Sanremo Round Table

Since its foundation, the International Institute of Humanitarian Law, in the context of its institutional and statutory objectives of training, research and dissemination of the provisions in force in the various areas of international humanitarian law, has organized an annual September Round Table on Current Issues of International Humanitarian Law which is regularly held in Sanremo.

47^th Sanremo Round Table on Current Issues of IHL

The 47^th Sanremo Round Table on Current Issues of IHL, traditionally organised in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross,
was focused on

"From the Battle of Solferino of 1859 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949:
Challenges and Future Prospects of International Humanitarian Law"

In 2024, the Round Table was held at Villa Ormond, Sanremo (Italy), on 12-13 September 2024 in a hybrid format, with live broadcasting online.

The Round Table, with the participation of high-level international experts and practitioners, delved into the historical continuum from the Battle of Solferino to the codification of GCs in 1949, exploring the transformative journey of IHL between these key occurrences, fostering a deeper understanding of the development of IHL over time, and acknowledging the importance of humanitarian principles to shape the landscape of modern conflict resolution and strengthen the protection of vulnerable populations.

With the support of

Consult the Programme

General information

In this section you can access all the most relevant and updated information concerning the detailed programme of the event, the registration process for both on-site and online attendance, the format of the initiative, and its logistics.

General information sheet

On the occasion of the 47^th Round Table on Current Issues of International Humanitarian Law,
the International Institute of Humanitarian Law and the ICRC announced a new edition of the

“Sanremo New Voices in International Humanitarian Law” essay competition [CLOSED]

The winner of the competition was invited as a guest at the Round Table in Sanremo (Italy)
on 12-13 September 2024 and is set to publish the winning essay in the Round Table “Proceedings”.

Since the 47th Sanremo Round Table focused on “From the Battle of Solferino of 1859 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949: Challenges and Future Prospects of International Humanitarian Law”, the Institute and the ICRC had the pleasure to invite all those interested to submit essays no longer than 2500 words addressing a subject related to one of the following broad topics:

Navigating contemporary maritime warfare: respecting International Humanitarian Law amidst new technologies and old (?) rules

Upholding IHL in modern non-international armed conflicts: challenges and opportunities

Internment, Security Detention, and POWs’ treatment: addressing IHL challenges in contemporary armed conflicts

Protecting Civilians and the most vulnerable in occupied territories

Consult the Rules and Procedures

Deadline: CLOSED

Latest news on the Round Table

See all the Round Table-related news here.

Previous editions of the Round Table