Announcements: CfP Use of Mercenaries; ANU Politics of International Law; Call for Rapporteurs; CfS Hague Yearbook of International Law; Rule of Law Conference; Spanish International Legal Podcast; How Can Companies Defend Civic Space Panel; Cyber Disputes Conference; Russia’s Constitutional Amendments Lecture

1. Call for Papers: UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries. The UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries is looking for submissions for the 2021 Human Rights Council thematic report on the role of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSC) in humanitarian action. Existing research and targeted submissions welcomed. Deadline 9 March 2021. More details can be found here. 

2. ANU Seminar Series: The Politics of International Law. The Centre for International and Public Law, ANU College of Law has announced a new seminar series, entitled ‘The Politics of International Law’ led by Dr Ntina Tzouvala. This series will explore these fundamental questions, to historicise and theorise their origins, and imagine possible answers to our current problems. Seminar guest speakers include Jean Ho, Lucas Lixinski, Khangle Zhang, Martins Martins Paparinskis, and Sara Seck. The series will take place online and begin on Friday 5 March 2021. See here for more information and registration.

3. Call for Rapporteurs: Oxford Reports on UN Human Rights Law. Oxford University Press and the editors of the Oxford Reports on UN Human Rights Law are issuing a Call for Rapporteurs to help maintain coverage of decisions of United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies in the Oxford Reports on International Law: International Human Rights Law(IHRL) module. Successful candidates will be offered training in legal writing and research skills and will be part of a team of reporters. Details on how to apply can be found here.

4. Call for Submissions: The Hague Yearbook of International Law. The Hague Yearbook of International Law is now receiving submissions for publication in its upcoming volume. Submissions on any issues of public or private international law in either English or French language are welcomed. The Editorial Board will select articles based on their quality and relevance. Selected papers will be subject to peer-review before publication. Most published papers are around 15,000 words, but shorter and longer pieces may also be accepted. Submissions should follow the OSCOLA style guide and should be sent to hagueyearbook {at} gmail(.)com before midnight on 1 May 2021.  

5. ‘Rule of Law beyond the Nation-State: International, Supranational, Transnational Contexts’ Conference. Faculty of Law University of Belgrade in collaboration with Centre for the Study of Constitutionalism of the Faculty of Political Science and Serbian Association for Legal and Social Philosophy (IVR Serbia) is hosting an international conference on ‘Rule of Law beyond the Nation-State: International, Supranational, Transnational Contexts’, which will take place from 14 – 15 May 2021. The goal of the conference is to provide further elucidation and evaluation of the process of appropriation of the Rule of Law principle in various contexts beyond the nation-state, ranging from legal and political philosophy via European studies, international law and international relations to transnational/global governance. For more information, including on how to apply, see here.

6. Hablemos de Derecho Internacional (HDI) – The International Legal Podcast (Spanish). HDI recently added the following Episode in Spanish: Dr. Eduard Soler i Lecha – La agenda política internacional que marcará el 2021 . Updated information about the guests and episodes can be found on HDI’s social media accounts: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. The Podcast contributes to the dissemination and study of contemporary legal issues in Spanish, and is available on the main platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or through other podcast applications by searching “Hablemos de Derecho Internacional”, and on its website. 

7. Chatham House Panel Discussion: How Can Companies Defend Civic Space? On Tuesday 2 February, from 16.00 – 17.00 GMT, Chatham House will be hosting a panel event discussing the topic of “How Can Companies Defend Civic Space?” Why might companies step up to defend freedom of association, expression or political participation even where this comes at a financial or political cost? How can companies resist complicity with governments or regulation that threaten civic space? And what forums exist, or should exist, for developing tactical alliances between companies and civil society actors? Full details and registration information available here. 

8. Online Conference: The Peaceful Settlement of Cyber Disputes. Sheffield Centre for International and European Law (SCIEL) is organising an online conference on 4 – 5 March 2021. The conference provides an analytical and explanatory framework according to which the peaceful settlement of cyber disputes can be understood and practised. It examines the nature and content of cyber disputes in their political and legal dimension, the meaning and content of their peaceful settlement, assesses the adequacy of existing means and methods of dispute settlement and considers alternatives, explores the contribution of domestic courts and the private sector as well as the contribution of the UN and the EU. Registration is free but prior registration is required. The programme and registration details can be found here.

9. International Law and Russia’s 2020 Constitutional Amendments Lecture. The co-founders and co-convenors (Dr Meagan Wong and Dr Emily Jones) of the Essex Public International Law Lecture series are holding a lecture by Professor Lauri Mälksoo, Professor of International Law, University of Tartu, entitled ‘International Law and Russia’s 2020 Constitutional Amendments’ chaired by Dr Meagan Wong, School of Law. Professor Mälksoo’s lecture is premised on his recent AJIL Unbound Current development essay. See here for more information. Monday 8 February 2021, 6-7pm (GMT). Zoom registration available here.