The 2019 Round Table on current issues of international humanitarian law, held in Sanremo from 4 to 6 September 2019, addressed the issue of “Whither the human in armed conflict? IHL implications of new technology in warfare“.
The tight bond linking scientific progress, technological development and their military exploitation constitutes a recurring leitmotif in the current international security scenario.
In this context, the rule of law may appear blurred and international humanitarian law (IHL) incapable of keeping pace with technological progress. Armaments research and innovation programmes are among the issues at the top of the agenda of advanced national powers, bolstering an already unbalanced relationship between growing technological military capacity and the legal frameworks which limit their usage according to IHL fundamental principles.
The Round Table gathered together around 200 participants from the different regions of the world including military experts, academics and representatives of governments, international organizations, IHL practitioners and NGOs.
