The Paul Reuter Fund was set up in 1983 thanks to a donation to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from the late Paul Reuter, Professor Emeritus at the University of Paris, member of the Institute of International Law and former Chairman of the International Law Commission. The purpose of the Fund is to encourage the publication of works on international humanitarian law and to finance the Paul Reuter Prize, worth 5,000 Swiss francs, which is awarded every three years.

Dr Zwanenburg is from the Netherlands and has been a lecturer in public international law at the Universities of Amsterdam and Leiden. He is currently Legal Counsel at the Netherlands Ministry of Defence.

The jury for the Paul Reuter Prize 2006 comprises Professors Paolo Bernasconi and Daniel Thürer, President and Vice-President respectively of the Paul Reuter Fund Committee and both members of the ICRC, staff members of the ICRC, Professors Mrs Louise Doswald-Beck, Director of the University Centre for International Humanitarian Law of Geneva, and Mr Marco Sassòli of the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva. The jury has unanimous decided to award the 2006 Prize to Dr Zwanenburg for his work.

The book, published by Martinus Nijhoff in 2005, was originally written as a doctoral thesis under the supervision of Professor Horst Fischer who holds the international humanitarian law Red Cross Chair, at Leiden University.

Dr Zwanenburg's book addresses the issue of the accountability of peace support operations for violations of international humanitarian law, focusing on operations under United Nations and NATO command. It aims to enhance understanding of the application of international humanitarian law to such operations.



The jury selected the study because of the wealth of legal material considered by the author, including State and organizational practice, which makes it an especially valuable contribution to the field. The topic is timely and of particular importance for the future development of international humanitarian law, as the number of peace support operations is likely to increase in coming years.

The book includes a compilation of contemporary developments relating to responsibility for violations of humanitarian law and puts forward innovative ideas, such as the setting-up of claims commissions and ombuds-institutions to increase accountability. It will also make a contribution to current work on the International Law Commission's draft articles on the responsibilities of international organizations. Although Dr Zwanenburg centred his research on operations under United Nations and NATO command, his study may also find application in other forms of international peace support operations.