Originally the SWIRMO was designed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the 1977 Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions, and the 100th anniversary of the 1907 Hague Convention (IV). It has now evolved into an annual event held alternately in Switzerland and another country. This year the workshop will take place in France.

The two-week workshop will bring together around 60 senior officers from different military services across the globe. All the participants have operational and/or training backgrounds and experience. The SWIRMO will be held in five classes conducted in English, French and Spanish. Each class is led by one of five serving officers with operational experience and broad experience in teaching international humanitarian law (IHL). The workshop is directed by a two-star officer with considerable operational experience in national and multi-national operations.

The first week will be devoted to identifying legal situations and the applicable rules; and, the second, to examining how best to integrate IHL into contemporary military operations and training. The workshop will be conducted in the form of short presentations on a given topic followed by a scenario-based exercise and discussion.

Previous workshops have provided an opportunity to demonstrate the importance and relevance of IHL and applicable human rights law as the necessary legal framework governing the conduct of military operations in a range of situations. The workshop's focus also helps to reinforce the importance of integrating all the legal principles and rules of IHL into military doctrine, education and training as a basis for every field operation.
The international mix of participants, the manner in which the lectures are conducted, classroom exercises and discussions all allow participants to share and learn from each other's experiences and greatly contribute to the SWIRMO's overall success.
The ICRC and the French army look forward to welcoming all participants to Paris for this event.