Workshop announcement and call for contributions

The ICMM Reference Centre for Education on IHL and Ethics, the Medical Services Directorate of the Swiss Armed Forces, and the Center for Military Medical Ethics at Zurich University are pleased to announce the

7th annual ICMM workshop on Military Medical Ethics
End-of-life care – ethical issues in military and humanitarian missions
4-6 May 2017 at Forum Lilienberg in Ermatingen (CH).

2017 – Topic and Call for Papers

The main topic of the 2017 workshop will be End-of-life care – ethical issues in military and humanitarian missions. Ethical issues related to death and dying in clinical contexts have recently attracted much attention. In addition, legal regulations dealing with such issues as assisted suicide have also undergone changes in some countries.

The medical personnel deployed in military and humanitarian missions face similar ethical issues in end-of-life situations to their civilian counterparts, but must deal with additional layers of complexity such as limited resources, language barriers, mission rules etc. We thus invite contributions that approach these problems by taking into account the specific roles and obligations of military and humanitarian health care personnel and that cover for example the following topics:

  • Physician-assisted dying and/or physician-assisted suicide.
  • Mercy killing
  • Medical rules of eligibility for intensive care units. Continuous care
  • Palliative care
  • Burials and dealing with the dead

We equally encourage reports from the field (e.g. case studies) as well as philosophic papers or legal analyses. Presentations are expected to last 25 minutes in order to leave enough time for plenary discussions. The presentations will be edited in a comprehensive book (Further information below: Conference Proceedings).

Application process for speakers

Please send your paper proposals/ abstracts (~200-300 words) together with a short CV via email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 15th January 2017.
•    We will notify all applicants until 5th February 2017 whether a proposal has been accepted.
•    For all selected speakers we cover the full conference fee as well as their travel expenses (economy class).

Conference proceedings

The results of the workshop shall be published in a comprehensive book, most probably edited by an international publisher. All invited speakers at the workshop are expected to contribute to this volume and to hand in their papers for review in due time after the workshop, until August 2017.
The proceedings from previous workshops and more information about our publications are available via http://publications.melac.ch/

General invitation and Registration

The idea of this workshop series is to bring together experts and interested people from the relevant academic disciplines, as well as practitioners from the field and to offer a neutral, international platform to discuss the medical ethical dilemmas encountered by medical troops and humanitarian forces in deployment. Switzerland with its tradition of neutrality and support of Humanitarian Law is very pleased to offer a workshop where specialists in Law of Armed Conflict, military medical professionals, philosophers and members of the ICRC can meet to analyze, discuss and deliberate on various ethical dilemmas of military medicine. Therefore, we invite all interested people and specialists from the fields of Ethics, International Law, and the Military to participate in this workshop.

Places are limited. The workshop fee for participants (who are not invited as speakers) is 600 CHF and includes accommodation during the workshop, and the transport to and from Zurich airport or train station.

Workshop grants for early stage researchers

The ZH Center for Military Medical Ethics (CMME) is again able to offer up to 2 grants to students or early stage researchers for the participation at the ICMM Workshop on Military Medical Ethics. The grants will cover the full workshop fee and shall allow young researchers to participate in the workshop.

Further information and contact

Scientific organization
ICMM Centre of Reference for Education on IHL and Ethics
Dr. phil. Daniel Messelken – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
LtCol David Winkler, MD, PhD – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   

Workshop registration & logistics
Swiss Armed Forces Medical Services Directorate
Ms. Adele Renfer – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you want to receive regular information about our activities, you may use the following form to subscribe to our general newsletter. We will use the information you provide to send updates via email.
You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at newsletter@melac.ch. We will treat your information with respect. By clicking on "Sign up", you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms.