The event, part of the worldwide launch of the study, was held in collaboration with the Weeramantry International Centre for Peace Education and Research.

The study shows that customary international humanitarian law has expanded protection for victims of non-international armed conflict, and the scope of the rules that govern such conflict, beyond the provisions of treaty law such as the Geneva Conventions and their Additional Protocols. Unlike treaty law, customary international humanitarian law develops from the practice of States as expressed, for example, in military manuals, national legislation and official statements. A rule is considered binding customary international humanitarian law if it reflects the widespread, representative and uniform practice of States that is accepted as law.

Larry Maybee, ICRC regional legal adviser, and G.C. Weeramantry, a former judge of the International Court of Justice, presented the study to a gathering of more than a hundred people. In attendance were representatives from the Sri Lankan security forces, various government ministries, the diplomatic community, international organizations and members of Sri Lanka's academic community. The event was chaired by Jayantha Dhanapala, senior adviser to the president of Sri Lanka, N. Selvakkumaran, dean of the faculty of law at Colombo University, and Rohan Perera, legal adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The study, which is published by the Cambridge University Press, was commissioned in 1995 by the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent. ICRC legal staff, academics, experts on the legal systems of various countries and specialists from governments and international organizations spent over eight years reviewing the practices of States throughout the world.

The ICRC expects the study to be widely used in training military personnel and in drafting domestic legislation. It hopes the study will be of use to scholars and government experts as well.