The Palestinian Institute For International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights at the Faculty of Law and Political Science – An-Najah National University organized a specialized workshop on "International Human Rights Monitoring and Investigations in Conflict Zones" via Zoom on Wednesday, August 6, 2025. This event was attended by undergraduate and master’s students from the fields of law and political science from various Palestinian universities, alongside a number of academics, legal professionals, and individuals interested in issues of international law and human rights.

The workshop was delivered by Ms. Suki Nagra, Head of the Human Rights, Rule of Law, and Transitional Justice Section at The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), who also represents the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights there. Ms. Nagra is an international human rights expert who has worked in several UN missions in conflict zones and has made significant contributions to the development of international monitoring and investigation mechanisms.

During the workshop, Ms. Nagra shared insights from her extensive experience in international humanitarian and human rights work, focusing particularly on her experience in Arab countries and her role in monitoring violations and providing humanitarian assistance in different regions.

In the course of the discussion, Ms. Nagra addressed critiques of the colonial nature of international law and the resulting limitations in the effectiveness of the current international system, which often serves the interests of major powers. While agreeing with this assessment, she emphasized that it would be a mistake to reduce responsibility to a single actor or solely to former colonial powers. Such a view, she explained, could allow some states to avoid their responsibilities in addressing human rights violations. She stressed the importance of maintaining the evidence-based system that enables the documentation of violations worldwide in a systematic manner, as well as upholding the normative framework that affirms the existence of fundamental, non-negotiable rights.

This workshop was held as part of the first academic course launched by the Institute on International Justice, Courts, and Jurisprudence, offered during the summer semester of the 2024/2025 academic year in cooperation with the Master’s Program in International Law and Human Rights at An-Najah National University. The course is part of the activities of the project of establishing the Palestinian Institute for International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, funded by the European Union.