EJIL: Talk!

1. University of Geneva Conference: Evolutionary Interpretation in Different International Legal Systems. On 4 – 5 October 2018, the Law Faculty of the University of Geneva is hosting a conference entitled Evolutionary interpretation in different international legal systems. Evolutionary interpretation is an intriguing and fundamental concept in international law. It allows for the interpretation of treaty provisions by taking into account, emerging factual and legal situations, changes in international law, new social considerations, technological improvements or environmental concerns that did not exist at the time of the conclusion of the treaty. Whether this evolutionary reading of terms occurs by virtue of the generic nature of the terms in the treaty, the contemporary meaning of such terms, the object and purpose of the treaty or the immediate or remote context of the treaty, evolutionary interpretation allows the terms of a treaty to adapt to the passage of time. This conference aims to facilitate thematic discussions on the topic of evolutionary interpretation. These discussions will allow for a broader understanding of the approaches to evolutionary interpretation in various areas of international law, as well as a comparison of these approaches. The programme can be found here. Further information can be found on the conference’s website. Attendance is free, but registration is mandatory. To register for the conference or to ask questions, send an email before 25 September to clement.marquet {at} unige(.)ch.

2. IMPRS-SDR Applications for PhD Proposals. The International Max Planck Research School for Successful Dispute Resolution in International Law (IMPRS-SDR) is accepting applications for PhD proposals within the research areas of the Department of International Law and Dispute Resolution and the Department of European and Comparative Procedural Law to fill a total of 5 funded PhD positions at the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for International, European and Regulatory Procedural law. The IMPRS-SDR was established in 2009 to bring together academics and practitioners in international dispute settlement with excellent PhD candidates to examine and compare international dispute resolution from a legal and interdisciplinary perspective. Selected PhD candidates will receive full-time research contracts of initially two years, with a possible extension. For further information please see here. The closing date for applications is 31 August 2018.

1. Recommendations on the Legitimacy of Institutions of International Justice. Fifteen judges from thirteen international courts recently drafted and finalized a set of recommendations aimed at reinforcing the legitimacy of institutions of international justice. These were the participants of the 2018 session of the Brandeis Institute for International Judges (BIIJ), organized collaboratively in June 2018 by the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, of Brandeis University, and the PluriCourts Center for the Study of the Legitimate Roles of the Judiciary in the Global Order, a center of excellence of the University of Oslo Faculty of Law. Blog posts are available on Intlawgrrls and PluriCourts blogs.

2. Chatham House Event: Armed Conflict and Starvation – What does the law say? The International Law Programme at Chatham House is hosting an even entitled “Armed Conflict and Starvation- What does the law say?” on 12 October 2018 from 17.30pm. Millions of civilians suffer hunger and starvation in times of armed conflict. This panel will discuss the legal prohibitions on the use of starvation as a method of war, and the obligations on the warring parties to allow access for humanitarian relief. Speakers include Professor Dapo Akande and Emanuela-Chiara Gillard, and the event will be chaired by Elizabeth Wilmshurst. It will be hosted at Chatham House | 10 St James’s Square | London | SW1Y 4LE.  The event will be followed by a drinks reception.

3. Twenty Years of the ICC’s Rome Statute: Utopia – Reality – Crisis. On 7 – 8 of September 2018 Edge Hill University and the University of Hamburg will co-host an interdisciplinary conference in Liverpool/UK on “Twenty Years of the ICC’s Rome Statute: Utopia – Reality – Crisis“. ICC judges, international scholars and practitioners will critically discuss the past, present and future role of the International Criminal Court. The program of the Conference and further information are available here. 

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1. Vacancy at the International Nuremberg Principles Academy. The International Nuremberg Principles Academy is a foundation dedicated to the advancement of the Nuremberg Principles and International Criminal Law (ICL). It is located in Nuremberg, Germany the birthplace of modern ICL, and is conceived as a forum and capacity building institution for contemporary issues in the ICL field. The Academy is now seeking to recruit a Senior Officer for Training and Capacity Building. For more information please see our website. 

2. AIIB Yearbook of International Law. The first edition of the AIIB Yearbook of International Law (AYIL) was launched at the AIIB Annual Meeting in Mumbai, India, and as with last year’s inaugural AIIB Legal Conference, was titled Good Governance and Modern International Financial Institutions. AYIL is hosted here and can be downloaded at this link (also, see table of contents). The 2018 AIIB Legal Conference, 5-6 September 2018, at AIIB Headquarters, Beijing, China, International Organizations and the Promotion of Effective Dispute Resolution, is open to academic participants. Academics interested in attending should contact the Chair of the 2018 AIIB Legal Conference, peter.quayle {at} aiib(.)org, no later than 20 August 2018. (Places are limited.)

3. Registration Open: Advanced Summer Programme on Countering Terrorism within a Rule of Law Framework. The Asser Institute in collaboration with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) is happy to announce that registrations are now open for the Advanced Summer Programme on Countering Terrorism within a Rule of Law Framework. This Programme, which takes place from 27 – 31 August 2018, seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the legal aspects of counter-terrorism and to offer an in-depth look at the challenges that come with adopting and implementing counter-terrorism measures while ensuring respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. More information about the course can be found at here.  Read the rest of this entry…

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Call for Papers: The Asian Society of International Law. The Asian Society of International Law will be holding a regional conference hosted by the University of Renmin in Beijing on the theme of `International Law in Asia: Challenges and Opportunities’. The deadline for abstracts is 20 July 2018. For more information, please see here. 

University of East Anglia Law School Workshop on Contemporary Perspective on International Investment Law. On 4 – 5 July 2018, the University of East Anglia Law School is hosting the 6th Expert Workshop on Contemporary Perspective on International Investment Law in collaboration with the Universities of Leiden and Bologna. Participants will discuss the evolving nature of public participation in the operation of international tribunals, in the pre-investment phase, as well as in treaty negotiations. See here for more information. 

New Additions to the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law. The Codification Division of the UN Office of Legal Affairs has added the following Spanish lectures to the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law website: Sr. Juan José Ruda Santolaria on “El principio del uti possidetis iuris” and “La Santa Sede y el Estado Vaticano a la luz del derecho international”. The UN Audiovisual Library of International Law provides high quality international law training and research materials to users around the world free of charge.

1. Call for Papers: Special Issue of the Canadian Journal of Development Studies on Law, Governance and Development: Critical and Heterodox Approaches. The myriad legal and policy instruments in the governance of development have shifted and evolved in significant ways in recent years, posing challenges to scholars, policy-makers and practitioners on how to effectively map, analyse and critique their nature and effects. Contributions are being sought (in French and English) for a bilingual Special Issue of the Canadian Journal of Development Studies, co-edited by Mark Toufayan and Siobhan Airey, to explore these questions from heterodox and critical perspectives. The aim of this Special Issue is to critically examine the role of law and the nature of legality in specific initiatives focused on ‘development’, and its implications for the evolving nature and governance of the relationship between states, markets, peoples, communities and the natural environment at levels and scales that transcend that of the nation state. We invite submissions on engagements between law, governance and development from a wide range of critical perspectives, including feminism, TWAIL and postcolonial scholarship, history and ethnography, critical geography, critical IR and political economy, Marxist and materialist perspectives, etc., and that focus on developments both within and between the Global North and South, and on particular scales and sites of governance. Proposals of 500-750 words, as well as a short CV, should be sent to mark.toufayan {at} uqo(.)ca and siobhan.airey {at} ucd(.)ie by 20 July 2018. For the full text of the call, please see here.

2. Call for Submissions: International Law and Conflict at Sea. The Stockton Center for International Law at the U.S. Naval War College invites submissions for its upcoming legal workshop, International Law and Conflict at Sea, at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island on 27­ – 28 November 2018. This workshop will feature leading scholars on the law of the sea, international humanitarian law, and maritime security and include a keynote address from Professor Wolff Heintschel von Heinegg, Chair of Public Law at the Europa-Universität Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder), Germany. This workshop will focus on conflict at sea, both at the high end of gray zone operations and at the low end of naval warfare. Thus, in addition to law of naval warfare and law of the sea considerations, scholars will also draw upon maritime security and other relevant bodies of law. Those interested in presenting a paper should submit a proposal to John Hursh, Director of Research at the Stockton Center at john.hursh.ctr {at} usnwc(.)edu. Proposals should include a title, an abstract of no more than 500 words, and a current CV or resume. The deadline for submitting a proposal is Friday 31 August, although earlier submissions are strongly encouraged. Those selected to present will receive notification by 15 September. The Stockton Center anticipates that it will be able to provide travel and lodging for selected presenters. All questions should be addressed to john.hursh.ctr {at} usnwc(.)edu.

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1. International Law and the Giulio Regeni’s Affair Talk. The International Law at Westminster (ILAW) research group invites you to the talk ‘International Law and the Giulio Regeni’s Affair’ on 14 June 2018, which will explore the international law issues pertaining to the kidnapping, torture, and murdering of the Italian researcher Giulio Regeni in Egypt. Attendance is free, but please register here. For the full programme and more info, please see here.  

2. Leiden Law School Conference: The EU as a Global Actor in Maritime Security. Leiden Law School hosts a conference on ‘The EU as a Global Actor in Maritime Security: Competences – Obligations – Accountability’. It takes place in the framework of the ILS 2.0 research project ‘Policing the high seas: maritime law-enforcement in a multi-actor environment’ and is organised by the Europa Institute in cooperation with four Interest Groups of the European Society of International Law (ESIL): the Interest Groups on the EU as a Global Actor, on Migration and Refugee Law, on International Human Rights Law, and on the Law of the Sea. The conference takes place on 25 – 26 October 2018 in Leiden. The aim is to explore what competences the EU has to act in the maritime domain, what obligations it is bound by when doing so, and how judicial oversight can be ensured. Studying the EU’s competences, obligations, and accountability will inform the broader discussion on the current and future role of the EU as a global actor in the maritime domain. We invite submissions of abstracts for papers that engage with these topics. Abstracts should not be longer than 500 words and submitted no later than 30 June 2018 via email to MaritimeSecurity@law.leidenuniv.nl. Travel and accommodation costs of speakers will be reimbursed. More information and a detailed Call for Papers are available here. 

3. Upgrading Trade and Services in EU and International Economic Law Conference. Radboud University Nijmegen (the Netherlands) is hosting a conference on “Upgrading Trade and Services in EU and International Economic Law”. Keynote speeches will be given by Prof. Sybe de Vries and Prof. Panagiotis Delimatsis. The conference will take place on 15 of June in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.  More information, and the possibility to sign up, can be found here.   Read the rest of this entry…