Hello.

My name is Miss Ikomi and I am a teacher from London.

I'm going to be taking you through today's lesson.

We've got lots to get through, so we're going to get started.

Today's lesson is called "What is the UK's role in international courts?" It's part of the wider unit "How does the UK play a role in the international community?" By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to explain the importance of international courts and the role that the UK plays in them.

As today's topics could be seen as sensitive, we're going to discuss some ground rules for taking part in this lesson.

First of all, it's important to listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, it's important that we challenge the statement, not the person.

We must respect privacy.

We can discuss examples in a general sense, but please do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone, including yourself.

We listen without passing judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged.

And last, you can choose your level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join in with a discussion.

We'll never put anyone on the spot.

Let's get started.

The keywords we're going to hear in today's lesson are international humanitarian law.

This is a set of international rules that limit the effects of armed conflict and ensure people, especially civilians, are treated fairly during war.

Next, the International Criminal Court.

This is a permanent international court established to investigate, prosecute, and try individuals accused of the most serious crimes against humanity.

The European Court of Human Rights.

This is an international court that ensures Council of Europe Member States respect the rights and guarantees outlined in the European Convention on Human Rights.

We're going to begin by thinking about where does international law come from? Aisha's asking a really good question.

"What do we mean when we say international law?" International law, like local or domestic law, is a set of rules and agreements that countries follow when dealing with each other.

It helps to decide what's acceptable or unacceptable, such as during times of war.

So like with domestic law where they are passed thinking about citizens of a particular nation, international law considers citizens all over the world.

War has existed throughout human history, often for a variety of different reasons, but over time, people have agreed on certain rules that should be followed, even at the point where we are in the height of conflict.

One early example comes from 1750 BCE, the Code of Hammurabi.

It included the idea that the strong should not harm the weak.

While weapons and warfare have changed a lot since then, international law still reflects this principle that we have to make sure that people are protected.

Let's do a check of what we've learned so far.

True or false? Laws about war were only created when humans invented guns.

Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is false.

This is because we know that humans fought wars long before guns existed.

Over time, they made rules about what is right and wrong in war, and we saw that example from 1750 BCE when the Code of Hammurabi said that the strong should not harm the weak.

The modern rules that have been adapted in order to think about how we treat people during war are called international humanitarian law.

They aim to protect people who are not involved in fighting.

That includes civilians, such the sick, the wounded, the elderly, and children.

Protect people who are no longer involved in fighting, so that includes soldiers who are captured, so they're called prisoners of war, ensuring that they're treated fairly and humanely.

It also sets out the rights and responsibilities of those involved in armed conflict.

Let's do another check.

Which of the following would international humanitarian law set out to protect? A, soldiers in tanks, B, the sick in hospitals or C, sailors on warships? Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is B, the sick in hospitals.

The Second World War saw human suffering on an unimaginable scale.

Examples of this included six million Jewish people being killed in the Holocaust, including 1.

5 million children, 384,000 UK soldiers killed in combat, 70,000 UK civilians who died as a result of the war.

In 1949, governments around the world agreed to the four Geneva Conventions, a set of rules designed to protect people from these different awful circumstances and make sure that nothing like that could happen again.

The Geneva Convention set out to protect soldiers on land and at sea, prisoners of war, civilians.

The Conventions were later updated in 1977 and 2005 to respond to the new challenges of warfare.

That includes the use of biological and chemical weapons that hadn't existed on the same scale at the point that the Geneva Conventions were written.

To date, 196 countries have ratified the Geneva Conventions, meaning that they have signed them and continue to use them.

In 1980, The Hague Convention made very clear rules on protecting children, specifically in war.

This included preventing child trafficking, which is moving children around illegally and without their consent, and using children as part of war.

Both the Geneva Convention and The Hague Convention continue to form the basis of international humanitarian laws.

Over time, international laws protecting children have developed through various different conventions and treaty.

We've seen already a couple of examples of this.

We also have the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, the 1989 United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and its optional protocols, such as the right of the child in armed conflict.

Such conventions, along with the Geneva Conventions, continue to form the basis of international humanitarian laws.

Let's do another check.

Which of the following has four conventions, originally agreed in 1949 and updated in 1977 and 2005? Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is A, the Geneva Convention.

Let's put what we've done so far into practise.

I would like you to explain why international humanitarian law was necessary, especially after the Second World War.

In your answer, refer to at least one of the conventions.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

I asked you to explain why international humanitarian law was necessary, particularly after the Second World War.

You might have said humans have always fought wars, but over time they began to agree on certain rules about what's right and wrong during conflict.

After the Second World War, the amount of suffering, especially for civilians, was so great that countries agreed stronger rules were needed.

This is the basis of international humanitarian law.

In 1949, the four Geneva Conventions were agreed upon to protect soldiers, civilians, and prisoners of war.

They were later updated to include rules about modern weapons.

These laws aim to reduce suffering during war and protect people who are not fighting.

For example, children.

Today, nearly all countries have ratified them, 196 countries in total.

Next, we're going to think about what are international courts? Since there's international humanitarian law, there must also be a mechanism to impose consequences on those who break laws.

Again, this is similar to domestic law.

If someone breaks that law, they can be brought to a court.

In the same vein, we have other mechanisms to think about this on a larger scale.

The mechanism to think about international humanitarian law is the International Criminal Court.

The International Criminal Court, also called the ICC, was established in 2002 and is based in The Hague, which is in the Netherlands.

It was created by the Rome Statue, which was adopted in 1998 as the first permanent court with the power to prosecute individuals for international crimes, such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression.

In 2025, 125 countries are state parties to the court.

A state party is a sovereign state that has accepted the jurisdiction of the court, meaning that they will accept what it has given out as a sentence.

Let's do another check.

Where is the ICC based? Is it A, New York, B, The Hague, or C, Amsterdam? Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is B, The Hague.

The ICC has heard lots of cases involving leaders who violated international humanitarian law.

One example is the case of Thomas Lubanga Dyilo.

Lubanga was the first person who was ever convicted by the ICC.

He was a military leader in the Democratic Republic of Congo during the civil war.

Lubanga was found guilty of war crimes, including the conscription of children to fight in war, which involved the murder of their families.

As a result, Lubanga was sentenced to 14 years in prison and ordered to pay compensation to his victims. He was released in 2020.

The ICC has its detention centre within a Dutch prison complex.

The ICC can impose a range of sentences depending on the crime.

These include imprisonment for up to 30 years or life, fines, forfeiture of assets, which means being forced to give up possessions or assets, or reparations; that means paying compensation to a person or to a group.

Despite this example and these good things, the ICC has faced some criticisms. For example, some powerful countries, such as the USA, China, India, and Israel have not ratified the Rome Statute, limiting the power of the ICC.

The ICC has also primarily prosecuted leaders from African countries.

There have been fewer cases involving leaders from Western nations, and this has led to concerns about the court's impartiality.

Which of these is not a sentence given by the ICC? Is it A, imprisonment, B, forfeiture of assets or C, death? Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is C.

The ICC do not hand out the death penalty.

The European Court of Human Rights is another international court that is based in Strasbourg in France.

It allows individuals and member states of the Council of Europe to raise complaints about human rights issues.

An important document used by the court is the European Convention on Human Rights.

This agreement outlines the fundamental human rights and responsibility of member states to uphold them.

If you are a member of the Council of Europe, you're expected to adhere to the European Convention of Human Rights.

The European Court of Human Rights has overseen some really important landmark cases.

For example, Dudgeon versus the United Kingdom in 1981.

This case established that same-sex sexual activity is protected under the European Convention on Human Rights.

As a result, Northern Ireland was required to decriminalise homosexuality.

Another example is Hirst versus the United Kingdom.

The court found that denying all voting rights to prisoners violated their right to free elections under Protocol No.

1, Article 3 of the Convention.

The UK government has so far not complied with this ruling as they continue to not allow prisoners to vote.

Let's do a check.

True or false? The European Court of Human Rights is a worldwide court.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is false.

This is because it's a court for member states of the Council of Europe.

Let's do another check to put this into practise.

I'd like you to explain two differences between the International Criminal Court, the ICC, and the European Court of Human Rights.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

Let's check our answers.

You are explaining two differences between the ICC and the European Court of Human Rights.

You might have said, "The International Criminal Court enforces international humanitarian law and prosecutes individuals for crimes, like war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Whilst the European Court of Human Rights hears complaints from individuals about human rights violated, committed by member states of the Council of Europe.

The International Criminal Court uses documents like the Rome Statue, Geneva Conventions, and other international laws to make its decisions, whereas the European Court of Human Rights upholds the European Convention on Human Rights to protect citizens' rights." Last, we're going to think about what is the UK's role in international courts? The UK plays a really important role in the international courts.

They contribute financially to the ICC.

For example, in 2023, the UK contributed over 14 million pounds.

The UK also provides political support and encourages other nations to back the court's work and uphold international justice standards.

The UK works collaboratively with the United Nations and other international organisations to promote global safety and security.

The ICC ensures that those who break international law are held accountable and the UK is committed to ensuring that those judgments are enforced.

Jun's giving us an example.

If the ICC issues an arrest warrant for a person on UK territory, the UK is obliged to arrest them if they are able to.

Let's do a check.

I'd like you to read the sentences below and fill in the blanks.

Pause your video and have a go at this now before we check our answers.

Let's check our answers.

The UK collaborates with the United Nations and other international organisations to ensure global safety and security.

If the ICC issues an arrest warrant for an individual, the UK is obliged to arrest them if they are within its jurisdiction.

Membership of international courts means that the UK is able to play a role in the development of international human rights law.

The UK's also been able to incorporate the European Convention on Human Rights into domestic law via the Human Rights Act of 1998.

International courts help shape UK law.

By working with courts like the European Court of Human Rights, people can bring cases to get help.

This has led to changes in UK law and has made it fairer and more protective of human rights, so it can positively impact us on more of a regular basis.

Let's do a check.

What UK Law was introduced as a result of the European Convention on Human Rights? Was it A, the Equal Pay Act, B, the Human Rights Act, or C, the Equality Act? The correct answer is B, the Human Rights Act, 1998.

We're going to do a final task to summarise the role that the UK plays in the international courts.

I'd like you to have a go at this now, maybe considering some of the examples that we've looked at.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

I asked you to summarise the role that the UK plays when it comes to international courts.

You might have used some of the following in your answer.

The UK plays an important role in international courts.

One of the key ways is by contributing financially to the International Criminal Court, which investigates serious crimes like genocide and war crimes.

In 2023, it contributed in excess of 14 million pounds.

The UK also helps shape international law by working with other countries to create and strengthen global agreements on justice and human rights.

Through this work, the UK supports efforts to protect people and uphold international law around the world.

Today, we have been learning about what is the UK's role in international courts.

We have learned that international humanitarian law aims to reduce suffering in war and protect civilians and prisoners of war.

While rules about war have existed for centuries, they were strengthened after the Second World War through key agreements like the Geneva Convention and other conventions and international treaties.

The ICC and the European Court of Human Rights hold individuals and nations accountable for violating international law.

These courts use key documents, like the Rome Statue, the Geneva Convention, and the European Convention on Human Rights to guide their rulings and ensure justice.

The UK plays an active role in international courts by supporting the development of human rights laws and ensuring compliance with court rulings.

This helps to promote justice and accountability worldwide.

That's the end of today's lesson.

Thank you for joining me.