Poland: The First Ever Workshop for Western and Central European National Societies on Involvement in Military Exercises
For the first time, the ICRC organised a dedicated workshop for National Societies (NSs) involved in military exercises (MILEX). Held from 18 to 19 November in Warsaw, this event marked a significant milestone in strengthening structured engagement between NS and the military during such exercises.
As NS are increasingly invited to participate in MILEX workshops, the ICRC shared its expertise and established practices in working in armed conflict as a humanitarian actor. The workshop addressed the full cycle of engagement - from planning and coordination to the execution and conduct of MILEX.
In addition to this, representatives of 12 NSs (British, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian and Swedish) and the IFRC exchanged experiences reflecting varying levels of interaction with military authorities across different exercise formats. Along with the mandate and role of National Societies, issues such as humanitarian access were discussed, comprehensive or total defense strategies as well as spreading harmful information.
