Announcements: CfP Revisiting the Role of International Law in National Security; HRLC Summer School – The Rights of the Child; International Criminal Court Summer School; CfP Energy ReForum 2016; CfP International Law and Human Rights in Crisis; New Additions to the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law; ILA British Branch Spring Conference

1. Call for Papers: Revisiting the Role of International Law in National Security. Many conversations in the U.S. about situations of armed conflict center on “national security law,” often drawing primarily from domestic law and military perspectives. International law is sometimes set aside in these discussions. This workshop, on 19 May 2016 at Cardozo Law School, New York City, aims to draw the international legal aspects of armed conflicts to the forefront once again. The workshop, co-organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross’s Delegation in Washington, and faculty at Loyola Law School Los Angeles, Stanford Law School, and Cardozo School of Law, is for public international law scholars and practitioners. It aims to drive discussions of public international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international criminal law, into conversations, in the U.S. in particular, on national security issues and situations of armed conflict. The workshop will provide time to discuss scholarly articles that are in process, as well as other major issues of international legal concern regarding situations of armed conflict. We invite you to submit an abstract or draft of an article for discussion. A small number of papers will be selected for discussion at the workshop. The article does not need to be finished – an abstract or draft may be submitted. Submissions should be sent to Tracey Begley at trbegley {at} icrc(.)org, along with current affiliation and paper proposal by 8 April 2016.

2. HRLC Summer School – The Rights of the Child. The University of Nottingham Human Rights Law Centre Summer School on the Rights of the Child will run from 27 June to 1 July 2016. It will consider issues concerning the rights of the child that are a matter of current legal, political and societal attention, both internationally and comparatively: violence against children, refugee children, child participation, child poverty, business and children’s rights, and child rights monitoring and advocacy. Sessions will cover international and regional child rights law, including the work of the supra-national courts and treaty monitoring bodies. The Summer School is led by Prof Aoife Nolan and the faculty 2016 includes: Dr Benyam Dawit Mezmur (ACERWC and UN CRC), Patrick Geary (UNICEF); Prof. Matthew Happold (Luxembourg); Prof Laura Lundy (QUB); Dr Najat M’jid (former UN SR on the sale of children); Lisa Myers (consultant); Dr Jason Pobjoy (Blackstone Chambers); Prof Ralph Sandland (Nottingham); and, Veronica Yates (CRIN). See here for details.

3. International Criminal Court Summer School. The Irish Centre for Human Rights is hosting its annual International Criminal Court Summer School from 27 June to 1 July 2016 at NUI Galway. An early bird registration fee of €400 is available before 15 April 2016 (registration costs €450 after this date). To register and for more information, please see here. 

4. Call for Papers and Posters, Energy ReForum 2016: Transitions in Energy Markets, Vilnius. The reforms of the European energy markets spurred by the Third Energy Package and the European plan on climate change are now followed by further regulatory actions which will re-shape EU energy markets. The World Trade Institute and the Swiss National Center of Competence in Research, Trade Regulation (NCCR), in collaboration with the Cambridge Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Governance (C-EENRG), are organizing a two-day Forum on 2-3 June 2016 with the aim of contributing to the development of European energy policies on electricity, gas and oil markets by examining the legal implications of changing energy markets for intra-EU and external energy trade. The Forum will consist of invited panelists with experience in the realm of policy-making, the private sector and academia. In addition, we would like to involve early-career researchers by giving them the opportunity to present their research in front of an expert audience. Abstracts of no more than 350 words, alongside a 150 word biography, should be submitted to Leslie-Anne Duvic-Paoli by e-mail to laud2 {at} cam.ac(.)uk by no later than 7 April. Please see here for more information.

5. Call for Papers: International Law and Human Rights in Crisis. The International Law and Human Rights Unit, part of the School of Law and Social Justice at the University of Liverpool, welcomes paper, poster and ‘soapbox’ proposals for its Inaugural Postgraduate Conference in International Law and Human Rights. The conference will take place on 14 -15 June 2016. The theme of the conference is ‘International Law and Human Rights in Crisis’. The keynote speech will be delivered by Professor Antonios Tzanakopoulos, University of Oxford. The conference theme should be broadly conceived, and we encourage proposals from any postgraduate/doctoral student specialising in international law, human rights or related subjects. The conference offers a unique opportunity for postgraduate/doctoral students to present and discuss their work in a stimulating and friendly academic environment, among peers with similarly oriented research interests. Abstracts of no more than 300 words can be sent to ilhrucon {at} liverpool.ac(.)uk by 1 April 2016. Please see here for more information about the conference theme and call for papers.

6. New Additions to the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law. The Codification Division of the UN Office of Legal Affairs has added new lectures to the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law website, which provides high quality international law training and research materials to users around the world free of charge. The latest lectures were given by Professor Malgosia Fitzmaurice on “Whaling: the Gordian Knot of International Law” and by Professor Antonios Tzanakopoulos on “Domestic Courts in International Law”.

7. ILA British Branch Spring Conference, Lancaster University– Last Week of the Early Bird Rate. ILA British Branch Spring Conference 2016 on 8-9 April 2016 explores “Non-State Actors and Changing Relations in International Law”. These actors play a central role in the most basic goals of international law – in human rights, business, peace and security, humanising conflict and the environment – but have also occupied a marginal position. Their involvement in law-making, obligations and enforcement is often indirect and ambiguous. This two day conference will first explore the significance of non-state actors in international law – the state/non-state and public/private boundaries, sources, obligations, responsibility, dispute settlement and future trends. It will also look at specific actors – corporations, organised armed groups, international organisations and terrorists. For further details and registration please visit the conference website. Register this week to get the early bird rate, which expires on 29 March.