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Knut Ipsen Lecture Series

In commemoration of our founding director Professor Knut Ipsen, we inaugurated the Knut Ipsen Lecture Series in 2022. This series is a tribute to his tireless commitment and pivotal role in shaping the International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict. Renowned scholars from around the globe engage in discussions concerning contemporary advancements in these legal domains and their interconnected disciplines.

Who was Knut Ipsen?

Professor Ipsen assumed the Chair of Public Law (International Law) at Ruhr University Bochum (RUB) in 1974, leaving an indelible mark on the institution unlike any other. During his tenure as rector, he founded the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) and steered the RUB's fortunes for one decade–longer than anyone before or after him.

While his contributions to higher education policy were notable, it was his profound impact on International Law that truly distinguished him: Among his students are some of today's foremost scholars and practitioners of International Humanitarian Law. His textbook on international law, which has borne his name since its second edition, has become an indispensable reference work for German-speaking practitioners, scholars, and students alike.

Professor Ipsen's expertise in this field is undeniable, as demonstrated by his role in negotiating the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions as a member of the German delegation. His work as Federal Convention Commissioner, later President of the German Red Cross, and his many years as a judge at the Permanent Court of Arbitration give an idea of his international reputation as one of the outstanding German International Law scholars of his generation.

The Knut Ipsen Lecture Series honours his special achievements. You are cordially invited to keep the memory of one of Germany's most influential international lawyers of our time alive.

Past Knut Ipsen Lectures

Fall Term 2024 (Winter Semester 2024/2025)

Professor Ramona Vijeyarasa (University of Technology Sydney/Visiting Professor at IFHV): Artificial Intelligence, the North-South Divide, and the Right to Development, 20 November 2024

Spring Term 2024 (Summer Semester 2024)

Professor Kristin Bergtora Sandvik (Peace and Research Institute Oslo/University of Oslo): The Juridification of Humanitarian Space, 23 April 2024

Fall Term 2022 (Winter Semester 2022/2023)

Professor Marco Sassòli (University of Geneva): The Armed Conflict in Ukraine: Challenges and Chances for International Humanitarian Law, 06 October 2022

Professor Thea Hillhorst (Erasmus University Rotterdam): Humanitarian Studies Today: Development of a Research Field, 14 December 2022

Professor Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg (European University Viadrina, Frankfurt/Oder): The Future of the Law of Peace and Armed Conflict against the Background of Increasing Confrontations, 26 January 2023

News about the Knut Ipsen Lecture Series

Knut Ipsen Lecture on The Juridification of Humanitarian Space by Bergtora Sandvik

The Knut Ipsen Lecture Series returns: This year's edition kicks off with a lecture by Professor Kristin Bergtora Sandvik on "The Juridification of Humanitarian Space" on 23 April 2024. The Knut Ipsen Lecture Series commemorates the fundamental contribution of the IFHV's founding director, Professor Knut Ipsen, to shaping the international law of peace and armed conflict. Lectures by leading scholars will discuss current developments in these and related fields.

Knut Ipsen Lecture Series

In memory of its founding director, Professor Knut Ipsen, the Institute for International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict (IFHV) is establishing the Knut Ipsen Lecture Series, which will kick off in the fall term of 2022 (winter semester 2022/23) in Bochum. In memory of Professor Knut Ipsen's fundamental contribution to the shaping of the international law of peace and armed conflicts, lectures by leading researchers will discuss current developments in these and related fields. The Knut Ipsen Lecture Series thereby honors the special achievements of Knut Ipsen as founding director of the IFHV, rector of the Ruhr-University Bochum and president of the German Red Cross. Companions, researchers, students, and interested parties are invited to join us in keeping alive the memories of one of the most influential international lawyers of our time.

Knut Ipsen Lecture on AI & the Right to Development by Ramona Vijeyarasa

The second lecture of this year’s Knut Ipsen Lecture Series will feature Professor Dr. Ramona Vijeyarasa, presenting on “Artificial Intelligence, the North-South Divide, and the Right to Development” on 20 November 2024, at 12:00 a.m. (CET).