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PARTNER

Summer school

Apply now to the GROMADA summer school on citizen science and international law protecting for the environment during and after armed conflicts from 25 August – 1 September 2024 in Hamburg! The summer school is organised with the support of the German Red Cross and the Ukrainian Red Cross Society, Greenpeace and ELSA Hamburg e.V.

Application open until 30 April 2024

What is it about?

The summer school offers 10 interdisciplinary courses dealing with environmental citizen science and civic monitoring, legal protection of the environment during and after an armed conflict, and evidence assessments of environmental impacts. All the topics covered will be linked to the war in Ukraine and its environmental consequences. The programme will enable participants to actively engage in environmental restoration through citizen science and civic monitoring in Ukraine and beyond.

At the end of the summer school, all participants will apply what they have learned in the courses in a simulated court proceeding (moot court). Everybody will actively engage in teams as representatives for applicant state, respondent state, and third parties in the simulated proceeding.

Who can apply?

The interdisciplinary GROMADA summer school is aimed at students of law, environmental science, community development, policy development, or any other discipline with an interest in active citizen participation in the context of environmental harms. Members of NGOs and other communities are also explicitly invited to apply. Everybody will get the opportunity to get in touch and interact with people from different academic backgrounds and expand their knowledge beyond the legal aspects of armed conflicts.

If you are from a non-related field, your are invited apply as well. Please make sure to highlight your qualifications and interest in attending the summer school including the moot court in your application.

Note: For participants from Ukraine, we offer the possibility to participate remotely in the academic programme and the moot court.

What courses are taught?

Preliminary curriculum (March 2024)

Sunday

None (Arrival)

Monday

Welcome session and Icebreaker
Lecture 1: The international legal framework on wartime environmental damage (as well as relevant Ukrainian domestic laws)
Lecture 2: Remote assessment of conflict-linked environmental damage: tools and opportunities
Lecture 3: Civic monitoring for environmental law enforcement in court proceedings and in mediation of conflicts

Tuesday

Lecture 4: Environmental war crimes and ecocide under Ukrainian law in the Russia-Ukraine War
Lecture 5: Addressing environmental damage in the context of international criminal law
Lecture 6: Working with available environmental data in Ukraine (conducted by Greenpeace)
Lecture 7: Community monitoring of natural resources and the environment

Wednesday

Lecture 8: Citizen science for environmental and health issues in conflict zones
Lecture 9: Citizen assemblies and advocacy as means for civic engagement
Lecture 10: Strategic litigation and wartime environmental damage (conducted by the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights)
Introduction to Moot Court

Thursday

Moot Court preparation in teams

Friday

Moot Court

Saturday

None (voluntary field trip)

Sunday

None (Departure)

By the end of the summer school, participants will:

Comprehend the legal framework and requirements for protecting the environment during and after an armed conflict,
Acquire knowledge about different standards of evidence and science in court proceedings,
Gain a better understanding of ways to restore the external environment as a result of military action,
Interact with experts, NGOs, local Ukrainian communities, civic monitoring and citizen science initiatives, and other stakeholders in developing ways of civic engagement relevant to restoring the environment in Ukraine and other conflict-affected areas.

The are taught by different academics and GROMADA project partners from the Universities of Lund, Hamburg and Copenhagen, Odessa State Environmental University, CEOBS, Systasis and Web2Learn.

Furthermore, lectures will be held by associated summer school partners, e.g. Greenpeace and the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.

How much does it cost to participate?

There is no fee for participation in the academic programme. Activities for the social programme might require payments, depending on the activity. Participants from Ukraine are eligible to apply for 100% travel grants.

Accommodation is provided to all participants free of cost.

Will I receive ETCS points or a certificate as a participant?

ETCS credit points for participating students

Transcript of records for courses completed: credit-hour system with ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) equivalents (around 2.5-3 ECTS).

Participating students from the University of Hamburg Faculty of Law

Students from the Faculty of Law of the University of Hamburg can choose to obtain either a Sprachenschein or a Schlüsselqualifikation for successful participation in the academic program of the GROMADA Summer School.