Announcements: CfA Artificial Intelligence and Normative Challenges; Human Rights Lawyers’ Association Event – UK’s Role in Yemen & Arms Sales; CfC European Human Rights Law Review; UN Audiovisual Library of International Law; Roadmap to the ASEAN-EU FTA in the Post-Pandemic Era

1. Call for Abstracts/Papers: Artificial Intelligence and Normative Challenges. The Faculty of Law of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the Kalliopi Koufa Foundation for the Promotion of International and Human Rights Law, with the support of the European Society of International Law, have issued a Call for Abstracts/Papers for a colloquium on “Artificial Intelligence and Normative Challenges: International and Comparative Legal Perspectives” to take place on 1-2 April 2021, in Thessaloniki, Greece, or in a hybrid form/as a webinar, depending on the evolution of the current pandemic. Selected papers will be considered for publication in an edited number of a law journal specializing in Artificial Intelligence. The call can be found here. 

2. Human Rights Lawyers’ Association Panel Event on The UK’s Role in Yemen and Arms Sales. In June 2019, UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia were halted after a Court of Appeal decision in which it was held that the Secretary of State had not made the necessary assessment as to whether Saudi airstrikes in Yemen violated international humanitarian law. In a recent House of Commons statement by the International Trade Secretary, it was declared that the UK’s granting of export licences to Saudi Arabia would resume after an official review concluded that there had been only “isolated incidents” of airstrikes in Yemen that breached humanitarian law. The Campaign Against the Arms Trade has since issued a new judicial review following this statement. Drawing on the knowledge of our panel of international experts, on 10 November as part of an online event, The Human Rights Lawyers’ Association will explore the legal issues relating to the UK’s role in the conflict in Yemen in the context of arms sales. Please register here.

3. Call for Contributions: European Yearbook on Human Rights. The European Yearbook on Human Rights is shedding light on current human rights topics of concern and the most pressing issues that impair human rights protection, the rule of law and democracy in Europe and beyond. The 2021 edition will have a focus on the impact the global Covid-19 pandemic had on human rights protection in Europe and beyond. The editorial board encourages submissions on responses by the EU, the CoE and the OSCE to the pandemic from a human rights perspective. Articles concerning current and topical human rights developments in Europe not related to the Covid-19 pandemic will be taken into consideration as well. Authors will be invited to submit full contributions based on an abstract (max 500 words) that should be send by 11 December 2020. The deadline for submitting the manuscript is end of March 2021. Abstracts should be submitted with a short bio to lisa.heschl {at} uni-graz(.)at. For further information or questions, email philip.czech {at} sbg.ac(.)at.

4. New Additions to the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law. The Codification Division of the UN Office of Legal Affairs recently added the following materials to the AVL: a lecture given by Ambassador Marja Lehto on “Protection of the Environment in Armed Conflicts” in video and audio formats, accompanied by a related materials list; an introductory note by Ms. Mahin Faghfouri on the International Convention on Arrest of Ships, 1999; and an introductory note by Mr. Václav Mikulka on the Articles on Nationality of Natural Persons in Relation to the Succession of States, 1999. The Audiovisual Library of International Law is also available as a podcast on SoundCloud and can also be accessed through the relevant preinstalled applications on Apple or Google devices, or through the podcast application of your preference by searching “Audiovisual Library of International Law”.

5. Call. for Contributions: The Austrian Review of International and European Law. The Austrian Review of International and European Law (ARIEL) is an annual publication that provides a scholarly forum to discuss issues of public international law and European law, with particular emphasis on topics being of special interest to Austria. The editors invite submissions for volume 25 (2020), both longer analytical articles (8,000-12,500 words) and shorter notes on current developments (6,000-8,000 words). The issue will be dedicated to the shifting landscape of and current challenges arising for multilateralism in international organizations. Potential topics might include the role of small states in international organizations, an analysis of the impacts of COVID-19 on working methods, the rise of new international actors in the Global South, the increase in inter-organizational cooperation, the withdrawal from pertinent multilateral agreements, as well as questions of law-making and accountability. Submissions should include a confirmation of exclusive submission and be sent to the managing editor (philipp.janig {at} univie.ac(.)at) by 1 March 2021.

6. Webinar: The Roadmap to the ASEAN-EU FTA in the Post-Pandemic Era. Singapore Management University School of Law; 3-4 December 2020. Rising populist protectionism, stalled WTO negotiations and the COVID-19 pandemic have posed challenges to trade and investment ties between the two blocs. Yet, the entry into force of the EU-Singapore FTA in 2019 and the EU-Vietnam FTA in 2020 galvanizes the EU’s building-block approach, which guides the roadmap to the prospective EU-ASEAN FTA. The rapidly evolving agreements between ASEAN and the EU not only enrich the theoretical concept of interregionalism, but also advances exogenous influences to new Asian regionalism. Against this backdrop, this conference brings together leading experts and government officials from Asia-Pacific and European countries. The discussions will cover cutting-edge issues on innovative rules of origin, e-commerce, sustainable development, and investor-state arbitration and mediation. The program and registration information, see here. Questions can be directed to the conference organizer, Pasha Hsieh, at pashahsieh {at} smu.edu(.)sg.