By: Jennifer Jun, RWI Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communication, and Helena Carlquist, MSA Chief Business Development and Communications Officer
The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) and Mannheimer Swartling (MSA) have entered into a pro bono cooperation agreement aimed at advancing the promotion and protection of international humanitarian law (IHL).
Under the agreement, MSA – one of the Nordics’ largest business law firms – will provide legal advisory services to RWI in support of the International Humanitarian Law Compliance Database (ICMD), an RWI-led initiative designed to gather, vet and flag data relevant to compliance with IHL by creating a global infrastructure that processes information through a combination of artificial intelligence and human review. The aim is to move beyond fragmented fact-finding efforts, enabling large-scale analysis of patterns and trends in IHL compliance across conflicts worldwide.
Beyond legal advice, the partnership also opens opportunities for knowledge exchange, lectures, and other forms of professional collaboration, reflecting a shared commitment to harnessing expertise for societal impact.
The cooperation embodies a growing recognition of the importance of cross-sector engagement in addressing complex global challenges and of investing in new transformative approaches and innovation to strengthen the rule of law. By linking RWI’s academic and field-based experience with MSA’s legal competence, the partnership contributes to reinforcing accountability, transparency, and respect for humanitarian norms.
“Private-sector engagement has become indispensable to tackling today’s global challenges,” says Peter Lundberg, Executive Director of RWI. “Through this partnership, we combine legal excellence and research-based insight to help ensure that international humanitarian law remains a living instrument for protection and accountability.”
For MSA, the collaboration is part of the firm’s long-standing corporate social responsibility tradition and reflects its conviction that law can serve the public good.
“We are proud to support RWI’s work with ICMD,” says Jan Dernestam, Managing Partner at MSA. “It is an opportunity to apply our expertise where it truly matters — strengthening the institutions and frameworks that uphold humanitarian law and human rights.”
The agreement stands as a testament to the expanding role of the private sector in promoting humanitarian and human rights objectives. It also reflects how Swedish institutions, working across sectors, contribute to a rules-based international order grounded in accountability and respect for human dignity.
For more information about RWI’s ICMD, visit www.icmd.se.
For details about Mannheimer Swartling’s sustainability commitments, visit https://www.mannheimerswartling.se/en/about-the-firm/sustainability/.