As the rules-based order comes under intensifying threat, international lawyers stand at the frontline.  The War Crimes Committee will examine the importance of defending this order and the impact of atrophying respect for international law on affected populations as well as the political and economic stability of the world. Serious violations of International Humanitarian Law are continuing unabated, while dominant actors in the international community fail to strengthen the international infrastructure designed to uphold international law and hold accountable those who commit the worst atrocities. Simultaneously, mounting pressure for accountability on the ground stems from both affected communities and the wider public. In the context of these linked but apparently countervailing dynamics, we ask what this means for the future of international humanitarian norms and the fate of civilians caught in the cross-fire.
 
Our expert panel will speak to the broader geopolitical issues and highlight the many on-going on the ground efforts and the stark consequences of bombing, starving, and targeting civilians. We examine the threats facing the fundamental principles of IHL, and how credible evidence can be gathered in the fog of war.