Organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the College of Europe, the event will be held from 16 to 17 October. It will bring together experts from government offices, international organizations, non-governmental organizations and universities to discuss the rules of human rights law and international humanitarian law governing the transfer of persons in armed-conflict situations. While the issue is not new, many questions remain about how to fulfil the legal obligations involved, especially in multinational peace-keeping and peace-making operations such as those led by the United Nations, NATO or the European Union.

Participants will also examine the various initiatives and solutions that States and other bodies have put in place or are now developing.

"Detaining someone, even very briefly, means accepting obligations concerning him, even when the person is no longer under the direct control of the initial detaining authority," explained Françoise Krill, the head of the ICRC's delegation to the European Union and NATO in Brussels.

"For the ICRC, which has been working since 1863 to protect victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence, the transfer of persons in those situations raises important questions of humanitarian concern which we must address in a pragmatic way and in strict compliance with the rules of international law, including the principle of non-refoulement".

The ICRC and the College of Europe have been holding annual colloquiums on international humanitarian law since 2000, within the framework of their activities relating to the European Union and NATO (additional details on: www.coe-icrc.eu).