Category Archives: General

A successful Annual General Meeting was held on 2 November

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Climate change, the subject of this year’s Annual General Meeting, drew a large crowd to the Wijnhavengebouw of Leiden University’s The Hague campus on 2 November.  Almost 120 members and non-members came to hear prof. Ellen Hey, dr. Federica Violi, prof. Jaap Spier and prof. Fred Soons present the reports they had written and many of them participated in the lively debate that followed the presentations.

A full report of the proceedings will be published on this website as soon as it is available.

Annual General Meeting 2018 on 2 November

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CLIMATE CHANGE:
OPTIONS AND DUTIES UNDER INTERNATIONAL LAW

Annual Meeting of the
ROYAL NETHERLANDS SOCIETY OF INTERNATIONAL LAW
on Friday 2 November 2018 at 1:30 P.M.

Room 3.60, Wijnhavengebouw, Campus The Hague, Leiden University

Turfmarkt 99, 2511 DP  The Hague

Looking away is no option anymore:  Climate change is a serious threat to the world and to mankind, even if we fully live up to the obligations and commitments under the 2015 Paris Agreement.  The Special Report of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that came out this month made it clear that every effort must be made without delay to limit global warming to 1.5° C.

International law can help to realise our vitally important climate goals.  With that in mind the Board of the Society has commissioned three papers that approach climate change from different legal perspectives:  human rights, liability under private law and the law of the sea.

At the 2018 Annual Meeting the authors will present their papers.  The presentations will be followed by a debate in which the audience will have the opportunity to participate.

SPEAKERS:

Prof.dr Ellen Hey and Dr Federica Violi

The Hard Work of Regime Interaction: –
Climate Change and Human Rights

Prof.mr dr Jaap Spier

Private Law as a Crowbar for Coming to Grips with Climate Change?

Prof.mr dr Fred H.A. Soons

An Ocean under Stress:  Climate Change and the Law of the Sea

* * * * *

Mr Roger H.J. Cox

Mr Roger Cox has been invited to deliver a presentation on procedural aspects of climate related court cases, based on his personal experience as a practising lawyer.  In his book Revolution Justified (2011) Mr Cox defended the position that the state can be held liable under private law for failing to take its responsibility for the climate.  He represented Urgenda when it won its climate case against the State of the Netherlands in 2015 (the decision was upheld on appeal this month) and currently he heads the legal team of Friends of the Earth (Milieudefensie) who are preparing a case against Shell based on its obligations under the Paris Agreement.
      At 1:00 P.M. the Annual General Meeting of the KNVIR will be held, to which only members are admitted.

The presentation of the biennial François Prize will take place immediately following the members-only part of the meeting, at approximately 1:30 P.M.

Non-members interested in the subject of the meeting are welcome to attend the presentation of the François Prize, as well as the presentations and the discussion of the papers.

The presentations and discussion will be 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.re1550573963ssa@s1550573963serp1550573963.  Members have received the papers via regular mail.

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

      PLEASE NOTE:  If you wish to attend the meeting, you are kindly requested to register in advance at gro.r1550573963ivnk@1550573963ofni1550573963.

The PDF version of this announcement can be found here.

 

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.

See here for a detailed report of the meeting.

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.

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 elected 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 occupy 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.