Announcements: UN Audiovisual Library of International Law; CfP Concepts and Methods Workshop; CfP GoJIL Student Essay Competition

1. New Additions to the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law. The Codification Division of the UN Office of Legal Affairs recently added the following audio lectures to the AVL’s podcast channel: Ms. Diane A. Desierto on “Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in International Investment Law” and Ms. Karine Bannelier-Christakis on “Enjeux du principe de due diligence dans la prévention et la réaction aux cyber-attaques“. They also invite you to watch a particularly relevant lecture by Professor Gian Luca Burci on “International Law and Infectious Disease Control” available on the Lecture Series of the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law website. The Audiovisual Library of International Law is available as a podcast on SoundCloud and can also be accessed through the preinstalled applications in Apple or Google devices, or through the podcast application of your preference by searching “Audiovisual Library of International Law”.

2. Call for Papers: Concepts and Methods Workshop. Paper proposals are invited for a PluriCourts-iCourts “Concepts & Methods” Workshop on the topic When International Courts and Tribunals Defer to States, to be held in Oslo, Norway, on 24 – 25 November 2020. International Courts and Tribunals (ICs) sometimes allow national actors a certain discretion in their implementation of international obligations. To illustrate: The WTO Appellate Body has granted states some latitude to restrict trade under reference to protection of ‘public morals’ (GATT, article XX (a)); and, the European Court of Human Rights sometimes grant states a ‘margin of appreciation’ in applying the European Convention on Human Rights. Such deference by ICs towards states raises several theoretical, conceptual, and methodological challenges for philosophical, legal and social science scholarship: when do ICs defer, why, what are the effects – and how should we assess such deference?  More information can be found here.

3. Call for Papers: GoJIL Student Essay Competition. The Goettingen Journal of International Law (GoJIL) dedicates its 10th Student Essay Competition to the topic: Artificial Intelligence and International Law – International Legal Perspectives on Technological Progress. The deadline for submission is 1 July 2020. The maximal word count is 5000 words (excluding footnotes). The winning submission will be published in an upcoming issue of the GoJIL. The full call for papers can be found here.