The Bruges Colloquium on International Humanitarian Law (IHL) was initiated in Bruges in 2000 as a partnership between the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the College of Europe.

Every year, the Colloquium brings together more than a hundred participants, including representatives of the European Union and NATO, the diplomatic and military services of the member states of these organizations and of partner states, as well as representatives of academic circles and civil society. The success of the Bruges Colloquium makes it an established annual event for all experts in the law of armed conflict wishing to add to or strengthen their knowledge of the subject, and to contribute to the respect, development and promotion of IHL.

The Bruges Colloquium is jointly organized by the ICRC Delegation in Brussels and the College of Europe. It takes place in the premises of the College of Europe Bruges. In 2021, the Colloquium was held for the first time in a hybrid format, online and in Bruges. It brought together close to 400 participants, coming from more than 55 countries.

Since the origin, the Colloquium offers live translation in English and French. Since 2020, live translation is also provided in Russian.