the 1960s, the Academy established the “External Programme”, which is normally held each year, in turn in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, upon the invitation of host governments or international organizations. It enjoys great popularity in the countries visited by the Academy. The programme is a means not only of developing knowledge of topics of international law relevant for the region, but also, by the way in which it is organized, of promoting mutual familiarity among students from countries in the region. The teaching methods are interactive, and are aimed at fostering dialogue and discussion that also take place in informal settings, during meals, encounters, visits and lectures. Since the beginning, several hundred lecturers and more than 1500 participants from Africa, Asia and Latin America have attended external sessions. The External Programme is aimed at nationals of the host State, who are joined by approximantely 20 participants from countries in the region (residing in their own country). The travel expenses of the regional participants are funded by the Academy while the government of the host State takes care of their accommodation.
Advanced Course On International Criminal Law
The course provides in-depth understanding, discussion and training in theory and practice of International Criminal Law. General and specialized themes are broached by distinguished experts in the field and supplemented by exercises.