25th Course on the Law of Armed Conflict (LoAC) &
13th Course on Military Medical Ethics (MME)
Both courses will take place from 14-19 September 2025 at the Bildungszentrum Matt in Schwarzenberg Luzern (Switzerland). Some of Switzerland's most famous sights are located in the immediate vicinity of the course location.
In addition to the on-site courses, both courses will also offer the opportunity to participate online.
We look forward to welcoming participants from around the world to Switzerland.
Flyer
More detailed information
- More information on the LOAC Course
- More information on the MME Course
- Registration is already open, have a look at the sub-pages for details.
- Page published by Daniel Messelken
The Program for the MME Workshop 2025 on Protection, Precaution, Proportionality. Is respect for ethics in conflict in decline? is now online. Make sure to register early since places are limited.
- Page published by Daniel Messelken
The fourth volume in the Military and Humanitarian Health Ethics series has been published. The book, entitled "Challenging Medical Neutrality - Healthcare ethics in times of armed conflict and other emergencies" and edited by Ana Elisa Barbar and Daniel Messelken, is now available as a PDF and ePUB via Springer (LINK). The printed version is scheduled for publication imminently and will then be available via bookstores and online retailers..
In this volume, the concept of "medical neutrality," which states that medical services should not be interfered with during armed conflicts and other emergencies, is challenged based on the experience and expertise of the authors, who come from diverse military, humanitarian, and academic backgrounds. The principle of medical neutrality is grounded in International Humanitarian Law as well as in Human Rights Law and it can be justified by ethical rationales such as the principle of Humanity and ordinary medical ethics. Health workers often understand medical neutrality as an obligation not to engage in anything else other than medical outcomes. In this book, a variety of problems and ethical issues in the application of medical neutrality in the professional practice of healthcare personnel are analyzed. The contributors expand the debate around “medical neutrality” and aim at better-informing policy and operational decisions regarding the application of medical ethics, the protection of medical missions in conflict, and the training of healthcare professionals to operate ethically and safely in volatile environments. The volume is of great interest to academics, practitioners, policymakers, and students who are looking for analyses and guidance regarding medical neutrality.
- Page published by Daniel Messelken
The ICMM Center of Reference for Edcucation on IHL and Ethics offers a Workshop on Military Medical Ethics during the ICMM World Congress at Brisbane. The topic of the workshop is Artificial Intelligence in Military Medicine – Ethical Considerations and it will take place on Tue 24th Sept 2024 from 09.00–10.30 a.m.
Please find more details below or in the flyer of the event (click here, PDF).
Program
09:00–09:05 ICMM Center of Reference for Education on IHL and Ethics
COL David Winkler, Switzerland
09:05–09:15 Introduction
MG Andreas Stettbacher, Switzerland
09:15–09:50 Strategies for complying with ethical obligations when developing, testing and using AI systems in military medicine
WGCDR Kate Conroy, Australia
09:50-10:30 Ethical Implications of AI in Military and Medical Decision-Making: The case of Brain-computer Interfaces
Prof Frederic Gilbert, Australia
- Page published by Daniel Messelken
We are pleased to announce that the Zurich Centre for Military Medical Ethics has developed material for scenario-based ethics training of military doctors. Presented as a serious moral game, it can be used to support training of ethical decision-making with a playful component. It also uses some of the scenarios presented in our collection here.
- Page published by Daniel Messelken
The 3rd volume in the Military and Humanitarian Health Ethics series has been published. The book edited by Sheena Eagan and Daniel Messelken entitled "Resource Scarcity in Austere Environments. An Ethical Examination of Triage and Medical Rules of Eligibility" is now available as PDF and epub via Springer (LINK). The printed version is due to be published soon and will then also be available via your local bookstore or online book stores.
This book focuses on resource allocation in military and humanitarian medicine during times of scarcity and austerity. It is in these times that health systems bend, break, and even collapse and where resource allocation becomes a paramount concern and directly impacts clinical decision-making. Such times are challenging and this book covers this very important, yet, scarcely researched topic within the field of bioethics. This work brings together experts and practitioners in the fields of military health care, philosophy, ethics, and other disciplines to provide analysis on a variety of related topics ranging from case studies and first-hand experiences to policy and philosophical analysis. It is of great interest to to academics, practitioners, policy makers and students who are looking for analyses and guidance regarding the fair provision of medical care and the use of medical rules of eligibility under adverse conditions.
- Page published by Daniel Messelken
We are glad to announce that the second volume of our book series on Military and Humanitarian Health Ethics is currently in production and should be available in book shops.
The new book is entitled Health Care in Contexts of Risk, Uncertainty, and Hybridity and contributors discuss various ethical challenges that military and humanitarian health care personnel (HCP) face while working in adverse conditions. Contexts of armed conflict, hybrid wars or other forms of violence short of war, as well as natural disasters, all have in common that ordinary circumstances can no longer be taken for granted. This affects the practice of health care as well as its ethics.
The book offers a panoramic overview on various ethical challenges healthcare faces in extraordinary situations and provides new insights from practitioners’ as well as from academic scholars’ perspectives.
- Page published by Daniel Messelken