KNVIR Spring Meeting in The Hague 13 June

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THE CHILDREN OF THE CALIPHATE AND INTERNATIONAL LAW

SPRING MEETING

OF THE ROYAL NETHERLANDS SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

HELD ON

WEDNESDAY 13 JUNE 2018 AT 19:00 HRS.

AT

ROOM 3.60, WIJNHAVENGEBOUW, CAMPUS THE HAGUE, LEIDEN UNIVERSITY, TURFMARKT 99, THE HAGUE

SPEAKERS:
DR BIBI T. VAN GINKEL, LL.M.
Senior Research Fellow, Netherlands Institute for International Relations ‘Clingendael’ and Research Fellow, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism,
The Hague (ICCT)

DRS MATTIE VAN DER MOLEN
Behaviourist, Dutch Council for Child Protection

Click here for the invitation in PDF-format.

With the crumbling of IS’ Caliphate new challenges have come to the surface. One such challenge that has been discussed vigorously over the past weeks and months, is what to do with the ‘Children of the Caliphate’, that is to say: the children of parents who joined IS in Iraq and Syria. What does international law say about the obligations of states in this matter and how should we assess certain governmental practices, such as those of the Netherlands, which currently does not actively repatriate Dutch children back to the Netherlands, taking into account international law, as well as other perspectives?

The focus of the evening was on:
• factual circumstances (numbers of children involved, locations where they reside, access to embassies or consulates and safety conditions – also for personnel of embassies or consulates, who might wish to go and find the children);
• the legal position, both under national and international law; and
• potential risks of the current government policy, such as the effects of exclusion, brain washing and possible traumas.

Theo van Boven – Maastricht Human Rights Research Prize 2018

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The jury of the Theo van Boven – Maastricht Human Rights Research Prize 2018 is looking for excellent young researchers in the field of human rights law, international criminal law or international humanitarian law. Nominations must be received by 15 September 2018.

The Prize consists of 3.000 Euro and a seminar on a subject chosen by the laureate, organized together with the International Law Department and the Maastricht Centre for Human Rights of Maastricht Law faculty. The winner will be announced on Human Rights Day 2018.

The nomination must identify the PhD thesis of the nominee or other substantial academic work in this field and a motivation must be attached as to the quality of the researcher nominated. Nominations on the basis of publications in Dutch, English, French, as well as German are welcome. Self-nominations or nominations by close relatives will not be accepted.

For more info, and to nominate someone, see this website.

78th Biennial Conference of the International Law Association, in Sydney 19-24 August 2018

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The ILA Australian Branch is pleased to announce that the conference website for the 78th Biennial Conference of the International Law Association, which will be held in Sydney 19-24 August 2018 is now live. The website will be updated in coming weeks with further details on the programme, registration details and conference fees. You can also follow the official ILA 2018 Conference Facebook page.

 

Call for Papers and Panels – 2018 ILA Conference Sydney

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The Australian Branch of the International Law Association is hosting the next biennial conference from 19 to 24 August 2018. To assist in building the parallel program for the conference, the Australian Branch has released a Call for Papers and Panels – 2018 ILA Conference Sydney. Submissions may be emailed to the address indicated in the call. Additional information may be found on the conference website: www.ila2018.org.au.

Annual General Meeting 2017

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PROTECTING THE RIGHTS OF FAMILIES AND CHILDREN IN A CHANGING WORLD

Annual Meeting of the
ROYAL NETHERLANDS SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
On Friday 3 November 2017 at 1:30 P.M.

The Hague Institute for Global Justice

Sophialaan 10, 2514 JR The Hague

SPEAKERS:

Prof.dr. B. de Hart
Modern Family -
Transnational Families in Nationality Law and Migration Law

Prof.dr T. Liefaard
Access to Justice for Children

Ms. L. Martínez-Mora, LL.M.
of the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Conference on
 Private International Law
The Cross-Border Recognition of Parent-Child Relationship Statuses (Parentage),
 including International Surrogacy Arrangements -
An Update on the Work of the HCCH

For a variety of reasons – migration, studies abroad, summer loves, changing concepts of marriage and family life – the ‘nuclear family’ (father, mother, child/children) is now more than ever joined by mixed-nationality families, multi-parenthood, same-sex marriages (by people with possibly different nationalities) or, e.g. families who adopted a child through cross-border surrogacy. The preadviezen described trends and took them as a reality, while focusing on the consequences for national and international family law.

To mention a few questions, discussed in the three papers: How about the increasingly restrictive family reunification policies of the EU? How to protect children better under the changing circumstances and given the fact that they are (human) rights holders themselves? How to deal with the legal attribution of paternity or maternity in the absence of a genetic link to a child?

On 3 November 2017, brief presentations by the speakers were followed by a discussion of the findings in the papers written especially for this meeting. Everyone present was invited to participate in this discussion. KNVIR meetings tend to be ‘oases of reflection’ as one of the presenters of last year observed, something to be proud of in these hectic times.

At 1:00 P.M. the Annual General Meeting of the KNVIR was held, to which only members were admitted.

Non-members interested in the subject of the meeting were welcome to attend from 1:30P.M. onwards. The presentations and discussion were held in English.

The printed version of the papers has been published by T.M.C. Asser Press in The Hague and may be ordered by non-members by applying to ln.sr1531726230evegt1531726230iukni1531726230rbnet1531726230@cmt1531726230. Members have received the papers via regular mail.

Coffee and tea were available from 12:30 P.M. onwards.

Important recent appointments

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On 28 August 2017, our honorary member prof.mr dr Nico J. Schrijver was sworn in by His Majesty King Willem Alexander as State Councillor (Staatsraad) in the Advisory Division (Afdeling advisering) of the Council of State (Raad van State).

Prof. Schrijver is professor of public international law at Leiden University and Director of the University’s Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies. From 7 June 2011 until 1 September 2017, when he took up his position as State Councillor, prof. Schrijver was a member of the Netherlands Senate (Eerste Kamer der Staten-Generaal). He also is one of the four Dutch members of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

Earlier this summer, our Board member prof.dr Liesbeth Lijnzaad was appointed as a judge at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea at Hamburg.

Prof. Lijnzaad is the first judge from The Netherlands to be appointed to this position. On 30 September 2017, the day before she takes up her new position at the ITLOS, she will leave the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she worked as Legal Adviser for almost 25 years. Prof. Lijnzaad also is professor of Practice of International Law at Maastricht University and a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.

The KNVIR congratulates prof. Schrijver and prof. Lijnzaad with their highly prestigious appointments.

Fake News and National Sovereignty: Spring Meeting 2017

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Fake News and National Sovereignty
The dangers of politically and militarily motivated fake news
and its impact on national interests

Spring Meeting
of the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law

Tuesday 13 june 2017 at 19:00 Hrs.
at the
The Hague Institute for Global Justice
Sophialaan 10, The Hague

Speaker

Mr Jan Kleijssen

Director of Information Society and
 Action against Crime, Council of Europe

Respondent

Rosa S.E.V. Toxopeus, M.A.

Analyst National Security
 National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism
 Analysis and Strategy Department (DAS)

Although fake news is by no means a new topic, the arrival of social media and today’s cyber hyper-connectivity have ensured that ‘fake news’ receives more attention now than ever before. Where it concerns a prank, it may be funny. Where the privacy or integrity of persons is involved, it is quite a different matter and may have legal consequences. On a different level, fake news has an effect across borders and impacts international relations or the sovereignty of states, for example in the context of presidential elections, as – most likely – witnessed in the U.S.A., or in times of political tension. What are the dangers of cross-border ‘fake news’ and what can be done against it?

Combating cross-border fake news is complicated from a technical perspective, but it also raises complex questions of both national and international law. An example: Facebook and Google recently announced action to address fake news, but how far does their responsibility reach and what can actually be done in practice? To what extent are organisations such as the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism active in tackling this issue and what legal means do they have, if any? Also, does it make any difference whether fake news is spread by state representatives or by non-state actors?

Mr. Kleijssen, who heads the Council of Europe’s Information Society and Action against Crime Directorate, will reflect on the topic from the perspective of the Directorate’s responsibility in these areas, which comprise standard setting, monitoring and cooperation on a wide variety of issues, including internet governance and cybercrime.

Ms. Toxopeus will reflect on Mr. Kleijssen’s introduction from the perspective of her experience as analyst for the National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism.

The presentation and the discussion will be held in English.

Book Presentation

On the occasion of the Spring Meeting two new books, whose authors have close connections with the KNVIR, will be presented to Dr K.H.D.M. Dijkhoff, Minister for Migration (Staatssecretaris Veiligheid en Justitie):

Discover International Law
With Special Attention for The Hague, City of Peace and Justice
by Prof. Willem van Genugten, Daniela Heerdt, LL.M. and Prof. Nico Schrijver
(Wolf Legal Publishers, Oisterwijk, The Netherlands)

and

The Art of Making Peace
Lessons Learned from Peace Treaties
Edited by Steven van Hoogstraten, Nico Schrijver, Otto Spijkers and Anneleen de Jong
(Brill / Nijhoff, Leiden, The Netherlands)

It will be possible to purchase these books at the end of the meeting.

Date and Venue

Date and Time: Tuesday 13 June 2017, 19:00 – 21:00 hrs.
Coffee/tea available from 18:30 hrs. onwards
Venue: The Hague Institute for Global Justice, Sophialaan 10, 2514 JR The Hague
Admission: Free for members and non-members
Registration: Not required
More information: Secretariat KNVIR. E-mail: ue.su1531726230lapag1531726230nol@R1531726230CES-R1531726230IVNK1531726230

Annual General Meeting 2016

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Achter Sint Pieter 200

On Friday 4 November 2016 the Annual General Meeting was held in Utrecht.  The theme of the meeting was:

UN Declaration on the Right to Development 1986 – 2016, 
Ways to Promote Further Progress in Practice

The public part of the meeting was devoted to a discussion of two papers on the theme mentioned above:

  • Prof.mr dr C.J.M. Arts and Dr A. Tamo
    Revitalizing the Right to Development in International Law
  • Prof.dr K. De Feyter
    The Right to Development: A Treaty and Its Discontents

The printed version of the papers was published by T.M.C. Asser Press in The Hague and may be ordered by applying to ln.re1531726230ssa@s1531726230serp1531726230.

At the end of the meeting the biennial François Prize was awarded.

The proceedings of the meeting are being prepared and will be published on this website as soon as they are available.