Weapons Law and the Legal Review of Weapons 2025

All States should conduct legal reviews of weapons at various stages in their manufacture or procurement. To this end, the course will enable participants to acquire new knowledge, tools and skills to ensure states’ compliance with international weapons law as well as conceptualise and conduct a legal review of any category of new weapon.

States have a legal obligation to ensure that the weapons that are newly developed, manufactured or produced for their own armed forces are compliant with international law. These reviews should be carried out by experts with a good understanding of the relevant legal provisions. This course will provide lawyers, diplomats and other officials with the knowledge and skills required for that purpose.

The course has been running since 2011 and is funded by the Swiss Government.

Learning objectives

• acquire new knowledge, tools and skills to ensure states’ compliance with international weapons law
• conceptualise and conduct a legal review of any category of new weapon

The course is designed for lawyers, diplomats and other officials, either currently involved or likely to be involved in legal weapons reviews and/or other weapons-related issues. It does not assume any particular knowledge of, or previous experience in international law or the law of armed conflict.

The course is offered at reduced tuition charges thanks to the generous support of the Swiss government. The GCSP reserves the right to modify the programme dates, location and fee at any time.