​On 11-16 December 2017, the 5th edition of the Great Lakes Regional Training Programme in International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights took place in Kigali. This time, 72 students and lecturers from 24 universities were empowered with knowledge and skills in relation with rules applicable in armed conflicts, and human rights. Among the participating universities, 10 were from Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. It is the first time since 2013 that English speaking countries have been accepted to join this regional Programme which started focusing on Burundi, DR Congo and Rwanda.

Students’ research culminated with the production of two memorials, per team, containing arguments supported by relevant provisions of international instruments and case-law. Memorials addressed alternatively and separately the position of the prosecutor indicting the army general, operations commander, and that of the defense lawyer in accordance with the laws and procedures governing the International Criminal Court.​The activities of this edition were organized around the theme “Maintaining the Rule of Law in Armed Conflict Period: What protection for Children in the Great Lakes Region?”.
As usual, before coming for a one-week intensive training programme in Kigali, participants spent 3 months researching on the legal qualification of facts involved in a fictitious case depicting various violations of international humanitarian law and human rights. This year’s case was built on a scenario of post-electoral crisis that degenerated to a rebellion led by an opposition leader, who not only lost the elections but also refused to recognize the polls’ results. This rebellion was bloodily repressed by the governmental army with disastrous humanitarian consequences on civilians, including women and children.

​In Kigali, participants enriched their knowledge by attending workshops facilitated by renowned experts in the fields of international humanitarian law and human rights. Among these workshops, it is worth mentioning two because of both their technicity and their topicality. The first, facilitated by Dr. Raphael van Steenberghe, professor of international law at Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, aimed at helping participants know and understand recent developments regarding the complementarity between international humanitarian law and human rights. The second related to the identification of lex specialis and how it is articulated with other rules governing armed conflicts was facilitated by Dr. Aurélie Tardieu, lecturer at Université de Caen in France. Moreover, participants attended a conference on how international humanitarian law and human rights law complement each other in protecting children in armed conflict period.

To connect theory to practice, students participated in a moot court competition organized in two tracks. The Francophone track, competed by Congolese and Burundian universities, was won by Université de Kinshasa (from DR Congo) after facing in final another Congolese university, Universté de Goma. On the side of the English track, universities from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda faced each other. Moi University won the competition after a fierce pleading against Kampala International University from Uganda in the final.

​The bench of Judges in preliminary rounds and in the grand final was composed of people with sound expertise in international law from iPeace partner universities and organizations based in Belgium, Cameroon, DR Congo, France, Netherlands, Rwanda, Switzerland, and Tchad.
Both finals took place in the main courtroom of the Supreme Court of Rwanda in the presence of the Chief Justice, prof. Sam Rugege, who also delivered closing remarks after he handed awards to best female pleaders on both sides. It was the first time that special prizes such as best overall pleader and best female pleader were introduced in the Great Lakes regional moot court competition. In his speech, Chief Justice acknowledged the pertinence of this programme not only in shaping the knowledge and skills or the region’s future lawyers and judges in international humanitarian law and human rights but also in promoting peaceful coexistence.

​This edition was supported by the Swiss federal department of foreign affairs, German Cooperation, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Commune Plan-les Ouates, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Association québécoise de droit international. Since 2013, 251 the people have benefited from this programme and are now members of the active Great Lakes Network, which regroups academics and practitioners interested in international humanitarian law and human rights in the Great Lakes region. The next edition will take place in Kigali on 9-16 December 2018.

Elvis Mbembe Binda, IPHR's president and co-founder, has just appeared on the 2013 "99 Under 33" list published this afternoon by the US Magazine Diplomatic Courier as one of the World's Top 99 most Influential Leaders in Foreign Policy Under the age of 33. “99 Under 33” is an international list jointly launched by Diplomatic Courier and Young Professional in Foreign Policy in 2011 to capture the extraordinary impact on international affairs of 99 diverse Millennials under the age of 33. Several hundred people were nominated this year by last year’s 99 Under 33 honorees, ambassadors, business leaders, and scholars. Only 99 were selected after a rigorous three-step process by the Selection Committee. 
The list and individuals profiles of the Top 99 Under 33 offer insight into creativity, determination, and passion of the young people like Elvis Mbembe who are already tackling and solving the world’s critical global challenges. This year only four Africans appeared on the list of which most of the nominees are americans. Other African nominees are from Ghana, Kenya and Liberia. By design, this list is broad and diverse, encompassing entrepreneurs, technologists, journalists, bankers, activists, and scientists—as well as diplomats and other government officials. This reflects the belief that foreign policy in the 21st Century is made by leaders from all sectors. The "99 Under 33" recognizes the distinctive impact each of the honorees has on his or her community today and their promise of potential as leader in the future. 
Everyone on the list is quite different, but every single person was chosen for specific reasons. Each of the honorees has been mapped to one of the seven leadership archetypes that define the "99 Under 33", even though many of them exhibit most of these qualities in some facet of their work:
- A Catalyst is from a field not typically associated with foreign policy who has had an impact on international affairs.
- A Convener brings people together in creative ways to address a pressing international issue or enhance the foreign policy community.
- An Influencer mobilizes people in the foreign policy community with bold new ideas.
- An Innovator designs a new solution to a critical global challenge.
- A Practitioner changes foreign policy from the inside through extraordinary professionalism and skill.
- A Risk-taker takes a chance and sees it pay off.
- A Shaper changes the public discourse on an aspect of foreign policy or raises awareness on a critical issue.

“As a Catalyst, Elvis works tirelessly to uphold respect of human rights, good governance and rule of law in the Great Lakes of Africa. Elvis emphasizes the power of human rights and good governance education for sustainable peace in the region and he shares this approach with university students.” highlights Ana C. Rold, Editor-in-Chief, Diplomatic Courier. 

This nomination is a recognition of modest efforts that IPHR is doing to contribute in peace building in the Great Lakes region. For instance, in May this year IPHR organized a regional moot court competition in partnership with a Switzerland-based NGO (Comite pour le Concours Grands Lacs) on international humanitarian law and human rights that brought to Kigali law students and teachers from fourteen (14) universities of Burundi, DR Congo and Rwanda. Two students (from the University of Kinshasa in DRC) who won the competition were automatically admitted to pursue a Master’s programme (LL.M) in Advanced Studies of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights at the Geneva Academy in Switzerland with full scholarship. 
Like other honorees, Elvis has been invited to the official reception that will be held in Washington, DC at the National Press Club on October 9th, 2013.

The winners of the first francophone regional moot court competition on international humanitarian law and human rights held in Kigali from 28-30 May 2013, miss Thesée-Aurore Mabaka and Mr Jean Jacques Tshiamala from the University of Kinshasa, have obtained an ex-officio admission to the Master’s program of advanced studies in international humanitarian law and Human Rights of the Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights in Geneva (ADH) for the academic year 2014-2015 thanks to a very good collaboration between the Comité pour le Concours Grands Lacs (CCGL) and ADH.

This admission granted by the Director of ADH, Ms. Paola Gaeta, which includes a tuition scholarship of 15,000 Swiss francs (approximately U.S. $ 15,775) and a promise of grant to cover the cost of living in Geneva is not only an award for the outstanding performance of the winners but also a recognition of the quality and seriousness of the competition which wants to become an annual academic event in the African Great Lakes.

Indeed, from 28 to 30 May 2013, twenty-eight (28) students from public and private universities of Burundi, DRC and Rwanda shared their knowledge and arguments around a fictional case incorporating various violations of international humanitarian law and human rights that the Great Lakes region faces since the 90s. The competition was organized by the Committee for the Great Lakes Competition (Swiss-based NGO) in partnership with Initiatives for Peace and Human Rights (NGO based in Rwanda) through financial support of the Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, the City of Geneva and the Paul Reuter Fund and logistical support of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Université Libre de Kigali (ULK).

Preparations for the next edition are already underway.