The XII Seminar for Legal Advisors of the Armed Forces will take place from 18 to 21 June 2019 in Geneva, Switzerland. This edition of the Seminar is co-organised by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy and the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War (ISMLLW), with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS), the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the Swiss Group of the ISMLLW.

The central theme of the Seminar is ‘The Law of Armed Non-State Actors 70 Years after the Geneva Conventions’. To mark this celebratory year of the Geneva Conventions, the Seminar will take place at Maison de la paix in Geneva and visits to the ‘Palais des Nations’ and the Museum of the International Committee of the Red Cross will be part of the programme.

The central theme is divided into different sub-themes as detailed in the enclosed draft programme. The sub-themes will be explored during lectures in plenary and working sessions, chaired by distinguished scholars and senior officers. Highly experienced speakers will address case law and specific operational situations.
The Seminar is intended for military legal advisors holding the ranks of captain to colonel and civilian experts with comparable civilian rank. In terms of prior knowledge, participants are expected to have a general grasp of the law of armed conflict. The Seminar will further train them in various aspects of its practical implementation.