UNIVERSITE PAUL CEZANNE AIX-MARSEILLE III FACULTE DE DROIT ET DE SCIENCE POLITIQUE INSTITUT D‟ETUDES HUMANITAIRES INTERNATIONALES
MASTER 2 “ACTION HUMANITAIRE INTERNATIONALE”
(Programme NOHA ERASMUS MUNDUS)
The AIX NOHA programme for the Orientation period (Second Semester in Geopolitics and Law of Humanitarian Action)
The two majors are law and geopolitics, with a mainstreaming which is strategy: --how to use law as a tool in order to meet the challenges to human security linked to geopolitical events? --how to discover geopolitical factors behind some rules of law, and behind the lack of implementation of rules of law? The Aix team takes for granted that, during the first semester, students have learnt: --the local and international context of humanitarian action (thanks to Anthropology, lessons of Geopolitics, and a broad insight into Law: international law, law of international organizations, peace keeping law) --the major aspects of humanitarian relief (thanks to Public health and related topics: nutrition, tropical medicine), and Project Management, They are left to understand how decisions are taken for humanitarian relief, in the broad sense, that is to say, be it for planning a medical mission, a refugee camp, or a Blue helmet protection force. The second semester purpose is to introduce them to humanitarian actors choices, and, beyond, to international community choices as to the way of providing human security. The ERASMUS students without legal background have the opportunity, for a few days, to go back with tutors to the programme in Law of the first Semester. Then , they join the rest of the group.
The Units are
U JUR II : Avanced Law (Humanitarian Law, Refugee Law, Reconstruction Law) U GEOPO: Geopolitics, with lectures on different parts of the world and workshops for Geopolitical Watch U GES JUR: Legal Management of Humanitarian Action (with Law of Associations, Social status of humanitarian volunteers, a survey of Customs law, and mainly Law of contracts between European Community and humanitarian organizations) U TECHUMDEVDUR: Humanitarian techniques for a sustainable development (Survey of Hydraulics, Medical logistics, Refugee camp ….) with a view of ensuring sustainability (food security, environment, Linking Relief , Rehabilitation and Development…) STRATHUM: strategies of some noticeable humanitarian actors: humanitarian diplomacy, interference (the so-called “ingerence” put forward by Bernard Kouchner in the ‟80s and „90s), , but also legal advocacy, and codes of conduct set up by humanitarian actors and humanitarian donors as to their own behaviour)
Tacking stock of the first three weeks of the second semester 2006-2007
1. Students began the Semester with a series of lectures bridging the First and Second semesters, building upon the First Semester examination on Refugee Law, on Geopolitics and on Peacekeeping law, in order to introduce further topics, such as UNHCR Protection activities, a geopolitical Watch, and a UN Security Council simulated debate. The latter lasted for three days, the agenda being devoted to Darfur. Each students was supposed to represent either a Security council member (the permanent ones, and the present non permanent ones), or a crisis affected State. The European Union, African Union and Islamic Conference Organisation were supposed to take part in the debates, too. 2. The students, then, were authorized to follow, for another three days, an important meeting in Marseilles organised by UNDP, in which were gathered various local authorities of both developed and developing countries, responsible for development, disaster reduction and emergency relief. Our students attended plenary sessions and were associated to workshops, the minutes of which they were called upon to transcript. 3. They are now entering the stage of the geopolitical watch, in five different groups : Africa, Latin America, Asia, Muslim world, “Peri-Slavian” world. A one-full-day oral restitution will occur.