Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict

What Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict does

Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (HLS PILAC) is an academic research program established in 2014 within Harvard Law School, housed at 1545 Massachusetts Avenue, Langdell 175-J, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Its mission is to explore and understand contemporary challenges concerning armed conflict through the lens of public international law, combining traditional international law research with targeted analysis of changing security environments. The program serves states and government legal advisors (current and elected UN Security Council members and their legal/policy advisors), intergovernmental organizations including UN system actors, the International Committee of the Red Cross, military academic institutions, humanitarian NGOs, Harvard Law School students, and international law scholars. Engagement is conducted through an explicitly non-advocacy, independent analytical posture. The program is led by Faculty Director Prof. Gabriella Blum (Rita E. Hauser Professor of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law) and Founding Director Prof. Naz K. Modirzadeh, supported by Research Director Dustin A. Lewis.

HLS PILAC's outputs are scholarly and convening rather than commercial: primers (e.g., the UNSC Primer Series on the International Court of Justice, Articles 43-47, Subsidiary Bodies of Sanctions Committees, and Resolution 2664), longer analytical resources (e.g., the UNSC Practice Concerning the Environment 1945-2021 catalogue, 'International Law and State Allegations of Double Standards'), reports, evidentiary catalogs, lectures, simulation exercises, and workshops. Technology consists primarily of a content-marketing website (pilac.law.harvard.edu), an e-newsletter distributed via Mailchimp, a YouTube lecture archive, and active social media channels (Twitter/X, Instagram, LinkedIn). There are no proprietary software products, APIs, applications, or commercial licensing arrangements; the program does not charge for its publications, briefings, workshops, or most events.

The program is funded institutionally: it was seeded by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs at founding and operates with Harvard Law School institutional support, supplemented by co-sponsorship from the Swiss National Science Foundation for specific workshops. Revenue mechanics are non-commercial: the entity is a non-profit academic program within Harvard University (a private non-profit institution), with the legal name 'The President and Fellows of Harvard College'. The go-to-market motion is community-led rather than commercial: a Senior Law and Policy Working Group of more than 150 senior humanitarian, counterterrorism, human rights, and policy practitioners functions as the central engagement asset, supplemented by LACMO consortium membership (international research network spanning Europe, North America, Asia, and the Pacific) and recurring UN Mission briefings co-organized with Belgium, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Norway, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, and Vanuatu.

Name

Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict

Legal name

The President and Fellows of Harvard College

Website

https://pilac.law.harvard.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict (HLS PILAC) is an academic research program at Harvard Law School, founded in 2014, that produces independent legal analysis, primers, and briefing series for UN Member States, intergovernmental organizations, militaries, NGOs, and scholars on international law governing armed conflict.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Law Research and Policy Advisory

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), National Security and International Affairs (928)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus & Resilience Programming (BPADAEAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy (BPADAGAK), Counterterrorism & Preventing/Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) Cooperation (BPADAFAG), Peace, Security & Arms Control Organizations (BPADAAAF)

Keywords

• International humanitarian law
• Armed conflict research
• Law of war
• International legal policy
• Human rights law research

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional funding: Funded by Harvard Law School institutional support and founding seed donor from Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

HLS PILAC conducts independent, non-advocacy research on international law applicable to armed conflict, producing primers, legal briefings, research reports, evidentiary catalogs, and analytical resources on topics such as the U.N. Security Council, international humanitarian law, AI in armed conflict, sanctions, and protection of civilians. The program engages governments, U.N. system actors, humanitarian organizations, military institutions, and scholars through briefings at UN Missions, workshops, simulation exercises, working groups, and publications aimed at informing policy and practice on the regulation of armed conflict.

Product overview

HLS PILAC is an academic research institution at Harvard Law School focused on international law and armed conflict. The organization does not offer commercial products or software services. It produces scholarly research publications, educational primers, case-study simulation exercises, and hosts workshops and events. Its outputs include analytical reports on topics such as AI in armed conflict, sanctions regimes, and protection of civilians in warfare.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Counterterrorism and Humanitarian Engagement Project: A project focused on the intersection of counterterrorism measures and humanitarian action in armed conflict contexts.

Products and services

• HLS PILAC UNSC Primer Series

Quantifiable outcome

• Governments, UN actors, humanitarian bodies, armed forces, human-rights officials, think tanks, NGOs, and scholars routinely draw on PILAC's evidence and analysis

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Graduate Institute, Geneva (IHEID)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration with International Law Department of Geneva Graduate Institute for workshop on 'How and Why Do Double Standards Matter for International Law?' scheduled May 2025.
• Government of SwitzerlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Co-organized session at 3rd REAIM Summit in A Coruña, Spain on 'Responsible Use of AI in Armed Conflict: Upholding Respect for International Law' on February 4th, 2026.
• Missions of Belgium, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Norway, Sierra Leone, Switzerland, and Vanuatu to the United NationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Collaboration for ongoing research briefing series at UN Missions. The series began in 2016 and provides informal working lunches on international law, armed conflict, and protection of civilians.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Regional Delegation for the United States and CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Co-sponsors workshop series on detention, outer space, artificial intelligence, partnered warfare, and urban sieges. Also co-convened the 2025 Trilateral Workshop on Respecting International Law in Armed Conflict.
• LACMO International Research NetworkmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHLS PILAC is a founding member of this consortium of research centers and research groups within universities and military staff colleges in Europe, North America, Asia, and the Pacific engaged in academic research in law of armed conflict, military operational law, and military dimensions of cyber security.
• HLS Case Studies ProgrammajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to develop real-world-based case studies where students act as senior-level decision-makers. Current exercises concern protection of civilians in partnered warfare and humanitarian aid in Somalia.
• Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare (U.S. Military Academy at West Point)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-convened 2025 workshop 'Respecting International Law in Armed Conflict' with ICRC, focusing on challenges and opportunities related to upholding respect for international law in current and future armed conflicts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect: International civil society organization dedicated to advancing the Responsibility to Protect doctrine, with research on mass atrocity prevention and protection of civilians. Small, focused organization that shares PILAC's thematic focus on protection of civilians in armed conflict.
• Hague Institute for Innovation of Law: International justice innovation organization based in The Hague producing research and tools on rule of law, justice, and international legal practice. Smaller, more programmatic organization with thematic overlap in international law research and policy engagement.

Direct peers

• Chatham House - International Law Programme: Royal Institute of International Affairs' international law research programme, producing independent analysis on international law, conflict, and global governance. Comparable independent, non-advocacy research model on international law and armed conflict, with similar convening of states and practitioners.
• Lieber Institute for Law & Warfare (West Point): U.S. Military Academy at West Point's research institute on the law of armed conflict, national security law, and ethics of warfare. PILAC co-convened the 2025 workshop "Respecting International Law in Armed Conflict" with this institute, and the two share the same academic niche in rigorous, non-advocacy analysis of armed-conflict law.
• American Society of International Law: Professional society for international law scholarship and practice, including the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict that awarded PILAC faculty the Francis Lieber Prize. ASIL's research, journals, and convening serve the same expert legal community PILAC addresses.
• Geneva Graduate Institute - International Law Department: International law department at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. Co-organizes with PILAC the 2025 workshop on "How and Why Do Double Standards Matter for International Law?" and operates as a peer European academic center on international humanitarian and human rights law.

Broad incumbents

• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Major global think tank with programs on international order, democracy, and technology including work on armed conflict, sanctions, and the international legal order. Significantly larger and broader in scope than PILAC, but overlaps in independent policy analysis on international law and conflict.
• United States Institute of Peace: U.S. federal institution focused on conflict prevention, management, and resolution, with substantial work on international law, humanitarian action, and armed conflict. A larger, government-funded counterpart addressing adjacent themes to PILAC's research agenda.
• International Crisis Group: Global organization working to prevent wars and shape policy on armed conflict situations across more than 80 countries. Operates at much greater scale and country-specific depth than PILAC, but shares the focus on armed conflict, protection of civilians, and policy influence on states.
• Stimson Center: U.S.-based think tank with research on international security, weapons governance, and armed conflict. Overlaps with PILAC on issues such as AI in armed conflict, weapons reviews, and protection of civilians, but operates at a larger scale and broader policy remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HLSPILAC
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCjw7Sl0HB0gJDQ1SoW9LxBA/videos
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/harvard-law-school-program-on-international-law-and-armed-conflict
• Instagraminstagram.com/hlspilac

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Harvard Law School Program on International Law and Armed Conflict