Announcements: Challenges for Women in the International Justice System; Migrant Children Rights Summer School; Law of the Sea Symposium; Climate Change School; I-HILT E-Lecture; ICON-S Workshop; Plurality Seminar; CfP Journal of International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict; International Legal Podcast (Spanish); Thessaloniki Summer Courses; CfA Russian Invasion of Ukraine; Volterra Fietta Seminar; McNair Lecture; Geneva Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow Vacancy

1. Hilary Charlesworth: “Challenges for Women in the International Justice System”. The SNF-funded project “Diversity on the International Bench: Building Legitimacy for International Courts and Tribunals”, led by Professors Neus Torbisco-Casals and Andrew Clapham (Graduate Institute, Geneva), continues to host its monthly public lecture series on “Women’s Voices in the International Judiciary”. The series aims to reflect on the lack of diversity in the international judiciary – especially gender diversity – which raises concerns not just in terms of descriptive representation and symbolic self-identification, but also regarding unconscious bias and systemic privileging of specific ideologies or positions in the process of adjudication. The eighth lecture will welcome Hilary Charlesworth, Judge of the International Court of Justice. Register here.

2. The Summer School “Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of Migrant Children in the European Union. This Summer School, organised by the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, will run online from 22 – 30 June 2022. The Summer School will offer an in-depth analysis of immigration, asylum and children’s rights with particular reference to the rights to health, social assistance, housing, child development, education and religion. The most relevant issues arising from the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, the 2021 EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the 2022 Council of Europe Strategy on the Rights of the Child will be discussed by adopting a participatory approach aimed at fostering debate and analysis of case studies. The application deadline is 13 June 2022.  There will be a discount for those who enroll by 31 May 2022 as well as 7 scholarships for international protection beneficiaries. See here for more information. 

3. Symposium on United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) now has nearly 170 States parties and is still attracting new ones. Often described as the “Constitution of the Sea”, it sets the legal framework for all matters concerning the world’s oceans. This symposium celebrates the first 40 years of UNCLOS starting with a flashback about UNCLOS travaux préparatoires and moving forward by reviewing the theory and the practice of some of the key issues such as: maritime delimitation, exploiting the outer continental shelf, emerging international energy issues at sea, the relationship between climate change and law of the sea, protecting human security and the marine environment and the settlement of disputes for States and the European Union. Then the focus will shift about how UNCLOS has responded, as a “living treaty”, to new realities. A “Venice Statement on the Law of the sea and Sustainability” will be drafted and launched to embody the key takeaway of the discussion to be circulated thereafter. The main working language of the conference will be Italian and it will be possible to watch it – free access – by connecting on the Youtube channel of the Italian Navy.

4. Seasonal School on “Climate Change and International Law: Interdisciplinary Perspectives” at the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa. The Seasonal School will take place from 4 – 8 July 2022. While focusing mainly on international climate change law, the School will be characterised by a multidisciplinary approach and will also explore the role of other areas of law, such as human rights law, public comparative law, agricultural law and migration law. In addition to lectures, the course will include simulations and role-playing exercises on negotiations and climate change litigation with the participation of practitioners and experts. The course is intended for undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD students. The deadline for application is 3 June 2022. For more information and to apply, see here. 

6. ICON-S Workshop: Towards an International Academic Career: Doing a Ph.D. in Public Law. The ICON-S Committee on Community and Engagement is organizing a virtual workshop on ‘Towards an International Academic Career: Doing a Ph.D. in Public Law’ on 2 June 2022 at 2pm CEST. This workshop aims to help prospective applicants to Ph.D. programs in Public International and Comparative Law understand the Ph.D. landscape. Register here for the workshop. More details regarding the workshop, including the list of speakers, can be found here.

7. Summer Seminar on ‘Plurality at Last? Legal Internationalism beyond Eurocentrism and Patriarchy’. The Erik Castrén Institute and the Centre of Excellence in Law, Identity and the European Narratives are organising the annual Helsinki Summer Seminar on ‘Plurality at Last? Legal Internationalism beyond Eurocentrism and Patriarchy’ from 22 – 26 August 2021. The 33^rd summer seminar is open to students, researchers and professionals.  The programme contains lectures and workshops by among others Christopher Gevers (UKZN School of Law), Magdalena Kmak (Åbo Akademi), Martti Koskenniemi (University of Helsinki), Sari Kouvo (University of Gothenburg), Parvathi Menon (University of Helsinki), Lauri Mälksoo  (University of Tartu), Johanna Niemi (University of Helsinki), Pamela Slotte (Åbo Akadmi), Immi Tallgren (University of Helsinki), Reetta Toivanen (University of Helsinki) and Kaius Tuori (University of Helsinki).  For programme and registration details see the Helsinki summer seminar website.   

8. Call for Papers: Journal of International Law of Peace and Armed Conflict / Humanitäres Völkerrecht (JILPAC / HuV). The JILPAC  is inviting articles for its second issue of 2022. Against the backdrop of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, this issue focuses on questions relating to international humanitarian law in 21^st century large scale peer-to-peer conflicts. Articles focusing on other topics are equally welcome. Contributions can be submitted in English or German. The deadline for submissions is 15 July 2022. See the full Call for Papers here and the instructions for contributors here.

9. Hablemos de Derecho Internacional (HDI): The International Legal Podcast (Spanish). HDI recently added the following episodes in Spanish: #76: Dr. Juan Nascimbene – Órgano de Solución de Diferencias de la Organización Mundial del Comercio; #75: Dr. León Castellanos Jankiewicz – México vs. Smith & Wesson;  #74: Prof. Antonio Remiro Brotóns – Ucrania: Epítome del Desorden Internacional; #73: Dr. Jorge Francisco Aguirre Sala – La Democracia Electrónica; #72: Dra. Silvia Gagliardi – Feminismo, Derecho Internacional y las Mujeres Amazigh; and #71: Dr. René Provost- La Administración de Justicia por Insurgentes Armados. The podcast is available on the main platforms: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or through other podcast applications by searching “Hablemos de Derecho Internacional”. Updated information about the guests and episodes can be found on the website, or on HDI’s social media accounts: LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube.

10. 7th Thessaloniki Summer Courses on International Law and Human Rights: Climate Change and International Law. The Kalliopi Koufa Foundation for the Promotion of International Law and Human Rights is hosting the 7^th session of the Thessaloniki Summer Courses on International Law and Human Rights from 28 June – 7 July 2022, on the topic of “Climate Change and International Law”. The summer course will be held in a hybrid format, giving the opportunity for either in person or online attendance, in compliance with the COVID-19 protocols. The closing date for application is Tuesday 31 May 2022. For more information including registration deadlines, applicable fees and the provisional programme, see here or follow them on Facebook.

11. Call for Abstracts: International Law and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. This call for abstracts for the special issue of the International and Comparative Law Review. The International and Comparative Law Review (ICLR) is a peer-reviewed legal journal published by the Faculty of Law, Palacky University Olomouc, Czech Republic invites contributions from experts and academics for a special issue dedicated to ‘International law and the Russian invasion of Ukraine’. Abstracts of no more than 500 words should be submitted to iclr {at} upol(.)cz. Both full papers (6000 – 8000 words) and commentaries or brief notes (2000 – 4000 words) are encouraged. Early career scholars and those focusing on the ongoing conflict from Central and Eastern European states are particularly encouraged to apply. See the list of possible topics and more details below. For more infromation, see here. 

12. Volterra Fietta Seminar: Maritime Boundary Delimitation in Practice. This event will take place on 18 May 2022 at 2:00 pm BST / 3:00 pm CEST / 9:00 am EST. Maritime boundary delimitation, or the process of dividing maritime areas between sovereign States, is a complex legal and technical process.  It is also one of the most important diplomatic processes relevant in the global economy today. However, only a handful of coastal States have successfully delimitated all their potential maritime boundaries.  This means that hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of dollars of natural resources sitting in the ocean floor, or swimming in the waters, have no straightforward owner. This has resulted in several long-standing disputes surrounding maritime boundary delimitation being brought before the ICJ, ITLOS and arbitral tribunals. This seminar will address the practice of maritime boundary delimitation, as compared to its theory.  It will discuss how States and private companies alike can better understand and negotiate, and if necessary, plead maritime boundary delimitation in the most sophisticated and detail-oriented ways.  The speakers will be ITLOS Judge Stanislaw Michal Pawlak, world-renowned hydrographer Dr Robin Cleverly, and seasoned practitioner Mr Gunjan Sharma.  For more information, see here. 

13. McNair Lecture: ‘Why International Law Matters’ Transcript and Recording. The Inaugural McNair Lecture on the subject of ‘Why International Law Matters’ took place on Thursday 5 May 2022 at Lincoln’s Inn delivered by Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf, a Judge of the International Court of Justice and its former President until 2021. The event was well attended by diplomats, politicians, international and commercial lawyers.  See here for a copy of the transcript, and see here for the recording of the lecture. 

14. Geneva Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in International Dispute Settlement Vacancy. The Geneva LL.M. in International Dispute Settlement (MIDS) and The Geneva Centre for International Dispute Settlement (CIDS) are looking for a Postdoctoral Teaching Fellow in International Dispute Settlement specialised in private international dispute settlement. Full time contract, fixed term for 1 year, renewable for a maximum of 3 years. The candidate should be located throughout the period of the contract either in Geneva or in its surrounding areas. Contract starts 1 September 2022. The closing date for applications is 23 May 2022. Required qualifications include a PhD in international dispute settlement. See here for more information.