The 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting
Reconceiving International Law: Creativity in Times of Crisis
From March 24 – 26, 2021, the American Society of International Law convened its 115th Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting Committee (chaired by Simon Batifort, Christie Edwards, and Darin Johnson) thanks all attendees, panelists, and sponsors.
ASIL welcomed these honorees and keynote speakers at the 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting
Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf
International Court of Justice
(2021 Honorary Member Recipient)
Louise Arbour
Former Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for International Migration
(2021 Goler T. Butcher Medalist)
Bernard H. Oxman
University of Miami School of Law
(2021 Manley O. Hudson Medalist)
Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald
2021 Prominent Woman in International Law awardee
(Women in International Law Interest Group session)
Yves Daudet
Curatorium of the Hague Academy of International Law
(2021 Grotius Lecturer)
Hannah Buxbaum
Indiana University Bloomington
(2021 Grotius Distinguished Discussant)
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
Director-General, World Health Organization
(Keynote Remarks)
Lucy Reed
Independent Arbitrator
(2021 Charles N. Brower Lecturer)
David Miliband
President, International Rescue Committee
(Keynote Remarks)
Publicly Available AM Videos
Clicking the icon in the upper corner of the video below will expand the full playlist.
The Global Engagement Series was presented in cooperation with leading regional societies of international law. Annual Meeting registration is NOT required to view the sessions. Please see the links below or the in playlist above.
Africa, the United States, and the Evolving International Legal Order
Streamed March 9, 2021
At Home and Abroad: The European Union in a Changing Global Order
Streamed March 12, 2021
Investment, Human Rights, and Sustainable Development in a Changing Latin America Order
Streamed March 17, 2021
Reconceiving America's Global Role in the Biden Era: International Perspectives in Asia
Streamed March 18, 2021
Streamed March 9, 2021
At Home and Abroad: The European Union in a Changing Global Order
Streamed March 12, 2021
Investment, Human Rights, and Sustainable Development in a Changing Latin America Order
Streamed March 17, 2021
Reconceiving America's Global Role in the Biden Era: International Perspectives in Asia
Streamed March 18, 2021
Annual Meeting Theme:
In these extraordinary times, dramatic shifts in global health, the global economy, and geopolitical power structures are forcing human beings to adapt and evolve. These shifts require us to revisit the operation of the legal, political, and conceptual structures of our international order, and to examine the possibility — and perhaps necessity — of creating new norms, tools, and paradigms.Today's health, economic, and racial justice crises are having a profound impact on the rule of law, human security, and the environment; human rights and gender equality; international business and trade; and virtually all other aspects of society. These effects are being exacerbated by the differing approaches that governments, international organizations, and private actors have taken toward international problem-solving. Although some may hope for a return to "normalcy" in all these areas, the current moment offers both the challenge and the opportunity to reconsider and potentially to reshape international law and international institutions.
The 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law will provide a forum to think critically and creatively about all fields of international law. Sessions will present a broad range of perspectives on innovative ways to address emerging issues, to improve global governance, and to tackle international problems. More than ever, it is a time to come together as international law scholars and practitioners, and to challenge ourselves to imagine a new way forward.
Session Tracks:
- International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
- Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution
- International Trade, Investment, and Finance
- International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health
- Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force
- Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development
Full Conference Registration
Registration ends March 22.
VIRTUAL ANNUAL MEETING REGISTRATION RATES |
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| Rates | Early Bird (ended Feb. 10) |
Regular (ended Mar. 22) |
| ASIL Member | $310 | $375 |
| Non-Member** | $435 | $530 |
| GOV/IO/NGO Member | $150 | $225 |
| GOV/IO/NGO Non-Member** | $270 | $350 |
| Speaker - Member | $175 | $175 |
| Speaker - Non-Member** | $235 | $235 |
| AM Committee | $175 | $175 |
| Student - Member | $0 | $0 |
| Student - Non-Member | $0 | $0 |
CLE Credit Processing |
$75 | $75 |
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**Includes one-year ASIL membership. |
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Ancillary Events
Arbitration Reform in Practice - What Changes?
March 23 - 10:00 AM - 12:45 PMInstitute for Transnational Arbitration - ASIL Annual Conference. Register here.
Ancillary Events
ASIL Executive Council Meeting
March 23 - 11:00 AM - 03:30 PMBy invitation only
Ancillary Events
Patrons' Reception
March 23 - 05:30 PM - 06:00 PMBy invitation only
Keynotes & Plenaries
Opening Plenary and Keynote Remarks: David Miliband (International Rescue Committee)
March 24 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM"Combating the Global Rise in Impunity"
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development
Judging the Climate Crisis: The role of the International Court of Justice addressing environmental harms
March 24 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMIn the past year, a global youth movement has started to campaign for a resolution from the UN General Assembly requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to clarify the status and extent of emerging environmental law principles, including the right to a safe and healthy environment, sustainable development, transboundary harm, and polluter pays principle as it relates to specific rights and obligations of States. Several small island developing States, along with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, have expressed support for this initiative. This session will take the form of a debate between the four panelists, who will present opposing views on the most likely contested legal issues and whether such a request would be useful to advance global efforts to fight climate change. An interactive dialogue between panelists and participants will then tease out the promises and pitfalls of the different approaches presented by the panelists.
Panelist(s):Lavanya Rajamani, University of Oxford Faculty of Law Jorge Viñuales (Moderator), University of Cambridge Faculty of Law Christina Voigt, IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law Solomon Yeo, Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
Look Both Ways: Future and historical perspectives on the Refugee Convention at 70
March 24 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMInternational Refugee Law Interest Group
2021 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Convention on the Status of Refugees. This event will look to the successes and failures of the Convention’s framework over the past 70 years, and then ask how this informs our understanding of the future of international refugee law. The speakers will take stock of state compliance with various articles of the Convention and with norms of refugee law, asking whether the Convention is adequate to address twenty-first century crises. Speakers will discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted our understanding of access to territory, and whether those shifts will continue to shape law once the pandemic has subsided. The event will look at innovations and future opportunities, including public health challenges and advancements and regional leadership on refugee rights issues.
2021 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Convention on the Status of Refugees. This event will look to the successes and failures of the Convention’s framework over the past 70 years, and then ask how this informs our understanding of the future of international refugee law. The speakers will take stock of state compliance with various articles of the Convention and with norms of refugee law, asking whether the Convention is adequate to address twenty-first century crises. Speakers will discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted our understanding of access to territory, and whether those shifts will continue to shape law once the pandemic has subsided. The event will look at innovations and future opportunities, including public health challenges and advancements and regional leadership on refugee rights issues.
Panelist(s):Guy Goodwin-Gill, University of New South Wales Jaya Ramji-Nogales, Temple University School of Law A. Ashley Tabaddor, Chief Counsel, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS; former Immigration Judge, U.S. Department of Justice Volker Turk, United Nations
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force
Protest and Police Force: Examining Racial Discrimination and the Legality of Police Force in the U.S.
March 24 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMThe tragic killing of George Floyd and the ongoing and disproportionate killings of black and brown people by law enforcement in the United States sparked demonstrations in all fifty states and around the world. In response, the police unleashed "less lethal weapons," such as tear gas and rubber bullets, against protesters in ways that arguably violate international law. These actions threaten domestic security and illustrate a broader trend of militarization of police and excessive use of force by police against civilians in the United States. Indeed, a recent report by the University of Chicago's Global Human Rights Clinic found that the police policies in twenty of the largest cities in the United States failed to meet international human rights standards on the use of force. This session will explore the legality and limits of the use of force by police under international law, particularly in the context of Black Lives Matter protests in the United States.
Panelist(s):Agnés Callamard, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Claudia M. Flores, University of Chicago School of Law Justin Hansford (moderator), Howard University School of Law Gay McDougall, Fordham University School of Law Charles Ramsey, former Police Commissioner of Philadelphia Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health
The Road Ahead and Beyond: Future challenges and opportunities in the legal profession
March 24 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMNew Professionals Interest Group
The on-going Covid-19 pandemic has not left the legal profession unaffected. Following the first few days of confusion and disorientation, law firms were quick to adapt to their clients’ needs and ways to pursue projects effectively with a workforce at home. While certain practice areas have seen a decline, others have flourished during the crisis. The session will focus not on how the crisis has affected these areas but on new opportunities to be expected for international legal work upon the horizon. This includes two of the most important future topics: digitalization and sustainability. The brackets around these topics will be an assessment of where we stand today and which new legal fields may arise as the hot topics the day after tomorrow. The session is addressed to new professionals in practice, both private and in government, young scholars, as well as recent law school graduates. However, the implications of the discussion will be of interest to anyone practicing or studying law. The speakers will address how their own work has been affected and talk about current developments and signature topics to look out for due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The on-going Covid-19 pandemic has not left the legal profession unaffected. Following the first few days of confusion and disorientation, law firms were quick to adapt to their clients’ needs and ways to pursue projects effectively with a workforce at home. While certain practice areas have seen a decline, others have flourished during the crisis. The session will focus not on how the crisis has affected these areas but on new opportunities to be expected for international legal work upon the horizon. This includes two of the most important future topics: digitalization and sustainability. The brackets around these topics will be an assessment of where we stand today and which new legal fields may arise as the hot topics the day after tomorrow. The session is addressed to new professionals in practice, both private and in government, young scholars, as well as recent law school graduates. However, the implications of the discussion will be of interest to anyone practicing or studying law. The speakers will address how their own work has been affected and talk about current developments and signature topics to look out for due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Panelist(s):Markus Beham, University of Passau Mauricio Duarte, A2J Tech Chandri Navarro, Hogan Lovells LLP Kabir Duggal, Senior International Arbitration Advisor
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
There and Back Again: How to Ensure Compliance with IHL by Relying on Non-Traditional Voices and Live to Tell the Tale
March 24 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMThe application of international law in conflict settings faces several challenges, which can be linked to systemic and institutional reasons, such as the adherence of the applicable legal framework(s) by non-State armed groups (NSAGs) and the lack of appropriate organizational structures and resources allowing the parties, be they States or NSAGs, to fully implement their obligations. Improving compliance with humanitarian norms is therefore at the top of the international community's agenda. In this context, although there are 'traditional' sets of binding rules applicable to the parties, there are also 'non-traditional' actors and sources that influence their behaviors in the battlefield, such as religious leaders, non-governmental organizations, women leaders, and local and community stakeholders among others. These perspectives can lead to creative approaches to compliance with IHL and greater protections for civilian populations. Additionally, the ICRC, in its most recent updated commentary on the Third Geneva Convention, has included gender perspectives on IHL and international human rights law standards that can apply during armed conflicts. This panel will address some of these voices and perspectives to highlight good practices for compliance generation.
Panelist(s):Pascal Bongard, Geneva Call Ioana Cismas (moderator), University of York Center for Applied Human Rights Tanisha Fazal, University of Minnesota Jean-Marie Henckaerts, International Committee of the Red Cross Nontando Habede, St. Augustine College
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force
Advancing Human Rights Through U.S. Foreign Policy: Challenges and Opportunities
March 24 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMAround the world, nations continue to engage in practices involving systemic human rights violations, oppression, and crackdowns on democratic processes and civil rights and civil liberties. Over the past five years, both China and India have intensified repression of minority communities and engaged in crackdowns on democracy. China has continued to engage in systematic oppression of the Uighur population in the Xinjiang province including mass internment and detention, repression of religious freedoms and practices, mass surveillance, torture, and other forms of repression, and has intensified its crackdown on democracy and rights in Hong Kong. India has engaged in repressive policies toward the Muslim population through the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the implementation of a National Registry of Citizens (NRC), and has curbed democracy and civil liberties through the enactment of Article 370 stripping the state of Kashmir of autonomy, imposing martial law, and restricting and curbing political activity and civil rights and civil liberties. This panel will critically examine and evaluate the current state of U.S. engagement with China and India, including actions by the President and State Department, recent efforts in Congress to enact legislation, and recent work and campaigns by NGOs and human rights groups aimed at addressing repression and human rights violations in both nations. Existing U.S. engagement has largely been ineffective in building pressure on either country to change its policies. This panel will explore and consider how the U.S. can adopt new approaches to advancing human rights through its foreign policy with China, India and around the world.
Panelist(s):Joaquin Castro, US Congress Irfan Nooruddin (Moderator), Georgetown University Karuna Nundy, Advocate, Supreme Court of India and International lawyer Sophie Richardson, Human Rights Watch Nury Turkel, Adjunct Fellow at Hudson Institute Siddharth Varadarajan, The Wire
Keynotes & Plenaries
Hudson Medal Discussion: A Conversation with Bernard Oxman
March 24 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMPanelist(s):Lori Damrosch, Columbia Law School Bernard Oxman, University of Miami School of Law
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health
Indigenous Participation in International Organizations
March 24 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMThe 2021 Annual Meeting theme recognizes that in these extraordinary times it may be necessary to reconsider and reshape international law and international institutions. Indigenous peoples have been calling for such a reformation for generations. Denied the right to exercise international legal personality, Indigenous communities have long been shut out of the international system. Their exclusion in international forums has contributed to the challenges that many Indigenous peoples face in seeking to protect and promote their interests in the domestic sphere. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately affect Indigenous peoples and communities, it is high time to consider how we may reconceive international law and international institutions to allow Indigenous peoples to speak for themselves on issues of concern. As the world devises policy measures to beat the current health crisis, these internationally consolidated efforts must include all people, especially indigenous groups whose voices have been drained by the surge of the pandemic. Amidst the agonizing disregard of their health concerns in the wake of COVID-19, the plight of indigenous people is deepened by the ongoing climate crises, economic deprivation and racial discrimination. Now more than ever the survival of indigenous people is threatened. After years of conceiving the idea of functional and effective representation of indigenous people in the United Nations system and within other intergovernmental organizations, the call for participation in global governance by and for indigenous peoples should materialize. The panel is set to focus on practical issues that concern the modalities of participation of indigenous groups. It will consider reformation of the legal order of international organizations to allow for enhanced participation and self-determination rights of indigenous peoples. Paramount in this discussion is the mandate of international organizations in accentuating indigenous rights in the present global healthcare crisis and in a post COVID-19 era.
Panelist(s):Rani Yan Yan (Chakma), Advisor, Chakma Circle and Member Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Defenders Network Diego A. Tituaña (Kichwa-Otavalo), Ecuador Ambassador Keith Harper (Cherokee Nation), Partner, Jenner & Block Claire Charters (Ngāti Whakaue), Associate Professor, Auckland Law School Dalee Sambo Dorough (Inuit-Alaska), Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council and Senior Scholar and Special Advisor on Arctic Indigenous Peoples, University of Alaska Anchorage Harry Hobbs (Moderator), Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney
Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution
Should Courts Grant Discovery in Aid of Arbitration? A Supreme Court mock argument
March 24 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMA compelling conflict is brewing in the United States regarding whether interested parties can obtain evidence in the United States in aid of private international arbitration. The statute permitting courts to provide aid in the form of compelling discovery for use in a "foreign or international tribunal"—known as Section 1782—had been interpreted as limiting this aid for use by foreign courts and state-sponsored or institutionalized arbitration. Over time, district courts and appellate courts in the United States have taken divergent views on this question. In a mock argument before the United States Supreme Court, advocates will present those conflicting views from the circuit court split in the United States and will also incorporate insights into how courts from other countries allow or restrict discovery for use in arbitration. After an opening argument, the Justices will ask the advocates thought-provoking questions concerning the factors courts consider when deciding whether to permit discovery, the advantages and disadvantages of permitting discovery in aid of private international arbitration, and the ramifications of expansive discovery on arbitration proceedings.
Panelist(s):Alexander Blumrosen, Polaris Law Judge Bernice Donald (Justice), Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Yasmine Lahlou, Chaffetz Lindsey LLP S.I. Strong (Justice), University of Sydney Faculty of Law Yanbai Andrea Wang (Justice), University of Pennsylvania School of Law
Track 3: International Trade, Investment, and Finance
The Rise of Restrictions on Data Flows and Digital Technologies: National security, human rights, or geo-economics?
March 24 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMThere has been a recent increase in governmental actions impacting trade and investment flows in data and digital technologies. The US has taken actions affecting Huawei, TikTok and WeChat because of concerns about Chinese access to data and technologies. China has responded by tightening its control over technology exports, such as TikTok's algorithm, as well as its long standing restrictions on data transfers and territorial data localization requirements. The Schrems II judgment of the EU Court of Justice invalidated the personal data transfer arrangement between the EU and the US and might force companies such as Facebook to store and process data within Europe. Are these actions based on data privacy/human rights concerns? Are they driven by national security interests? Or do they reflect geo-economic struggles between Europe, the US, and China? Where does this leave other countries? This session will seek to address whether the international community needs to rethink its conceptual toolkit to account for the world's interconnected nature in terms of data flows, digital technologies, and investment, and whether new norms of international law need to be developed, and in which venues.
Panelist(s):Sarah Bauerle Danzman, Indiana University Bloomington Yan Luo, Covington & Burling LLP Maria Martin-Prat, European Commission Directorate General for Trade George Mina, Australian Representative to the World Trade Organization Thomas Streinz (Moderator), Guarini Global Law & Tech
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
Transitional Justice for the United States: Can transitional justice tools help the U.S. address its legacy of racial injustice?
March 24 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMThe deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police have reinvigorated a nationwide movement to comprehensively acknowledge and address the need for racial justice in the United States. To address the systematic racism and abuse that has taken many forms over the past 400 years and continues to affect black Americans, many are demanding that justice must take the form of institutional reforms, policy changes, truth commissions, reparations, and rectifying memorialization across the country - tools of transitional justice which have been used in many international contexts. While many domestic actors have no experience with these tools, a few have invoked the German and South African experiences as potential examples. However, there are an array of international transitional justice experiences, which may have relevant lessons for U.S. actors seeking to address 400 years of systematic racial injustice. This discussion will aim to bring together leaders from the U.S. racial justice community with international transitional justice experts to begin to explore (1) whether transitional justice is appropriate in the U.S. context and if so, what are its limitations; (2) what international transitional justice experiences might have relevant lessons for U.S. racial justice initiatives; and (3) challenges that may unique to the U.S. context.
Panelist(s):Gail Christopher, Former Senior Advisor and Vice President at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Pablo de Greiff, Former UN SpecRap on Truth, Justice, Reparations Robert Thomas, Racial Justice Coalition Beth van Schaack (Moderator), Stanford Law School Galuh Wandita, Asia Justice and Rights
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force
Accomplice Accountability for Grave Violations of International Law
March 24 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMA close look at the most egregious examples of international law violations that have threatened peace and security in recent times reveals a common trend: governments perpetrating these serious crimes do not act alone. They often do so with the help of others, both State and non-State actors. Notable examples include the logistical support, weapons, and intelligence provided by the United States, United Kingdom, and France to a Saudi-led coalition whose airstrikes have killed numerous civilians in Yemen; almost a decade of Russian and Iranian air and ground support for the Assad regime's systematic torture and killing of civilians in Syria; and the failure of Facebook to remove posts that incited genocide of the Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar. This panel will explore the range of "help" from direct participation to complicity and what accountability is warranted under international law. It will seek to answer: what legal responsibility should potential "accomplices" bear for their role in the grave violations of international law?
Panelist(s):Radhya al-Mutawakel, Mwatana for Human Rights Ibrahim al-Kasem, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights Welton Chang, Human Rights First Katherine Gallagher, Center for Constitutional Rights Oona Hathaway (Moderator), Yale Law School
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development
Military and Commercial Developments in European Space Law
March 24 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMSpace Law Interest Group
Panelist(s):Joyeeta Chatterjee (Moderator), Airbus Irmgard Marboe, University of Vienna Jenni Tapio, Finnish Space Agency Frans G. von der Dunk, Black Holes Consultancy Marco Ferrazzani, European Space Agency Mahulena Hofmann, University of Luxembourg
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
Teaching International Law to Non-Legal Audiences
March 24 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMTeaching International Law Interest Group
Panelist(s):Vanessa Montague-James, International Development and Foreign Policy Gregory Noone, National Security and Intelligence Program Iwetta Pyc, Consultant Julie Recinos, Supreme Court of Mexico Hardy Vieux, Human Rights First
Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution
Debate: "Parallel Proceedings in Investment Arbitration Are Abusive and Should be Banned"
March 24 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMThe increase in investor-State arbitrations has been accompanied by an increase in parallel proceedings. This includes proceedings arising from the same underlying facts under (i) treaties and national law, (ii) treaties and contracts, and (iii) even multiple treaties. States have objected that multiple related proceedings are abusive, impose undue burdens and risks, and should result in the dismissal of claims. Investors have argued that multiple related proceedings are a natural result of accessing the procedural rights and remedies afforded by States in applicable treaties, contracts, and local laws. Tribunals have reached seemingly inconsistent results: for example, the ICSID tribunal in Ampal v. Egypt found that multiple treaty claims regarding the same economic harm to constituted curable abuse of process, while the tribunal in Orascom v. Algeria declared that a similar situation rendered the claims before it inadmissible. Other tribunals have found no abuse at all, particularly when the related proceedings stem from different legal orders. This Oxford-style debate between two of the leading voices on the subject will address this tension through arguments both for and against the abusiveness of parallel proceedings in investor-State arbitration, and discussion of recent reform proposals aimed at addressing this phenomenon.
Panelist(s):Lindsay Gastrell, Arbitration Chambers Mariam Gotsiridze, Georgia Ministry of Justice Pierre Mayer, Independent Arbitrator Caline Mouawad, Chaffetz Lindsey Jan Paulsson, Three Crowns Sam Wordsworth, Essex Court Chambers
Keynotes & Plenaries
Keynote: A Conversation with Louise Arbour
March 24 - 03:00 PM - 03:30 PMPanelist(s):Louise Arbour, U.N. Special Representative for International Migration Mónica Pinto, University of Buenos Aires
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Donald Childress, U.S. Department of State
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Criminal Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMPanelists who have extensive experience in various aspects of international criminal law will discuss their paths to working in ICL, describe their past and current roles, and offer advice for law students and early-career lawyers on how to enter the field.
Panelist(s):Yasmine Chubin, Legal Advocacy Director, Clooney Foundation for Justice, The Docket Kate Gibson, Defense Counsel at International Criminal Court Roger Lu Phillips, Legal Director, Syria Justice and Accountability Centre Sunil Pal, Chief, Victims' Participation Unit, Special Tribunal for Lebanon
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Minorities in International Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Intellectual Property Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMProfessional and Academic Development
NGO Job-Seeking during a Global Pandemic
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMThis session is one of three sessions that are geared toward educating and informing students and recent graduates as to how to navigate the job market in various sectors, including, in addition to this panel, private practice and government and international organizations. Panelists will address the fundamentals of the NGO job market, as well as discuss topics including what students should be doing now to prepare for a career in a non-governmental organization, how COVID-19 has impacted the hiring process, and how recent graduates seeking employment can demonstrate professional experience in the absence of proper employment.
Panelist(s):Andrea Harrison (moderator), International Committee of the Red Cross Lia Lindsey, Oxfam America Sarah McIntosh, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Babette Ngene, Internews
Professional and Academic Development
Teaching the Practice of International Law: L Alumni as Educators
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:30 PMMany former lawyers in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State are now teaching international law in American law schools. This discussion between former attorneys from “L” will explore how their experiences shaped their educational content and methods. They will discuss how their professional experiences provided unique tools in how they prepare to teach public international law. How does their practical experience in representing a government's legal positions inform the process by which they prepare students to practice international law, whether in government service or in private practice students?
Panelist(s):John Bellinger (moderator), Arnold & Porter LLP Kristina Daugirdas, University of Michigan Law School Rebecca Ingber, Yeshiva University Cardozo School of Law Darin Johnson, Howard University School of Law
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 24 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Arif Ali, Dechert LLP
Professional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 24 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Jayne Huckerby, Duke University School of Law
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Lieber Society IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
ASIL-Midwest IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Environmental Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMProfessional and Academic Development
Editors-in-Chief Roundtable
March 24 - 05:30 PM - 06:20 PMInvitation Only
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Cultural Heritage and the Arts IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 05:30 PM - 06:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Legal Theory IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 05:30 PM - 06:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Private International Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 05:30 PM - 06:20 PMProfessional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 24 - 05:30 PM - 06:20 PMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Nawi Ukabiala, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
Task Force on Options for U.S. Engagement with the ICC - developing recommendations against a shifting landscape
March 24 - 05:30 PM - 06:20 PMOver the past 15 months, a Task Force convened by ASIL has been consulting on and developing recommendations for pragmatic engagement by the United States with the International Criminal Court. This process has been conducted across a period that saw numerous shifts impacting the Task Force's work - including the COVID pandemic, the steps by the ICC to open investigations in the Afghanistan and Palestine situations, the issuance of sanctions on senior ICC officials by the Trump administration, and the 2020 US election. The co-chairs of the Task Force will discuss how they went about seeking input and formulating recommendations against this shifting landscape, and balancing the disparate priorities and perspectives that its interlocutors had on these events.
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 24 - 06:30 PM - 07:20 PMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Jeanne Davidson, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Foreign Litigation
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Teaching International Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 06:30 PM - 07:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Rights of Indigenous Peoples IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 06:30 PM - 07:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Government Attorneys IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 06:30 PM - 07:20 PMProfessional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 24 - 06:30 PM - 07:20 PMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Rachel Davis, Shift
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 25 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Philippa Webb, King's College London, Dickson Poon School of Law
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
New Professionals IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Anti-Corruption Law IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMProfessional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 25 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Isabel San Martin, King & Spalding LLP
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Courts and Tribunals IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMWe are very pleased to announce that Philippa Webb will join us as guest speaker for the ICTIG business meeting at ASIL's 2021 Annual Meeting. We plan to engage Professor Webb in a lively conversation about her new book, The Right to a Fair Trial in International Law (co-authored with Amal Clooney). Our discussion will focus on the interpretation and application of the right to a fair trial by international courts and tribunals.
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Asia-Pacific IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Space Law IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMProfessional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 25 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Sarah Holewinski, Human Rights Watch
Professional and Academic Development
Careers in International Law
March 25 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Ben Juvelier, ASIL
Keynotes & Plenaries
23rd Annual Grotius Lecture on International Law
March 25 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM"Never let a good crisis go to waste! Can international law seize the advantage?”
Grotius Lecturer: Yves Daudet, University Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne
Distinguished Discussant: Hannah Buxbaum, Indiana University
It is well known that international law is currently undergoing transformations and challenges in many respects, regarding sources, subjects, ends and main principles in an international society that bears little resemblance to what it was in the aftermath of the Second World War. As international law is intended to be the glue that holds together a diverse international society, it is naturally at the heart of the crises affecting that society, as we are currently experiencing with the health crisis. Facing a crisis, one can be passive and hope for its end. Conversely, one can opt for a positive vision and try to find a dynamic of progress highlighted by the content of the crisis itself. In this perspective, it is necessary to check whether lessons can be learned, or even benefits achieved, as the crisis raises questions about the relevance or the need to reassess and transform major pillars of international law, such as the principle of sovereignty or that of multilateralism. Emergence of common interest or a principle of solidarity also needs to be addressed as they can provide legal means for responding to and preventing new crises. In this respect, this progress must be welcomed as an undeniable advance. Progress on other fronts, less comprehensive, should be seen as a step forward and a source of hope.
Grotius Lecturer: Yves Daudet, University Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne
Distinguished Discussant: Hannah Buxbaum, Indiana University
It is well known that international law is currently undergoing transformations and challenges in many respects, regarding sources, subjects, ends and main principles in an international society that bears little resemblance to what it was in the aftermath of the Second World War. As international law is intended to be the glue that holds together a diverse international society, it is naturally at the heart of the crises affecting that society, as we are currently experiencing with the health crisis. Facing a crisis, one can be passive and hope for its end. Conversely, one can opt for a positive vision and try to find a dynamic of progress highlighted by the content of the crisis itself. In this perspective, it is necessary to check whether lessons can be learned, or even benefits achieved, as the crisis raises questions about the relevance or the need to reassess and transform major pillars of international law, such as the principle of sovereignty or that of multilateralism. Emergence of common interest or a principle of solidarity also needs to be addressed as they can provide legal means for responding to and preventing new crises. In this respect, this progress must be welcomed as an undeniable advance. Progress on other fronts, less comprehensive, should be seen as a step forward and a source of hope.
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force
Information Conflict in the Digital Age
March 25 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMAs evidenced by Russia's recent efforts at election interference in the United States and Europe, and the growing spread of COVID-19 related disinformation, the role of information conflict in global strategic competition has evolved and taken on new weight. Developments in the technological structure and global interconnectedness of information and telecommunications (IT) infrastructure have enabled states to engage in malicious influence campaigns at an unprecedented scope, scale, depth, and speed, generating what one expert describes as "one of the greatest vulnerabilities we as individuals and as a society must learn to deal with." And while international law has historically been very tolerant of state's use of propaganda and suasion, the new reality of information conflict threatens to undermine the essence of sovereign equality, independence, and the rules-based international order. Since the inception and unprecedented expansion of IT technology, states have struggled to adapt existing international law to the cyber context, and are only beginning to grapple with the unique challenges presented by IT technology-enabled influence campaigns. This roundtable will explore whether and how international law can play a role in regulating the evolving face of information conflict in the digital age.
Panelist(s):Kristen Eichensehr (Moderator), University of Virginia School of Law Jens David Ohlin, Cornell Law School Harriet Moynihan, Chatham House Sujit Raman, Sidley Austin LLP Commander Robin Crabtree, US Navy
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
Interdisciplinary Approaches to Cultural Heritage and the Arts
March 25 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMCultural Heritage and the Arts Interest Group
Panelist(s):Alison Dundes Renteln (Moderator), University of Southern California Valdimar Hafstein, University of Iceland Kristin Hausler, British Institute of international and Comparative Law Jonathan Liljeblad, Australian National University College of Law James Nafziger, Willamette University
Track 3: International Trade, Investment, and Finance
Litigating Health and Security Exceptions in Investment Treaties – A Simulation
March 25 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMThe Covid 19 pandemic presents a looming challenge for the system of investor-state arbitration. Although few cases filed to date have directly addressed Covid 19-related measures, observers have argued that a wide range of national responses to the pandemic—including lockdown orders, nationalizations, export restrictions, and capital controls— could give rise to claims under investment treaties. Treaty-based exceptions for security, emergency, and public health measures are one widely recognized means of securing additional flexibility for host states in their treatment of foreign investments. There is, however, no consensus on the proper interpretation and application of treaty-based exceptions, including on critical questions such as the scope and standard of review or whether exceptions are suitable for determination as a preliminary matter. This makes their application to Covid 19-related measures uncertain, at best. This session will consider the application of security and public-health exceptions through a simulated investor-state arbitral hearing. The panelists, acting as counsel and tribunal members, will work from a simplified fact pattern involving a state regulation restricting business activity in response to the pandemic. The moderator will offer critical remarks that situate the issues raised among broader questions about the flexibility, stability, and legitimacy of the investment treaty regime.
Panelist(s):Samaa Haridi, Hogan Lovells LLP J. Benton Heath (Moderator), Temple University Beasley School of Law Justin Jacinto, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP Tafadzwa Pasipanodya, Foley Hoag LLP Ina Popova, Debevoise & Plimpton Sabina Sacco, Levy Kaufmann Kohler LLP
Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back? Judicializing Trade and Investment Dispute Settlement
March 25 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMRadical events in the 20th century have ushered in waves of judicialization in many areas of international law, from the creation of the PCIJ following the catastrophic use of force in World War I to the establishment of international criminal tribunals to redress heinous international crimes. In these instances, participating States embraced an approach to dispute resolution premised upon notions of judicial integrity and independence. In a similar vein, to address the perceived legitimacy crisis of the investor-State dispute settlement system, UNCITRAL is currently discussing the creation of standing adjudicatory bodies, including a potential multilateral investment court and an appellate mechanism, to complement or replace ad hoc arbitration. However, the recent crisis in confidence at the WTO suggests that increased judicialization may result in its own problems. Focusing on the recent developments in international trade and investment law, this rapid response panel will discuss whether standing courts are the most effective mechanisms for the resolution of international disputes with inherently political dimensions. Is judicialization the only approach to address systemic crises, or is it time to reconceive of international dispute resolution based on international commissions, referral mechanisms from domestic courts to international tribunals, or other models?
Panelist(s):Mónica Pinto, University of Buenos Aires Jan Yves Remy (Moderator), Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law Jeremy Sharpe, Independent Arbitrator Tullio Treves, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP André von Walter, European Commission
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development
Protecting People in the Context of Climate Change and Disasters
March 25 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMClimate change constitutes one of the preeminent threats of our time, menacing fragile ecosystems, exacerbating natural disasters, and disrupting societies, such as through the creation of climate refugees fleeing rising sea levels which threaten island nations. The legal protection of persons affected by climate change and disasters features on the agenda of several international bodies, including the United Nations General Assembly (including the SDGs and the Global Compact for Migration), the Human Rights Council specialized agencies, the International Organization for Migration, UNHCR, and the International Law Commission (including the recent work on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters and the on-going work on sea-level rise in relation to international law), as well as civil society organizations. Recently, international, regional and domestic litigation has increased in frequency and significance, including before the United Nations Human Right Committee and the Committee on the Rights of the Child. In this session, the speakers will address the treatment of this topic before these various entities. The discussion will focus also on developments arising from cases brought before UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies, Regional Human Rights Systems, and national jurisdictions.
Panelist(s):Giulio Bartolini (Moderator), Roma Tre University Patrícia Galvão Teles, International Law Commission Kirsten Hagon, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Ambassador Duncan Muhumuza-Laki, UN Human Rights Committee Mohamed Nasheed, former President of the Maldives
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
Civilian Harm Mitigation in Urban Areas: A wargaming exercise
March 25 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PM(Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict)
The minimization of civilian casualties is a central objective of the law of armed conflict, but it poses legal, operational and policy challenges. To better understand these challenges, this simulation will demonstrate how a coalition war gaming exercise may be used to improve planning to minimize civilian harm in an urban setting. This session is organized by the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict.
The minimization of civilian casualties is a central objective of the law of armed conflict, but it poses legal, operational and policy challenges. To better understand these challenges, this simulation will demonstrate how a coalition war gaming exercise may be used to improve planning to minimize civilian harm in an urban setting. This session is organized by the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict.
Panelist(s):Ian Brasure, Committee on Foreign Investment in the US Marc Linning, Center for Civilians in Conflict Andrea Prasow, Human Rights Watch Lindsay Rodman (Moderator), New York University School of Law Kieran Tinkler, United Kingdom Armed Forces
Track 3: International Trade, Investment, and Finance
International Trade Dispute Settlement 2.0
March 25 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMWith the change in WTO leadership and the creation of the Multi-Party Interim Appeal (MPIA) arrangement in 2020, set against the backdrop of escalating trade tensions and the pandemic, the trade dispute landscape is on the verge of seismic change. What types of trade disputes are likely to mushroom post-pandemic? Is the MPIA here to stay, and can, or will, it be replaced by other mechanisms such as those in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) as the preferred choice of resolving trade disputes with finality? Why have FTA dispute settlement mechanisms remained underutilized? This session will look back on the key developments in 2020 before looking ahead and considering creative means through which trade disputes might be dealt with in the future. The panel will review WTO disputes that were appealed "into the void", and consider if there may have been alternative means of resolution. For those that cannot be resolved as such, will this herald the return to a power-based trading system, and what will be the impact of the simmering US-China tensions? Will trade law jurisprudence witness fragmentation in tandem with the increasingly multi-polar political landscape, and might this in fact be desirable?
Panelist(s):Kathleen Claussen (Moderator), University of Miami School of Law Cherise Valles, Advisory Centre on WTO Law Geraldo Vidigal, University of Amsterdam Heng Wang, University of New South Wales School of Law Alan Yanovich, Akin Gump LLP
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health
Multilateral Diplomacy When the World Is Locked Down
March 25 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMMultilateral meetings attended by delegations from numerous countries are a central feature of many international organizations. This session offers a practical review and assessment of how international organizations, their Member States and host countries responded to the immigration restrictions, travel challenges and quarantine restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists will discuss a range of issues including: changes to established consultation and decision-making processes when it became impossible for Member State representatives to travel from abroad to attend meetings; how international organizations' requests for exemptions from immigration and movement restrictions were balanced with the public health concerns of the host country; and how approaches to advocacy and consensus-building were modified to remain effective without in-person engagement. The session will address the impact of adjustments for the lack of physical presence; the impact of distance on the pace, form and frequency of discussion among Member States; and the impact of adjustments to multilateral organizations' decision-making processes. The panelists will explore the legal considerations informing these adjustments and the pandemic's long term impact upon the nature and form of multilateral diplomacy.
Panelist(s):Niels Blokker (Moderator), Leiden University Peri Lynne Johnson, International Atomic Energy Agency Steve Mathias, United Nations Office of Legal Adviser Namira N. Negm, African Union Verity Robson, UK Mission to the UN and Other International Organizations in Geneva
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development
The Lorax Revisited: Protecting Forests from Illegal Logging and Deforestation
March 25 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMHuman-driven deforestation, such as illegal logging, large-scale agricultural investments, cattle grazing, and mining have caused concern around the globe, particularly during the 2019 Amazon fires, and have become key issues in the fight against climate change. Large-scale deforestation occurs everywhere and is thus a global problem: in the Amazonian basin, in Western and Central Africa, and South-East Asia. The few original forests in Europe are also under threat. Illegal logging is a major threat to global forest resources and a multibillion-dollar operation worldwide, reaching as much as $ 10 billion a year. It is also a major risk to the lives and livelihoods of indigenous communities, as "rainforest mafias" have threatened, attacked, and even killed indigenous "forest guardians" who patrol their native homelands and report illegal logging practices. It is also a threat to the biodiversity and wildlife of the forests as they face habitat degradation and loss. Panelists will address the legal and practical implications of illegal logging and deforestation on the indigenous and wildlife residents in diminishing forests around the globe. They will also address solutions and accountability measures to prevent further destruction of these habitats and encourage reforestation and sustainable development.
Panelist(s):Carole Excell, World Resources Institute Francisco Souza, Forest Stewardship Council's Indigenous Foundation Julia Urrunaga, Environmental Investigative Agency, Peru Daniel Wilkinson, Human Rights Watch
Professional and Academic Development
Women in International Law Interest Group Award Discussion
March 25 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMPanelist(s):Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, 2021 Prominent Woman in International Law Recipient
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force
Key Questions in Foreign Relations Law Under the Biden Administration
March 25 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMInternational Law in Domestic Courts Interest Group
The Biden administration faces an array of challenges in foreign affairs, from the pandemic, climate change, and China's ascendance, to weakened U.S. relations with allies, heightened tension with Iran, and a hobbled State Department, to name just a few examples. Moreover, the administration does so amidst hyper-polarization of the American electorate, and with policy preferences that are in many ways quite different from those of its predecessor. These circumstances are likely to raise important questions for the field of U.S. foreign relations law over the course of the next four years. For example, if President Biden hopes to rejoin international agreements and institutions that the United States left under the Trump administration, what processes are available under domestic law for doing so? How should a body of foreign relations law that was developed largely in an era of American hegemony be adapted to an age of multipolarity? Will the legal positions that Democrats and Republicans adopted on issues in foreign relations law under President Trump flip on account of the new administration, or are there some features of the law that have durable political valences? Panelists will offer their insights on these kinds of questions.
The Biden administration faces an array of challenges in foreign affairs, from the pandemic, climate change, and China's ascendance, to weakened U.S. relations with allies, heightened tension with Iran, and a hobbled State Department, to name just a few examples. Moreover, the administration does so amidst hyper-polarization of the American electorate, and with policy preferences that are in many ways quite different from those of its predecessor. These circumstances are likely to raise important questions for the field of U.S. foreign relations law over the course of the next four years. For example, if President Biden hopes to rejoin international agreements and institutions that the United States left under the Trump administration, what processes are available under domestic law for doing so? How should a body of foreign relations law that was developed largely in an era of American hegemony be adapted to an age of multipolarity? Will the legal positions that Democrats and Republicans adopted on issues in foreign relations law under President Trump flip on account of the new administration, or are there some features of the law that have durable political valences? Panelists will offer their insights on these kinds of questions.
Panelist(s):Jean Galbraith, University of Pennsylvania Mark Iozzi, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chimène Keitner, University of California, Hastings Julian Ku, Hofstra University Ryan Scoville (Moderator), Marquette University Law School Richard Visek, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
Mass Atrocities and Statelessness: (Re)considering the Case of the Rohingya
March 25 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMIn the vast majority of cases of mass atrocities, most of them involve statelessness. Statelessness is a commonality among groups who have been brutalized by states throughout the world and can be a justification used to defend horrendous human rights abuses. It is impossible to talk about mass atrocities and statelessness without looking to the Rohingya of Myanmar. The Rohingya have suffered systemic discrimination, persecution, crimes against humanity and genocide and, today, comprise the largest stateless population in the world. Using the Rohingya crisis as a case study, this panel will examine the role of statelessness as a driver of marginalization and the commission of mass atrocities. Panelists will examine the interlinkages between the distinct international legal frameworks governing mass atrocities and those that govern statelessness. They will also explore parallels with the unfolding crisis of mass deprivation of nationality in Assam, India as well as good practices in Kyrgyzstan, and will discuss the role of citizenship in providing protections for vulnerable groups from mass atrocities. Panelists will also examine how local strategies in different contexts for tackling statelessness might inform efforts to address aspects of the Rohingya crisis
Panelist(s):Amal de Chickera (Moderator), Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion Wai Wai Nu, Women's Peace Network Regina M. Paulose, Common Good Foundation Akila Radhakrishnan, Global Justice Center Katherine G. Southwick, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Track 3: International Trade, Investment, and Finance
Reassessing Sovereign Bankruptcy in a Time of Global Economic Crisis
March 25 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMThe economic crisis precipitated by COVID-19 is expected to cause a new wave of sovereign defaults. In the last year, over 100 countries have requested emergency assistance from the International Monetary Fund. States that were previously teetering on the brink of crisis – including Argentina, Ecuador and Lebanon – have defaulted or begun the process of restructuring their debts. Several others are expected to follow close behind. Like previous defaults, this next wave of sovereign debt crises will occur in the absence of a comprehensive sovereign bankruptcy mechanism. However, it will be subject to new legal and political developments including: more wide-spread use of private ordering solutions such as Collective Action Clauses; the use of investor-state dispute settlement; and efforts by the World Bank and IMF to impose a moratorium on emerging market debt. This next wave of defaults thus provides an opportunity to evaluate the impact of recent developments and test the limits of managing sovereign debt restructurings in the absence of a comprehensive sovereign bankruptcy mechanism. It thus provides an opportunity to reassess private, public, and international solutions to the sovereign debt problem and imagine the way forward.
Panelist(s):Lee C. Buchheit, 3 Verulam Buildings Anna Gelpern, Georgetown University Law Center Andrea Menaker, White & Case LLP Stratos Pahis (Moderator), New York University School of Law Daniel Marx, Quantum Finanzas
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development
Space Race for the Battlestar: International law implications of the militarization of space
March 25 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMOver the last decade, as states have moved aggressively to establish their advantage in new domains, the rules-based international order is under unprecedented stress. The so-called return to great power competition is literally reaching for the stars, with states adopting new military strategies, command structures, and technologies aimed at securing dominance and competitive advantage in outer space. The United States recently created a unified combatant command (the US Space Command), as well as a new branch of the Armed Forces—the US Space Force. Other space powers, such as Russian and China, have expressed concern, and underlined the implications this may have for developing defensive capacities. These developments present acute challenges to the existing framework of international space law generally, and international humanitarian law more specifically. This panel will address the increasing militarization of space and the international legal challenges it presents.
Panelist(s):Setsuko Aoki (Moderator), Keio University Law School Laurent Gisel, International Committee of the Red Cross Elina Morozova, Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications Amy Sfara, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Air Force Dale Stephens, Adelaide Law School
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development
We Are All Climate Lawyers Now
March 25 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMASIL Signature Topic Series
Panelist(s):Carmen Gonzalez, Loyola University Chicago School of Law Sailesh Mehta, Red Lion Chambers Nilufer Oral, UN International Law Commission Hermann Ott, Client Earth Margaret Young, University of Melbourne Law School Rob Verchick, Loyola University New Orleans
Keynotes & Plenaries
Honors and Awards Ceremony and Keynote Remarks: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (World Health Organization)
March 25 - 03:00 PM - 03:30 PM"Law, Equity and Global Public Health"
Professional and Academic Development
Private Practice Job-Seeking during a Global Pandemic
March 25 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMThis session is one of three sessions geared toward educating and informing students and recent graduates as to how to navigate the job market in various sectors, including private practice, non-profit, and government/international organizations. Panelists will address the fundamentals of the private practice job market, as well as discuss topics including what students should be doing now to prepare for a career in private practice, how COVID-19 has impacted the hiring process, and how recent graduates seeking employment can demonstrate professional experience in the absence of proper employment.
Panelist(s):Saadia Bhatty, Gide Loyrette Nouel (Moderator) Andrew Larkin, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP Duncan Pickard, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Alyssa Yamamoto, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Refugee Law IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Dispute Resolution IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Transitional Justice and Rule of Law IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMProfessional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 25 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Sonia Farber, Kluk Farber Law
Ancillary Events
Incitement to Discrimination, Hostility and Violence: A Comparative Analysis
March 25 - 03:30 PM - 04:30 PMWhile digital technology is a huge opportunity to communicate across countries and cultures, it unfortunately also has the ability to spread disinformation, hatred, and incitement to violence. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen hatred spreading as minority and marginalized communities have found themselves scapegoated and in some cases even become victims of targeted violence. This spread has often been fuelled by digital technologies, which make it easier and faster to disseminate conspiracy theories that have been in circulation for years or even centuries.
Human rights are increasingly used to restrict one another rather than advanced together as part of a comprehensive human rights framework. The lack of an international legal definition of “hate speech,” the coded and contextual nature of “hate speech,” and the vast amounts of user-generated content and the diversity of content in terms of form and language greatly complicate the challenge of balancing the right to freedom of expression with the need to protect against the advocacy of hate that amounts to incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.
This side event will examine how the international regulatory framework around incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence is implemented at the domestic and regional levels in various contexts and to discuss the benefits and detriments of various systems of regulation.
Panelist(s):Karoline Fernandez de la Hoz Zeitler, National Point of Contact on Hate Crime, Spain Louisa Klingvall, DG JUST, European Commission Iain Levine, Senior Human Rights Adviser, Facebook Emerson J. Sykes, Staff Attorney, Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, ACLU Joanna Szymanska (Moderator), Article 19
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 25 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):James T. Gathii, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Professional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 25 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Amelia Mathias, U.S. Department of State
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Law of the Sea IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
ASIL-Southeast IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Economic Law IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMAncillary Events
BASIL Task Force Meeting
March 25 - 05:30 PM - 07:00 PMBy invitation only
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 26 - 07:00 AM - 07:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Rod Rastan, International Criminal Court
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Legal Research IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 07:00 AM - 07:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Africa IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 07:00 AM - 07:50 AMProfessional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 26 - 07:00 AM - 07:50 AMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Louise Fournier, Greenpeace
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Human Rights IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Nonproliferation, Arms Control, and Disarmament IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMThree NACDIG members will be discussing their careers in the fields of nonproliferation, arms control and disarmament:
- Nicole Hogg has served at the ICRC for 16 years. She is the Legal Advisor and Head of Department at the ICRC’s Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada, which involves work on weapons issues, including arms transfers, urban warfare, new technologies of warfare, and nuclear weapons. She previously worked as Legal Adviser in the ICRC’s Arms Unit in Geneva, as well as Legal Adviser to Operations for Asia and the Pacific. She holds a Law degree and an Arts degree from the University of Melbourne and an LLM in international law from McGill University in Canada.
- Loren Voss is the Senior Advisor for Civilian Harm Mitigation at the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency where she leads efforts to integrate civilian harm mitigation into security assistance and security cooperation with allies and partners. She previously served as an active duty officer in the Air Force, clerked for the Israeli Supreme Court, and conducted research as a Harvard Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellow on national security and the law of armed conflict. She holds a JD from Harvard Law and an MA in Global Affairs from Yale.
- Mike Meier is the Senior Civilian Adviser to the Army Judge Advocate General on matters related to the Law of War. He advises on legal and policy issues related to the law of war, reviews proposed new weapons, and serves as a member of the DoD Law of War Working Group. Mr. Meier served as an Attorney-Adviser with the Office of the Legal Adviser for Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State, from June 2009 until June 2016, where his portfolio included arms control agreements, such as the Ottawa Convention, Convention on Cluster Munitions, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and the Arms Trade Treaty. He holds a JD from St. Mary's University School of Law, an LLM from Georgetown University School of Law, and LLM from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School and an MS from the United States Army War College.
Participants will have the opportunity to ask them about their career trajectories. We hope you will join us for what promises to be a fascinating discussion. You will receive the information on how to attend after registering for the Annual Meeting.
- Nicole Hogg has served at the ICRC for 16 years. She is the Legal Advisor and Head of Department at the ICRC’s Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada, which involves work on weapons issues, including arms transfers, urban warfare, new technologies of warfare, and nuclear weapons. She previously worked as Legal Adviser in the ICRC’s Arms Unit in Geneva, as well as Legal Adviser to Operations for Asia and the Pacific. She holds a Law degree and an Arts degree from the University of Melbourne and an LLM in international law from McGill University in Canada.
- Loren Voss is the Senior Advisor for Civilian Harm Mitigation at the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency where she leads efforts to integrate civilian harm mitigation into security assistance and security cooperation with allies and partners. She previously served as an active duty officer in the Air Force, clerked for the Israeli Supreme Court, and conducted research as a Harvard Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellow on national security and the law of armed conflict. She holds a JD from Harvard Law and an MA in Global Affairs from Yale.
- Mike Meier is the Senior Civilian Adviser to the Army Judge Advocate General on matters related to the Law of War. He advises on legal and policy issues related to the law of war, reviews proposed new weapons, and serves as a member of the DoD Law of War Working Group. Mr. Meier served as an Attorney-Adviser with the Office of the Legal Adviser for Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State, from June 2009 until June 2016, where his portfolio included arms control agreements, such as the Ottawa Convention, Convention on Cluster Munitions, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and the Arms Trade Treaty. He holds a JD from St. Mary's University School of Law, an LLM from Georgetown University School of Law, and LLM from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School and an MS from the United States Army War College.
Participants will have the opportunity to ask them about their career trajectories. We hope you will join us for what promises to be a fascinating discussion. You will receive the information on how to attend after registering for the Annual Meeting.
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Latin American IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMProfessional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 26 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Lucinda Low, Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Professional and Academic Development
Government and International Organizations Job-Seeking during a Global Pandemic
March 26 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMThis session is one of three sessions that are geared toward educating and informing students and recent graduates as to how to navigate the job market in various sectors, including, in addition to this panel, private practice and non-profit. Panelists will address the fundamentals of the Government and International Organizations job market, as well as discuss topics including what students should be doing now to prepare for a career in these sectors, how COVID-19 has impacted the hiring process, and how recent graduates seeking employment can demonstrate professional experience in the absence of proper employment.
Panelist(s):Ari Bassin, Office of Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of State Darin Johnson, Howard University School of Law (Moderator) Karla Jones, Organization of American States Katerina Ossenova, Office of Foreign Litigation, U.S. Department of Justice Andrés Felipe Esteban Tovar, Former International Disputes officer at National Agency for the Legal Defense of the State (Colombia)
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Women in International Law IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Organizations IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Law and Technology IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMProfessional and Academic Development
How to Publish in AJIL and AJIL Unbound
March 26 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Karen J. Alter, Northwestern University Curtis A. Bradley, Duke University School of Law Melissa J. Durkee, University of Georgia School of Law Laurence R. Helfer, Duke University School of Law Meaghan Kelly, Duke University School of Law
Professional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 26 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Christos Ravanides, UN Office of Legal Affairs
Keynotes & Plenaries
Keynote: A Conversation with Judge Yusuf
March 26 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AMJudge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, International Court of Justice
Panelist(s):Patrícia Galvão Teles, International Law Commission
Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution
The Evolving Role of Arbitral Institutions
March 26 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMWhile arbitral institutions have traditionally occupied an administrative role in support of arbitral proceedings, their impact on arbitral proceedings, and on the arbitration community more generally, has substantially evolved. Faced with a legal void or inconsistent rules, arbitration users have called on arbitral institutions for guidance and standards relating to key issues affecting arbitrations, such as codes of conduct, corruption, cybersecurity, transparency and diversity, and more recently, guidance on how to conduct virtual hearings in COVID-19 times. Having grown considerably in both size and number in the past years, arbitral institutions across the world have embraced this evolving role, especially in times of crisis, acting as key norm-makers and trend-setters in arbitration. With this evolving role—one traditionally reserved to states—the legitimacy and accountability of arbitral institutions has been questioned, especially considering the varying regimes of liability applicable to arbitral institutions across jurisdictions. This session will consider the pregnant role of arbitral institutions, the challenges it raises, and suggested solutions to address these challenges.
Panelist(s):Chiann Bao, Arbitration Chambers Rémy Gerbay (Moderator), MoloLamken Alexis Mourre, International Chamber of Commerce Ismail Selim, Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration Barbara Warwas, Hague University of Applied Sciences
Ancillary Events
2021 Detlev F. Vagts Roundtable on Transnational Law: Pandemic Vaccines: Market products or global public goods?
March 26 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMThe current global scramble to secure sufficient quantities of COVID-19 vaccines, and the tension between unilateral “vaccine nationalism” and the multilateral COVAX initiative, raise complex question on the legal and political status of life-saving medical countermeasures. Are they global public goods requiring strong governmental involvement and special rules to ensure distributive equity and fairness? Or are they mostly industrial products subject to market dynamics underpinned by international rules on patents and other proprietary rights? Similar questions are also raised by the tension between access to viral samples and related genetic data, which are necessary for the identification of pathogens and the development of countermeasures, and access to medicines and vaccines. Access to pathogens is more and more regulated by international law on biodiversity, in particular the Nagoya Protocol to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. Biodiversity law is based on a bilateral and transactional approach, where access to genetic resources should be matched by the equitable sharing of benefits deriving from their utilization. Is this a fair approach to the international allocation of crucial resources such as COVID-19 vaccines? What are the possible alternatives? What is the role of WHO in this debate? This roundtable will discuss such systemic issues from a multidisciplinary perspective, including political and ethical considerations.
Panelist(s):Gian Luca Burci (Convenor), Graduate Institute Geneva of International and Development Studies Yuvraj Dalvi, the Serum Institute of India Pvt Ltd Suerie Moon, Harvard Global Health Institute Beatriz Thome, Federal University of São Paulo Mark Eccelston Turner (Presenter), Keele University School of Law
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health
COVID-19's Lessons for Inter-governmental Pandemic Response Coordination
March 26 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMThis session will assess the intergovernmental response of states and global governance institutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists will explore this question with the intention of developing concrete measures to improve international response coordination in the face of future pandemics. In particular, the session will explore to what extent response failures to COVID-19 were the result of poor or misinformed decision-making on the part of global institutions and national governments, and attempt to extract discrete lessons that might allow us to enhance such decision-making capacity in the near term (and ideally before the emergence of the next pandemic). The session will also address to what extent response failures stem from more fundamental maladies within existing mechanisms of global governance, how global institutions could be restructured or reconceived to address such maladies, and likely obstacles to any efforts at reform (including issues of legitimacy, increased nationalism, and great power competition).
Panelist(s):Thomas Bollyky, Council on Foreign Relations Lu Chuanying, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies Caroline Edwards, Department of Health, Government of Australia Roojin Habibi (Moderator), Global Strategy Lab
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force
International Aid in a Time of Global Crisis
March 26 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMIn recent years, some world leaders have employed a nationalist agenda that has minimized traditional foreign-policy commitments, such as international aid. The rise in this populist shift away from the traditional foreign assistance model came during a time of protracted and complex crises and the increase and intensification of natural disasters, exacerbated by the global climate crisis. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated economies and significantly altered the political landscapes in many countries, consequences whose effects will be felt for many years. This panel will reflect on how the international aid community should revisit its legal, political, and conceptual structures to address these many pressing challenges.
Panelist(s):Marsha Echols (Moderator), Howard University School of Law Katherine Meighan, International Fund for Agricultural Development Sergio Gusmao Suchodolski, Development Bank Minas do Gerais – Brazil Jay Pozenel, United Nations Mark Ward, International Medical Corps
Late Breaking Panel: To Be Announced
March 26 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PMTrack 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution
"The Tribunal Knows the Law" (Iura Novit Curia), but What Should It Do With it?
March 26 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMThe arbitral tribunal's power to depart from the parties' submissions under the iura novit curia principle remains controversial. The maxim boils down to the notion that the parties cannot limit the tribunal's legal cognition, since the purpose of an adjudicator's mandate is to promote the adequate administration of justice and application of the law. In other words, the principle of iura novit curia confers upon the tribunal the freedom to depart from the legal grounds raised by the parties – particularly where only such departure would allow for an arguably fairer solution to the dispute. However, the precise outlines of such freedom are still very contentious, especially in an international arbitration. When discussing iura novit curia, one is faced with a myriad of questions: can tribunals apply legal grounds ex officio without exceeding their mandate? If so, is there a duty or a right to this effect? Would such an application violate the due process rights of the parties? What law regulates iura novit curia: the lex arbitrii, the lex causae, or yet another law? This session will explore these and other issues to map out the current state of play with respect to the principle from a transnational perspective.
Panelist(s):Rafael Alves, MAMG Franco Ferrari (Moderator), NYU School of Law Ndanga Kamau, Kamau Law Swee Yen Koh, Wong Partnership Philippe Pinsolle, Quinn Emanuel LLP
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health
Backlash to the International Legal Order: Breakdown or breakthrough?
March 26 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMThe post-WWII international legal order has demonstrated resiliency over the past several decades. Now, it arguably confronts its most dramatic and diverse set of challenges yet. The rise of a multipolar world order and America's abdication, for the past four years, of its traditional role of defending international institutions and norms places significant strain on the international legal order. Concurrently, a populist backlash has emerged that opposes not only global governance conceptions of international law, but also key pillars of the UN Charter's "liberal" regime of sovereign equality and collective security. These currents can be traced to contradictions internal to the normative structure of international law itself and, in particular, the dramatic shift in understandings of sovereignty under conditions of technological globalization. Are we backsliding from a rules-based international order to a more lawless world? Is there an existential crisis of values driving resentment against the liberal international order? Has the rules-based international order itself incubated authoritarian populism and illiberal democracy? And is this "backlash" a true threat to the international legal order necessitating its re-imagination and re-conception, or do we underestimate the resiliency of the international legal order? This roundtable conversation will examine these questions and more.
Panelist(s):Peter Danchin (Moderator), University of Maryland Law School Jamil Dakwar, ACLU Human Rights Program Shruti Rana, Indiana University at Bloomington Amb. Ebrahim Rasool, Former South African Ambassador to the U.S. Anne-Marie Slaughter, New America
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development
Creating the Crime of Ecocide: An effective tool to address climate and environmental crises?
March 26 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMA growing number of activists and environmental defenders believe criminalizing acts amounting to “ecocide” would better equip international law to address climate and biodiversity crises. The term “ecocide” ordinarily refers to the destruction of the environment to the detriment of life. This session will examine the potential of its incrimination through a dynamic discussion on four issues. First, understanding the practical gaps or shortages in international criminal law, international environmental law and other relevant fields of international law that the incrimination of ecocide could overcome. Second, determining the point at which a specific conduct has environmental consequences so grave that it could be considered as ecocide and why it is important to differentiate between ecocide and any other environmental crimes. Third, turning ecocide into an international crime would require agreeing on the definition of its material and intentional elements, such as which acts and/or omissions would fall within the scope of ecocide and whether a special or regular intent would be required. Whether or not corporate actors could be held responsible is also key. Finally, it is important to identify and agree on the most appropriate forum to effectively investigate, prosecute and adjudicate this new international crime.
Panelist(s):Nnimmo Bassey, Health of Mother Earth Foundation Maud Sarlieve (Moderator), Paris Nanterre University Fadjar Schouten-Korwa, Coordinator Dutch Cooperating Organisations for West Papua Marie Toussaint, Member, European Parliament Justice Tuiloma Neroni Slade, former Judge, International Criminal Court
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
Human Rights and COVID-19: Challenges and Good Practices to Effective Recovery
March 26 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMAs COVID-19 became a global health crisis, it threatened human security, affected the global economy, human rights, and fundamental freedoms integral in societies governed by the rule of law. The scale and severity of the pandemic is testing the world's humanity and resilience, at a time of acute inequality, which disproportionately affects vulnerable and marginalized groups. Women and men, children, youth and older persons, refugees and migrants, economically vulnerable individuals, people with disabilities, persons in detention, LGBTQ individuals, and others are being impacted differently. Public health measures enacted to contain the virus have also encroached on freedom of movement, which inadvertently affect people's livelihoods, work, education, and non COVID-19 related access to health care. Many States have declared states of emergency and expanded their powers to censor information, surveil populations, detain critics, discriminate against vulnerable groups, arbitrarily detain, and misuse crowd control weapons. Governments must strike a fair balance between protecting and promoting public health, along with the duty to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights. This panel will discuss challenges in responding to COVID-19 and identify good practices to effective response and recovery to the pandemic to ensure respect for fundamental civil, political, economic, and social rights.
Panelist(s):Meaghan Fitzgerald, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Organization Idayat Hassan, Centre for Democracy and Development Albrecht Schnabel, DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance Kathryn Sikkink (moderator), Harvard Kennedy School Michael Tanner, Cato Institute
Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution
Ninth Annual Charles N. Brower Lecture on International Dispute Resolution: Crisis Cases: Not Reconceiving International Dispute Resolution
March 26 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMLucy Reed, Independent Arbitrator
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
BLM and International Human Rights Law: The challenge of systemic racism
March 26 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMHuman Rights Interest Group
Panelist(s):Ahilan Arulanantham, UCLA Jordan Robert Axt, McGill University Anna Spain Bradley, UCLA Zachary D. Kaufman (Moderator), University of Houston School of Law Reginald Noël, U.S. Department of Labor
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health
International Law Online: How will the pandemic change the practice of law?
March 26 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMMidwest Interest Group
Panelist(s):Vera Korzun, University of Akron School of Law Lawrence Schaner, Schaner Dispute Resolution LLC Juliet Suzanne Sorensen, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Kanglin Yu, University of Iowa College of Law Robert Eno, African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights Brian Farrell (Moderator), University of Iowa College of Law Stuart Ford (Moderator), UIC John Marshall Law School
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
Reframing International Legal Inquiries: New Voices Discussion
March 26 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMFor over a decade, the Society has reserved a session during each Annual Meeting to feature up-and-coming voices in the international law community. These presentations were selected from nearly 100 submissions and represent interesting perspectives, new ideas, and fresh takes on a wide variety of international law issues.
Panelist(s):Julia Emtseva, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law Mohammed Helal (moderator), Ohio State University Mara Redlich Revkin, Georgetown University Law Center Aaron Wu, UK Department for International Trade
Track 3: International Trade, Investment, and Finance
Realigning Investment Treaties with States' Interests
March 26 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMIn July 2017, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) tasked its Working Group III with a "broad mandate" to explore potential reforms to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), in response to the growing concerns about the legitimacy and efficacy of ISDS, particularly with respect to its aims of attracting and protecting foreign investment for economic development. Working Group III has interpreted this mandate narrowly as being limited to a consideration of procedural reforms of ISDS, despite many States' and other stakeholders' noting that the critiques of ISDS relate as much to investment treaties' substantive provisions and protections, the effects of which are intertwined with the procedural aspects of ISDS. This session will step back from the ongoing discussions of procedural reforms in UNCITRAL's Working Group III to reflect holistically on the objectives of investment treaties and the States that sign them. It will consider the extent to which both the substantive and procedural aspects of investment treaties are aligned with States' objectives and the universally agreed sustainable development goals, and the tools available to States to shape existing and new treaties to better align with and support States' development objectives.
Panelist(s):Lise Johnson (Moderator), Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment George Kahale III, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP Kinda Mohamadieh, Third World Network Patience Okala, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission Ralf Van De Beek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force
Winning Likes and Minds: Creative responses to the international struggle over information
March 26 - 01:45 PM - 02:45 PMSoutheast Interest Group
Description: Can international law help fight misinformation and disinformation? How can states, corporations, and other relevant stakeholders use international law to protect themselves from dangerous falsehoods? This panel brings together scholars and activists to discuss contemporary international challenges generated by the spread of misinformation and disinformation and ways for stakeholders to combat it. Panelists will highlight varying motivations for the spread of misinformation and disinformation, methodologies for its spread, and discuss its impact in law and policy across a range of issue areas, including elections and COVID-19. Panelists will also share possible short- and long-term solutions for identifying and countering the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation.
Description: Can international law help fight misinformation and disinformation? How can states, corporations, and other relevant stakeholders use international law to protect themselves from dangerous falsehoods? This panel brings together scholars and activists to discuss contemporary international challenges generated by the spread of misinformation and disinformation and ways for stakeholders to combat it. Panelists will highlight varying motivations for the spread of misinformation and disinformation, methodologies for its spread, and discuss its impact in law and policy across a range of issue areas, including elections and COVID-19. Panelists will also share possible short- and long-term solutions for identifying and countering the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation.
Panelist(s):Faisal Al Mutar, Ideas Beyond Borders Robert Blitt (Co-Moderator), University of Tennessee College of Law Jill Goldenziel (Co-Moderator), Marine Corps University-Command and Staff College Henning Lahmann, Digital Society Institute, ESMT Berlin Priscilla Moriuchi, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of
Government Costanza Sciubba Caniglia, Harvard Kennedy School
Keynotes & Plenaries
Hague Plenary and Closing Remarks - Reconceptualizing International Law’s Role in the Governance of AI: Autonomous weapons as a case study
March 26 - 03:00 PM - 04:00 PMSponsored by the Municipality of the Hague, the Embassy of the Netherlands to the United States, and convened by the T.M.C. Asser Institute
Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly significant role in our daily lives, from social media algorithms determining what news is seen to machine learning-based models being used to search for effective viral therapies or to detect welfare fraud by governments. AI is also changing international relations and the challenges the international community is facing. International law has struggled to provide a governance framework within which the role of AI can be addressed, in significant part because the current structure of international law conceptualizes “actors” as states and multi-lateral organizations and, more recently, non-state actors. Existing international law has developed with human subjects in mind. Autonomous machines problematize traditional legal assumptions and categories, such as the military applications of AI, which poses increasingly urgent questions of well-established norms of jus ad bellum, jus in bello, and arms control law. This roundtable will examine the ways in which international law needs to reorganize its engagement with AI using the issue of autonomous weapons as a case study. Speakers will discuss how AI is challenging existing practices within the law of armed conflict; the underlying conceptual challenges that AI poses to the current international law framework, and ways in which a reconceived international law could contribute to the governance of AI.
Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly significant role in our daily lives, from social media algorithms determining what news is seen to machine learning-based models being used to search for effective viral therapies or to detect welfare fraud by governments. AI is also changing international relations and the challenges the international community is facing. International law has struggled to provide a governance framework within which the role of AI can be addressed, in significant part because the current structure of international law conceptualizes “actors” as states and multi-lateral organizations and, more recently, non-state actors. Existing international law has developed with human subjects in mind. Autonomous machines problematize traditional legal assumptions and categories, such as the military applications of AI, which poses increasingly urgent questions of well-established norms of jus ad bellum, jus in bello, and arms control law. This roundtable will examine the ways in which international law needs to reorganize its engagement with AI using the issue of autonomous weapons as a case study. Speakers will discuss how AI is challenging existing practices within the law of armed conflict; the underlying conceptual challenges that AI poses to the current international law framework, and ways in which a reconceived international law could contribute to the governance of AI.
Panelist(s):Jonathan Horowitz, International Committee of the Red Cross Mary Ellen O’Connell, University of Notre Dame Law School Amb. Marjolijn van Deelen, EU Special Envoy for Non-proliferation and Disarmament Sadjad Soltanzadeh (moderator), T.M.C. Asser Institute Karen Yeung, University of Birmingham Law School
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal JusticeLook Both Ways: Future and historical perspectives on the Refugee Convention at 70March 24 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
International Refugee Law Interest Group
2021 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Convention on the Status of Refugees. This event will look to the successes and failures of the Convention’s framework over the past 70 years, and then ask how this informs our understanding of the future of international refugee law. The speakers will take stock of state compliance with various articles of the Convention and with norms of refugee law, asking whether the Convention is adequate to address twenty-first century crises. Speakers will discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted our understanding of access to territory, and whether those shifts will continue to shape law once the pandemic has subsided. The event will look at innovations and future opportunities, including public health challenges and advancements and regional leadership on refugee rights issues.
2021 marks the 70th Anniversary of the Convention on the Status of Refugees. This event will look to the successes and failures of the Convention’s framework over the past 70 years, and then ask how this informs our understanding of the future of international refugee law. The speakers will take stock of state compliance with various articles of the Convention and with norms of refugee law, asking whether the Convention is adequate to address twenty-first century crises. Speakers will discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted our understanding of access to territory, and whether those shifts will continue to shape law once the pandemic has subsided. The event will look at innovations and future opportunities, including public health challenges and advancements and regional leadership on refugee rights issues.
Panelist(s):Guy Goodwin-Gill, University of New South Wales Jaya Ramji-Nogales, Temple University School of Law A. Ashley Tabaddor, Chief Counsel, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, DHS; former Immigration Judge, U.S. Department of Justice Volker Turk, United Nations
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal JusticeThere and Back Again: How to Ensure Compliance with IHL by Relying on Non-Traditional Voices and Live to Tell the TaleMarch 24 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
The application of international law in conflict settings faces several challenges, which can be linked to systemic and institutional reasons, such as the adherence of the applicable legal framework(s) by non-State armed groups (NSAGs) and the lack of appropriate organizational structures and resources allowing the parties, be they States or NSAGs, to fully implement their obligations. Improving compliance with humanitarian norms is therefore at the top of the international community's agenda. In this context, although there are 'traditional' sets of binding rules applicable to the parties, there are also 'non-traditional' actors and sources that influence their behaviors in the battlefield, such as religious leaders, non-governmental organizations, women leaders, and local and community stakeholders among others. These perspectives can lead to creative approaches to compliance with IHL and greater protections for civilian populations. Additionally, the ICRC, in its most recent updated commentary on the Third Geneva Convention, has included gender perspectives on IHL and international human rights law standards that can apply during armed conflicts. This panel will address some of these voices and perspectives to highlight good practices for compliance generation.
Panelist(s):Pascal Bongard, Geneva Call Ioana Cismas (moderator), University of York Center for Applied Human Rights Tanisha Fazal, University of Minnesota Jean-Marie Henckaerts, International Committee of the Red Cross Nontando Habede, St. Augustine College
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal JusticeTransitional Justice for the United States: Can transitional justice tools help the U.S. address its legacy of racial injustice?March 24 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
The deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of police have reinvigorated a nationwide movement to comprehensively acknowledge and address the need for racial justice in the United States. To address the systematic racism and abuse that has taken many forms over the past 400 years and continues to affect black Americans, many are demanding that justice must take the form of institutional reforms, policy changes, truth commissions, reparations, and rectifying memorialization across the country - tools of transitional justice which have been used in many international contexts. While many domestic actors have no experience with these tools, a few have invoked the German and South African experiences as potential examples. However, there are an array of international transitional justice experiences, which may have relevant lessons for U.S. actors seeking to address 400 years of systematic racial injustice. This discussion will aim to bring together leaders from the U.S. racial justice community with international transitional justice experts to begin to explore (1) whether transitional justice is appropriate in the U.S. context and if so, what are its limitations; (2) what international transitional justice experiences might have relevant lessons for U.S. racial justice initiatives; and (3) challenges that may unique to the U.S. context.
Panelist(s):Gail Christopher, Former Senior Advisor and Vice President at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Pablo de Greiff, Former UN SpecRap on Truth, Justice, Reparations Robert Thomas, Racial Justice Coalition Beth van Schaack (Moderator), Stanford Law School Galuh Wandita, Asia Justice and Rights
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal JusticeTeaching International Law to Non-Legal AudiencesMarch 24 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
Teaching International Law Interest Group
Panelist(s):Vanessa Montague-James, International Development and Foreign Policy Gregory Noone, National Security and Intelligence Program Iwetta Pyc, Consultant Julie Recinos, Supreme Court of Mexico Hardy Vieux, Human Rights First
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal JusticeTask Force on Options for U.S. Engagement with the ICC - developing recommendations against a shifting landscapeMarch 24 - 17:30 PM - 18:20 PM
Over the past 15 months, a Task Force convened by ASIL has been consulting on and developing recommendations for pragmatic engagement by the United States with the International Criminal Court. This process has been conducted across a period that saw numerous shifts impacting the Task Force's work - including the COVID pandemic, the steps by the ICC to open investigations in the Afghanistan and Palestine situations, the issuance of sanctions on senior ICC officials by the Trump administration, and the 2020 US election. The co-chairs of the Task Force will discuss how they went about seeking input and formulating recommendations against this shifting landscape, and balancing the disparate priorities and perspectives that its interlocutors had on these events.
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal JusticeInterdisciplinary Approaches to Cultural Heritage and the ArtsMarch 25 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Cultural Heritage and the Arts Interest Group
Panelist(s):Alison Dundes Renteln (Moderator), University of Southern California Valdimar Hafstein, University of Iceland Kristin Hausler, British Institute of international and Comparative Law Jonathan Liljeblad, Australian National University College of Law James Nafziger, Willamette University
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal JusticeCivilian Harm Mitigation in Urban Areas: A wargaming exercise March 25 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
(Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict)
The minimization of civilian casualties is a central objective of the law of armed conflict, but it poses legal, operational and policy challenges. To better understand these challenges, this simulation will demonstrate how a coalition war gaming exercise may be used to improve planning to minimize civilian harm in an urban setting. This session is organized by the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict.
The minimization of civilian casualties is a central objective of the law of armed conflict, but it poses legal, operational and policy challenges. To better understand these challenges, this simulation will demonstrate how a coalition war gaming exercise may be used to improve planning to minimize civilian harm in an urban setting. This session is organized by the Lieber Society on the Law of Armed Conflict.
Panelist(s):Ian Brasure, Committee on Foreign Investment in the US Marc Linning, Center for Civilians in Conflict Andrea Prasow, Human Rights Watch Lindsay Rodman (Moderator), New York University School of Law Kieran Tinkler, United Kingdom Armed Forces
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal JusticeMass Atrocities and Statelessness: (Re)considering the Case of the RohingyaMarch 25 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
In the vast majority of cases of mass atrocities, most of them involve statelessness. Statelessness is a commonality among groups who have been brutalized by states throughout the world and can be a justification used to defend horrendous human rights abuses. It is impossible to talk about mass atrocities and statelessness without looking to the Rohingya of Myanmar. The Rohingya have suffered systemic discrimination, persecution, crimes against humanity and genocide and, today, comprise the largest stateless population in the world. Using the Rohingya crisis as a case study, this panel will examine the role of statelessness as a driver of marginalization and the commission of mass atrocities. Panelists will examine the interlinkages between the distinct international legal frameworks governing mass atrocities and those that govern statelessness. They will also explore parallels with the unfolding crisis of mass deprivation of nationality in Assam, India as well as good practices in Kyrgyzstan, and will discuss the role of citizenship in providing protections for vulnerable groups from mass atrocities. Panelists will also examine how local strategies in different contexts for tackling statelessness might inform efforts to address aspects of the Rohingya crisis
Panelist(s):Amal de Chickera (Moderator), Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion Wai Wai Nu, Women's Peace Network Regina M. Paulose, Common Good Foundation Akila Radhakrishnan, Global Justice Center Katherine G. Southwick, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal JusticeHuman Rights and COVID-19: Challenges and Good Practices to Effective RecoveryMarch 26 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
As COVID-19 became a global health crisis, it threatened human security, affected the global economy, human rights, and fundamental freedoms integral in societies governed by the rule of law. The scale and severity of the pandemic is testing the world's humanity and resilience, at a time of acute inequality, which disproportionately affects vulnerable and marginalized groups. Women and men, children, youth and older persons, refugees and migrants, economically vulnerable individuals, people with disabilities, persons in detention, LGBTQ individuals, and others are being impacted differently. Public health measures enacted to contain the virus have also encroached on freedom of movement, which inadvertently affect people's livelihoods, work, education, and non COVID-19 related access to health care. Many States have declared states of emergency and expanded their powers to censor information, surveil populations, detain critics, discriminate against vulnerable groups, arbitrarily detain, and misuse crowd control weapons. Governments must strike a fair balance between protecting and promoting public health, along with the duty to respect, protect, and fulfill human rights. This panel will discuss challenges in responding to COVID-19 and identify good practices to effective response and recovery to the pandemic to ensure respect for fundamental civil, political, economic, and social rights.
Panelist(s):Meaghan Fitzgerald, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, Organization Idayat Hassan, Centre for Democracy and Development Albrecht Schnabel, DCAF – Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance Kathryn Sikkink (moderator), Harvard Kennedy School Michael Tanner, Cato Institute
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal JusticeBLM and International Human Rights Law: The challenge of systemic racismMarch 26 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
Human Rights Interest Group
Panelist(s):Ahilan Arulanantham, UCLA Jordan Robert Axt, McGill University Anna Spain Bradley, UCLA Zachary D. Kaufman (Moderator), University of Houston School of Law Reginald Noël, U.S. Department of Labor
Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal JusticeReframing International Legal Inquiries: New Voices DiscussionMarch 26 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
For over a decade, the Society has reserved a session during each Annual Meeting to feature up-and-coming voices in the international law community. These presentations were selected from nearly 100 submissions and represent interesting perspectives, new ideas, and fresh takes on a wide variety of international law issues.
Panelist(s):Julia Emtseva, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law Mohammed Helal (moderator), Ohio State University Mara Redlich Revkin, Georgetown University Law Center Aaron Wu, UK Department for International Trade
Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute ResolutionShould Courts Grant Discovery in Aid of Arbitration? A Supreme Court mock argumentMarch 24 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
A compelling conflict is brewing in the United States regarding whether interested parties can obtain evidence in the United States in aid of private international arbitration. The statute permitting courts to provide aid in the form of compelling discovery for use in a "foreign or international tribunal"—known as Section 1782—had been interpreted as limiting this aid for use by foreign courts and state-sponsored or institutionalized arbitration. Over time, district courts and appellate courts in the United States have taken divergent views on this question. In a mock argument before the United States Supreme Court, advocates will present those conflicting views from the circuit court split in the United States and will also incorporate insights into how courts from other countries allow or restrict discovery for use in arbitration. After an opening argument, the Justices will ask the advocates thought-provoking questions concerning the factors courts consider when deciding whether to permit discovery, the advantages and disadvantages of permitting discovery in aid of private international arbitration, and the ramifications of expansive discovery on arbitration proceedings.
Panelist(s):Alexander Blumrosen, Polaris Law Judge Bernice Donald (Justice), Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Yasmine Lahlou, Chaffetz Lindsey LLP S.I. Strong (Justice), University of Sydney Faculty of Law Yanbai Andrea Wang (Justice), University of Pennsylvania School of Law
Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute ResolutionDebate: "Parallel Proceedings in Investment Arbitration Are Abusive and Should be Banned"March 24 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
The increase in investor-State arbitrations has been accompanied by an increase in parallel proceedings. This includes proceedings arising from the same underlying facts under (i) treaties and national law, (ii) treaties and contracts, and (iii) even multiple treaties. States have objected that multiple related proceedings are abusive, impose undue burdens and risks, and should result in the dismissal of claims. Investors have argued that multiple related proceedings are a natural result of accessing the procedural rights and remedies afforded by States in applicable treaties, contracts, and local laws. Tribunals have reached seemingly inconsistent results: for example, the ICSID tribunal in Ampal v. Egypt found that multiple treaty claims regarding the same economic harm to constituted curable abuse of process, while the tribunal in Orascom v. Algeria declared that a similar situation rendered the claims before it inadmissible. Other tribunals have found no abuse at all, particularly when the related proceedings stem from different legal orders. This Oxford-style debate between two of the leading voices on the subject will address this tension through arguments both for and against the abusiveness of parallel proceedings in investor-State arbitration, and discussion of recent reform proposals aimed at addressing this phenomenon.
Panelist(s):Lindsay Gastrell, Arbitration Chambers Mariam Gotsiridze, Georgia Ministry of Justice Pierre Mayer, Independent Arbitrator Caline Mouawad, Chaffetz Lindsey Jan Paulsson, Three Crowns Sam Wordsworth, Essex Court Chambers
Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute ResolutionOne Step Forward, Two Steps Back? Judicializing Trade and Investment Dispute SettlementMarch 25 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Radical events in the 20th century have ushered in waves of judicialization in many areas of international law, from the creation of the PCIJ following the catastrophic use of force in World War I to the establishment of international criminal tribunals to redress heinous international crimes. In these instances, participating States embraced an approach to dispute resolution premised upon notions of judicial integrity and independence. In a similar vein, to address the perceived legitimacy crisis of the investor-State dispute settlement system, UNCITRAL is currently discussing the creation of standing adjudicatory bodies, including a potential multilateral investment court and an appellate mechanism, to complement or replace ad hoc arbitration. However, the recent crisis in confidence at the WTO suggests that increased judicialization may result in its own problems. Focusing on the recent developments in international trade and investment law, this rapid response panel will discuss whether standing courts are the most effective mechanisms for the resolution of international disputes with inherently political dimensions. Is judicialization the only approach to address systemic crises, or is it time to reconceive of international dispute resolution based on international commissions, referral mechanisms from domestic courts to international tribunals, or other models?
Panelist(s):Mónica Pinto, University of Buenos Aires Jan Yves Remy (Moderator), Shridath Ramphal Centre for International Trade Law Jeremy Sharpe, Independent Arbitrator Tullio Treves, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP André von Walter, European Commission
Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute ResolutionThe Evolving Role of Arbitral InstitutionsMarch 26 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
While arbitral institutions have traditionally occupied an administrative role in support of arbitral proceedings, their impact on arbitral proceedings, and on the arbitration community more generally, has substantially evolved. Faced with a legal void or inconsistent rules, arbitration users have called on arbitral institutions for guidance and standards relating to key issues affecting arbitrations, such as codes of conduct, corruption, cybersecurity, transparency and diversity, and more recently, guidance on how to conduct virtual hearings in COVID-19 times. Having grown considerably in both size and number in the past years, arbitral institutions across the world have embraced this evolving role, especially in times of crisis, acting as key norm-makers and trend-setters in arbitration. With this evolving role—one traditionally reserved to states—the legitimacy and accountability of arbitral institutions has been questioned, especially considering the varying regimes of liability applicable to arbitral institutions across jurisdictions. This session will consider the pregnant role of arbitral institutions, the challenges it raises, and suggested solutions to address these challenges.
Panelist(s):Chiann Bao, Arbitration Chambers Rémy Gerbay (Moderator), MoloLamken Alexis Mourre, International Chamber of Commerce Ismail Selim, Cairo Regional Centre for International Commercial Arbitration Barbara Warwas, Hague University of Applied Sciences
Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution"The Tribunal Knows the Law" (Iura Novit Curia), but What Should It Do With it?March 26 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
The arbitral tribunal's power to depart from the parties' submissions under the iura novit curia principle remains controversial. The maxim boils down to the notion that the parties cannot limit the tribunal's legal cognition, since the purpose of an adjudicator's mandate is to promote the adequate administration of justice and application of the law. In other words, the principle of iura novit curia confers upon the tribunal the freedom to depart from the legal grounds raised by the parties – particularly where only such departure would allow for an arguably fairer solution to the dispute. However, the precise outlines of such freedom are still very contentious, especially in an international arbitration. When discussing iura novit curia, one is faced with a myriad of questions: can tribunals apply legal grounds ex officio without exceeding their mandate? If so, is there a duty or a right to this effect? Would such an application violate the due process rights of the parties? What law regulates iura novit curia: the lex arbitrii, the lex causae, or yet another law? This session will explore these and other issues to map out the current state of play with respect to the principle from a transnational perspective.
Panelist(s):Rafael Alves, MAMG Franco Ferrari (Moderator), NYU School of Law Ndanga Kamau, Kamau Law Swee Yen Koh, Wong Partnership Philippe Pinsolle, Quinn Emanuel LLP
Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute ResolutionNinth Annual Charles N. Brower Lecture on International Dispute Resolution: Crisis Cases: Not Reconceiving International Dispute ResolutionMarch 26 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
Lucy Reed, Independent Arbitrator
Track 3: International Trade, Investment, and FinanceThe Rise of Restrictions on Data Flows and Digital Technologies: National security, human rights, or geo-economics?March 24 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
There has been a recent increase in governmental actions impacting trade and investment flows in data and digital technologies. The US has taken actions affecting Huawei, TikTok and WeChat because of concerns about Chinese access to data and technologies. China has responded by tightening its control over technology exports, such as TikTok's algorithm, as well as its long standing restrictions on data transfers and territorial data localization requirements. The Schrems II judgment of the EU Court of Justice invalidated the personal data transfer arrangement between the EU and the US and might force companies such as Facebook to store and process data within Europe. Are these actions based on data privacy/human rights concerns? Are they driven by national security interests? Or do they reflect geo-economic struggles between Europe, the US, and China? Where does this leave other countries? This session will seek to address whether the international community needs to rethink its conceptual toolkit to account for the world's interconnected nature in terms of data flows, digital technologies, and investment, and whether new norms of international law need to be developed, and in which venues.
Panelist(s):Sarah Bauerle Danzman, Indiana University Bloomington Yan Luo, Covington & Burling LLP Maria Martin-Prat, European Commission Directorate General for Trade George Mina, Australian Representative to the World Trade Organization Thomas Streinz (Moderator), Guarini Global Law & Tech
Track 3: International Trade, Investment, and FinanceLitigating Health and Security Exceptions in Investment Treaties – A SimulationMarch 25 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
The Covid 19 pandemic presents a looming challenge for the system of investor-state arbitration. Although few cases filed to date have directly addressed Covid 19-related measures, observers have argued that a wide range of national responses to the pandemic—including lockdown orders, nationalizations, export restrictions, and capital controls— could give rise to claims under investment treaties. Treaty-based exceptions for security, emergency, and public health measures are one widely recognized means of securing additional flexibility for host states in their treatment of foreign investments. There is, however, no consensus on the proper interpretation and application of treaty-based exceptions, including on critical questions such as the scope and standard of review or whether exceptions are suitable for determination as a preliminary matter. This makes their application to Covid 19-related measures uncertain, at best. This session will consider the application of security and public-health exceptions through a simulated investor-state arbitral hearing. The panelists, acting as counsel and tribunal members, will work from a simplified fact pattern involving a state regulation restricting business activity in response to the pandemic. The moderator will offer critical remarks that situate the issues raised among broader questions about the flexibility, stability, and legitimacy of the investment treaty regime.
Panelist(s):Samaa Haridi, Hogan Lovells LLP J. Benton Heath (Moderator), Temple University Beasley School of Law Justin Jacinto, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP Tafadzwa Pasipanodya, Foley Hoag LLP Ina Popova, Debevoise & Plimpton Sabina Sacco, Levy Kaufmann Kohler LLP
Track 3: International Trade, Investment, and FinanceInternational Trade Dispute Settlement 2.0March 25 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
With the change in WTO leadership and the creation of the Multi-Party Interim Appeal (MPIA) arrangement in 2020, set against the backdrop of escalating trade tensions and the pandemic, the trade dispute landscape is on the verge of seismic change. What types of trade disputes are likely to mushroom post-pandemic? Is the MPIA here to stay, and can, or will, it be replaced by other mechanisms such as those in Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) as the preferred choice of resolving trade disputes with finality? Why have FTA dispute settlement mechanisms remained underutilized? This session will look back on the key developments in 2020 before looking ahead and considering creative means through which trade disputes might be dealt with in the future. The panel will review WTO disputes that were appealed "into the void", and consider if there may have been alternative means of resolution. For those that cannot be resolved as such, will this herald the return to a power-based trading system, and what will be the impact of the simmering US-China tensions? Will trade law jurisprudence witness fragmentation in tandem with the increasingly multi-polar political landscape, and might this in fact be desirable?
Panelist(s):Kathleen Claussen (Moderator), University of Miami School of Law Cherise Valles, Advisory Centre on WTO Law Geraldo Vidigal, University of Amsterdam Heng Wang, University of New South Wales School of Law Alan Yanovich, Akin Gump LLP
Track 3: International Trade, Investment, and FinanceReassessing Sovereign Bankruptcy in a Time of Global Economic CrisisMarch 25 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
The economic crisis precipitated by COVID-19 is expected to cause a new wave of sovereign defaults. In the last year, over 100 countries have requested emergency assistance from the International Monetary Fund. States that were previously teetering on the brink of crisis – including Argentina, Ecuador and Lebanon – have defaulted or begun the process of restructuring their debts. Several others are expected to follow close behind. Like previous defaults, this next wave of sovereign debt crises will occur in the absence of a comprehensive sovereign bankruptcy mechanism. However, it will be subject to new legal and political developments including: more wide-spread use of private ordering solutions such as Collective Action Clauses; the use of investor-state dispute settlement; and efforts by the World Bank and IMF to impose a moratorium on emerging market debt. This next wave of defaults thus provides an opportunity to evaluate the impact of recent developments and test the limits of managing sovereign debt restructurings in the absence of a comprehensive sovereign bankruptcy mechanism. It thus provides an opportunity to reassess private, public, and international solutions to the sovereign debt problem and imagine the way forward.
Panelist(s):Lee C. Buchheit, 3 Verulam Buildings Anna Gelpern, Georgetown University Law Center Andrea Menaker, White & Case LLP Stratos Pahis (Moderator), New York University School of Law Daniel Marx, Quantum Finanzas
Track 3: International Trade, Investment, and FinanceRealigning Investment Treaties with States' InterestsMarch 26 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
In July 2017, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) tasked its Working Group III with a "broad mandate" to explore potential reforms to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), in response to the growing concerns about the legitimacy and efficacy of ISDS, particularly with respect to its aims of attracting and protecting foreign investment for economic development. Working Group III has interpreted this mandate narrowly as being limited to a consideration of procedural reforms of ISDS, despite many States' and other stakeholders' noting that the critiques of ISDS relate as much to investment treaties' substantive provisions and protections, the effects of which are intertwined with the procedural aspects of ISDS. This session will step back from the ongoing discussions of procedural reforms in UNCITRAL's Working Group III to reflect holistically on the objectives of investment treaties and the States that sign them. It will consider the extent to which both the substantive and procedural aspects of investment treaties are aligned with States' objectives and the universally agreed sustainable development goals, and the tools available to States to shape existing and new treaties to better align with and support States' development objectives.
Panelist(s):Lise Johnson (Moderator), Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment George Kahale III, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP Kinda Mohamadieh, Third World Network Patience Okala, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission Ralf Van De Beek, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global HealthThe Road Ahead and Beyond: Future challenges and opportunities in the legal professionMarch 24 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
New Professionals Interest Group
The on-going Covid-19 pandemic has not left the legal profession unaffected. Following the first few days of confusion and disorientation, law firms were quick to adapt to their clients’ needs and ways to pursue projects effectively with a workforce at home. While certain practice areas have seen a decline, others have flourished during the crisis. The session will focus not on how the crisis has affected these areas but on new opportunities to be expected for international legal work upon the horizon. This includes two of the most important future topics: digitalization and sustainability. The brackets around these topics will be an assessment of where we stand today and which new legal fields may arise as the hot topics the day after tomorrow. The session is addressed to new professionals in practice, both private and in government, young scholars, as well as recent law school graduates. However, the implications of the discussion will be of interest to anyone practicing or studying law. The speakers will address how their own work has been affected and talk about current developments and signature topics to look out for due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The on-going Covid-19 pandemic has not left the legal profession unaffected. Following the first few days of confusion and disorientation, law firms were quick to adapt to their clients’ needs and ways to pursue projects effectively with a workforce at home. While certain practice areas have seen a decline, others have flourished during the crisis. The session will focus not on how the crisis has affected these areas but on new opportunities to be expected for international legal work upon the horizon. This includes two of the most important future topics: digitalization and sustainability. The brackets around these topics will be an assessment of where we stand today and which new legal fields may arise as the hot topics the day after tomorrow. The session is addressed to new professionals in practice, both private and in government, young scholars, as well as recent law school graduates. However, the implications of the discussion will be of interest to anyone practicing or studying law. The speakers will address how their own work has been affected and talk about current developments and signature topics to look out for due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Panelist(s):Markus Beham, University of Passau Mauricio Duarte, A2J Tech Chandri Navarro, Hogan Lovells LLP Kabir Duggal, Senior International Arbitration Advisor
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global HealthIndigenous Participation in International OrganizationsMarch 24 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
The 2021 Annual Meeting theme recognizes that in these extraordinary times it may be necessary to reconsider and reshape international law and international institutions. Indigenous peoples have been calling for such a reformation for generations. Denied the right to exercise international legal personality, Indigenous communities have long been shut out of the international system. Their exclusion in international forums has contributed to the challenges that many Indigenous peoples face in seeking to protect and promote their interests in the domestic sphere. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately affect Indigenous peoples and communities, it is high time to consider how we may reconceive international law and international institutions to allow Indigenous peoples to speak for themselves on issues of concern. As the world devises policy measures to beat the current health crisis, these internationally consolidated efforts must include all people, especially indigenous groups whose voices have been drained by the surge of the pandemic. Amidst the agonizing disregard of their health concerns in the wake of COVID-19, the plight of indigenous people is deepened by the ongoing climate crises, economic deprivation and racial discrimination. Now more than ever the survival of indigenous people is threatened. After years of conceiving the idea of functional and effective representation of indigenous people in the United Nations system and within other intergovernmental organizations, the call for participation in global governance by and for indigenous peoples should materialize. The panel is set to focus on practical issues that concern the modalities of participation of indigenous groups. It will consider reformation of the legal order of international organizations to allow for enhanced participation and self-determination rights of indigenous peoples. Paramount in this discussion is the mandate of international organizations in accentuating indigenous rights in the present global healthcare crisis and in a post COVID-19 era.
Panelist(s):Rani Yan Yan (Chakma), Advisor, Chakma Circle and Member Indigenous Peoples Human Rights Defenders Network Diego A. Tituaña (Kichwa-Otavalo), Ecuador Ambassador Keith Harper (Cherokee Nation), Partner, Jenner & Block Claire Charters (Ngāti Whakaue), Associate Professor, Auckland Law School Dalee Sambo Dorough (Inuit-Alaska), Chair, Inuit Circumpolar Council and Senior Scholar and Special Advisor on Arctic Indigenous Peoples, University of Alaska Anchorage Harry Hobbs (Moderator), Lecturer, Faculty of Law, University of Technology Sydney
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global HealthMultilateral Diplomacy When the World Is Locked DownMarch 25 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
Multilateral meetings attended by delegations from numerous countries are a central feature of many international organizations. This session offers a practical review and assessment of how international organizations, their Member States and host countries responded to the immigration restrictions, travel challenges and quarantine restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists will discuss a range of issues including: changes to established consultation and decision-making processes when it became impossible for Member State representatives to travel from abroad to attend meetings; how international organizations' requests for exemptions from immigration and movement restrictions were balanced with the public health concerns of the host country; and how approaches to advocacy and consensus-building were modified to remain effective without in-person engagement. The session will address the impact of adjustments for the lack of physical presence; the impact of distance on the pace, form and frequency of discussion among Member States; and the impact of adjustments to multilateral organizations' decision-making processes. The panelists will explore the legal considerations informing these adjustments and the pandemic's long term impact upon the nature and form of multilateral diplomacy.
Panelist(s):Niels Blokker (Moderator), Leiden University Peri Lynne Johnson, International Atomic Energy Agency Steve Mathias, United Nations Office of Legal Adviser Namira N. Negm, African Union Verity Robson, UK Mission to the UN and Other International Organizations in Geneva
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global HealthCOVID-19's Lessons for Inter-governmental Pandemic Response CoordinationMarch 26 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
This session will assess the intergovernmental response of states and global governance institutions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Panelists will explore this question with the intention of developing concrete measures to improve international response coordination in the face of future pandemics. In particular, the session will explore to what extent response failures to COVID-19 were the result of poor or misinformed decision-making on the part of global institutions and national governments, and attempt to extract discrete lessons that might allow us to enhance such decision-making capacity in the near term (and ideally before the emergence of the next pandemic). The session will also address to what extent response failures stem from more fundamental maladies within existing mechanisms of global governance, how global institutions could be restructured or reconceived to address such maladies, and likely obstacles to any efforts at reform (including issues of legitimacy, increased nationalism, and great power competition).
Panelist(s):Thomas Bollyky, Council on Foreign Relations Lu Chuanying, Shanghai Institutes for International Studies Caroline Edwards, Department of Health, Government of Australia Roojin Habibi (Moderator), Global Strategy Lab
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global HealthBacklash to the International Legal Order: Breakdown or breakthrough?March 26 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
The post-WWII international legal order has demonstrated resiliency over the past several decades. Now, it arguably confronts its most dramatic and diverse set of challenges yet. The rise of a multipolar world order and America's abdication, for the past four years, of its traditional role of defending international institutions and norms places significant strain on the international legal order. Concurrently, a populist backlash has emerged that opposes not only global governance conceptions of international law, but also key pillars of the UN Charter's "liberal" regime of sovereign equality and collective security. These currents can be traced to contradictions internal to the normative structure of international law itself and, in particular, the dramatic shift in understandings of sovereignty under conditions of technological globalization. Are we backsliding from a rules-based international order to a more lawless world? Is there an existential crisis of values driving resentment against the liberal international order? Has the rules-based international order itself incubated authoritarian populism and illiberal democracy? And is this "backlash" a true threat to the international legal order necessitating its re-imagination and re-conception, or do we underestimate the resiliency of the international legal order? This roundtable conversation will examine these questions and more.
Panelist(s):Peter Danchin (Moderator), University of Maryland Law School Jamil Dakwar, ACLU Human Rights Program Shruti Rana, Indiana University at Bloomington Amb. Ebrahim Rasool, Former South African Ambassador to the U.S. Anne-Marie Slaughter, New America
Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global HealthInternational Law Online: How will the pandemic change the practice of law?March 26 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
Midwest Interest Group
Panelist(s):Vera Korzun, University of Akron School of Law Lawrence Schaner, Schaner Dispute Resolution LLC Juliet Suzanne Sorensen, Northwestern Pritzker School of Law Kanglin Yu, University of Iowa College of Law Robert Eno, African Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights Brian Farrell (Moderator), University of Iowa College of Law Stuart Ford (Moderator), UIC John Marshall Law School
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of ForceProtest and Police Force: Examining Racial Discrimination and the Legality of Police Force in the U.S.March 24 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
The tragic killing of George Floyd and the ongoing and disproportionate killings of black and brown people by law enforcement in the United States sparked demonstrations in all fifty states and around the world. In response, the police unleashed "less lethal weapons," such as tear gas and rubber bullets, against protesters in ways that arguably violate international law. These actions threaten domestic security and illustrate a broader trend of militarization of police and excessive use of force by police against civilians in the United States. Indeed, a recent report by the University of Chicago's Global Human Rights Clinic found that the police policies in twenty of the largest cities in the United States failed to meet international human rights standards on the use of force. This session will explore the legality and limits of the use of force by police under international law, particularly in the context of Black Lives Matter protests in the United States.
Panelist(s):Agnés Callamard, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions Claudia M. Flores, University of Chicago School of Law Justin Hansford (moderator), Howard University School of Law Gay McDougall, Fordham University School of Law Charles Ramsey, former Police Commissioner of Philadelphia Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of ForceAdvancing Human Rights Through U.S. Foreign Policy: Challenges and OpportunitiesMarch 24 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
Around the world, nations continue to engage in practices involving systemic human rights violations, oppression, and crackdowns on democratic processes and civil rights and civil liberties. Over the past five years, both China and India have intensified repression of minority communities and engaged in crackdowns on democracy. China has continued to engage in systematic oppression of the Uighur population in the Xinjiang province including mass internment and detention, repression of religious freedoms and practices, mass surveillance, torture, and other forms of repression, and has intensified its crackdown on democracy and rights in Hong Kong. India has engaged in repressive policies toward the Muslim population through the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the implementation of a National Registry of Citizens (NRC), and has curbed democracy and civil liberties through the enactment of Article 370 stripping the state of Kashmir of autonomy, imposing martial law, and restricting and curbing political activity and civil rights and civil liberties. This panel will critically examine and evaluate the current state of U.S. engagement with China and India, including actions by the President and State Department, recent efforts in Congress to enact legislation, and recent work and campaigns by NGOs and human rights groups aimed at addressing repression and human rights violations in both nations. Existing U.S. engagement has largely been ineffective in building pressure on either country to change its policies. This panel will explore and consider how the U.S. can adopt new approaches to advancing human rights through its foreign policy with China, India and around the world.
Panelist(s):Joaquin Castro, US Congress Irfan Nooruddin (Moderator), Georgetown University Karuna Nundy, Advocate, Supreme Court of India and International lawyer Sophie Richardson, Human Rights Watch Nury Turkel, Adjunct Fellow at Hudson Institute Siddharth Varadarajan, The Wire
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of ForceAccomplice Accountability for Grave Violations of International LawMarch 24 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
A close look at the most egregious examples of international law violations that have threatened peace and security in recent times reveals a common trend: governments perpetrating these serious crimes do not act alone. They often do so with the help of others, both State and non-State actors. Notable examples include the logistical support, weapons, and intelligence provided by the United States, United Kingdom, and France to a Saudi-led coalition whose airstrikes have killed numerous civilians in Yemen; almost a decade of Russian and Iranian air and ground support for the Assad regime's systematic torture and killing of civilians in Syria; and the failure of Facebook to remove posts that incited genocide of the Muslim Rohingya minority in Myanmar. This panel will explore the range of "help" from direct participation to complicity and what accountability is warranted under international law. It will seek to answer: what legal responsibility should potential "accomplices" bear for their role in the grave violations of international law?
Panelist(s):Radhya al-Mutawakel, Mwatana for Human Rights Ibrahim al-Kasem, European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights Welton Chang, Human Rights First Katherine Gallagher, Center for Constitutional Rights Oona Hathaway (Moderator), Yale Law School
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of ForceInformation Conflict in the Digital AgeMarch 25 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
As evidenced by Russia's recent efforts at election interference in the United States and Europe, and the growing spread of COVID-19 related disinformation, the role of information conflict in global strategic competition has evolved and taken on new weight. Developments in the technological structure and global interconnectedness of information and telecommunications (IT) infrastructure have enabled states to engage in malicious influence campaigns at an unprecedented scope, scale, depth, and speed, generating what one expert describes as "one of the greatest vulnerabilities we as individuals and as a society must learn to deal with." And while international law has historically been very tolerant of state's use of propaganda and suasion, the new reality of information conflict threatens to undermine the essence of sovereign equality, independence, and the rules-based international order. Since the inception and unprecedented expansion of IT technology, states have struggled to adapt existing international law to the cyber context, and are only beginning to grapple with the unique challenges presented by IT technology-enabled influence campaigns. This roundtable will explore whether and how international law can play a role in regulating the evolving face of information conflict in the digital age.
Panelist(s):Kristen Eichensehr (Moderator), University of Virginia School of Law Jens David Ohlin, Cornell Law School Harriet Moynihan, Chatham House Sujit Raman, Sidley Austin LLP Commander Robin Crabtree, US Navy
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of ForceKey Questions in Foreign Relations Law Under the Biden AdministrationMarch 25 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
International Law in Domestic Courts Interest Group
The Biden administration faces an array of challenges in foreign affairs, from the pandemic, climate change, and China's ascendance, to weakened U.S. relations with allies, heightened tension with Iran, and a hobbled State Department, to name just a few examples. Moreover, the administration does so amidst hyper-polarization of the American electorate, and with policy preferences that are in many ways quite different from those of its predecessor. These circumstances are likely to raise important questions for the field of U.S. foreign relations law over the course of the next four years. For example, if President Biden hopes to rejoin international agreements and institutions that the United States left under the Trump administration, what processes are available under domestic law for doing so? How should a body of foreign relations law that was developed largely in an era of American hegemony be adapted to an age of multipolarity? Will the legal positions that Democrats and Republicans adopted on issues in foreign relations law under President Trump flip on account of the new administration, or are there some features of the law that have durable political valences? Panelists will offer their insights on these kinds of questions.
The Biden administration faces an array of challenges in foreign affairs, from the pandemic, climate change, and China's ascendance, to weakened U.S. relations with allies, heightened tension with Iran, and a hobbled State Department, to name just a few examples. Moreover, the administration does so amidst hyper-polarization of the American electorate, and with policy preferences that are in many ways quite different from those of its predecessor. These circumstances are likely to raise important questions for the field of U.S. foreign relations law over the course of the next four years. For example, if President Biden hopes to rejoin international agreements and institutions that the United States left under the Trump administration, what processes are available under domestic law for doing so? How should a body of foreign relations law that was developed largely in an era of American hegemony be adapted to an age of multipolarity? Will the legal positions that Democrats and Republicans adopted on issues in foreign relations law under President Trump flip on account of the new administration, or are there some features of the law that have durable political valences? Panelists will offer their insights on these kinds of questions.
Panelist(s):Jean Galbraith, University of Pennsylvania Mark Iozzi, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chimène Keitner, University of California, Hastings Julian Ku, Hofstra University Ryan Scoville (Moderator), Marquette University Law School Richard Visek, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of ForceInternational Aid in a Time of Global CrisisMarch 26 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
In recent years, some world leaders have employed a nationalist agenda that has minimized traditional foreign-policy commitments, such as international aid. The rise in this populist shift away from the traditional foreign assistance model came during a time of protracted and complex crises and the increase and intensification of natural disasters, exacerbated by the global climate crisis. Most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated economies and significantly altered the political landscapes in many countries, consequences whose effects will be felt for many years. This panel will reflect on how the international aid community should revisit its legal, political, and conceptual structures to address these many pressing challenges.
Panelist(s):Marsha Echols (Moderator), Howard University School of Law Katherine Meighan, International Fund for Agricultural Development Sergio Gusmao Suchodolski, Development Bank Minas do Gerais – Brazil Jay Pozenel, United Nations Mark Ward, International Medical Corps
Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of ForceWinning Likes and Minds: Creative responses to the international struggle over information March 26 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
Southeast Interest Group
Description: Can international law help fight misinformation and disinformation? How can states, corporations, and other relevant stakeholders use international law to protect themselves from dangerous falsehoods? This panel brings together scholars and activists to discuss contemporary international challenges generated by the spread of misinformation and disinformation and ways for stakeholders to combat it. Panelists will highlight varying motivations for the spread of misinformation and disinformation, methodologies for its spread, and discuss its impact in law and policy across a range of issue areas, including elections and COVID-19. Panelists will also share possible short- and long-term solutions for identifying and countering the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation.
Description: Can international law help fight misinformation and disinformation? How can states, corporations, and other relevant stakeholders use international law to protect themselves from dangerous falsehoods? This panel brings together scholars and activists to discuss contemporary international challenges generated by the spread of misinformation and disinformation and ways for stakeholders to combat it. Panelists will highlight varying motivations for the spread of misinformation and disinformation, methodologies for its spread, and discuss its impact in law and policy across a range of issue areas, including elections and COVID-19. Panelists will also share possible short- and long-term solutions for identifying and countering the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation.
Panelist(s):Faisal Al Mutar, Ideas Beyond Borders Robert Blitt (Co-Moderator), University of Tennessee College of Law Jill Goldenziel (Co-Moderator), Marine Corps University-Command and Staff College Henning Lahmann, Digital Society Institute, ESMT Berlin Priscilla Moriuchi, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School of
Government Costanza Sciubba Caniglia, Harvard Kennedy School
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable DevelopmentJudging the Climate Crisis: The role of the International Court of Justice addressing environmental harmsMarch 24 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
In the past year, a global youth movement has started to campaign for a resolution from the UN General Assembly requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to clarify the status and extent of emerging environmental law principles, including the right to a safe and healthy environment, sustainable development, transboundary harm, and polluter pays principle as it relates to specific rights and obligations of States. Several small island developing States, along with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, have expressed support for this initiative. This session will take the form of a debate between the four panelists, who will present opposing views on the most likely contested legal issues and whether such a request would be useful to advance global efforts to fight climate change. An interactive dialogue between panelists and participants will then tease out the promises and pitfalls of the different approaches presented by the panelists.
Panelist(s):Lavanya Rajamani, University of Oxford Faculty of Law Jorge Viñuales (Moderator), University of Cambridge Faculty of Law Christina Voigt, IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law Solomon Yeo, Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable DevelopmentMilitary and Commercial Developments in European Space LawMarch 24 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
Space Law Interest Group
Panelist(s):Joyeeta Chatterjee (Moderator), Airbus Irmgard Marboe, University of Vienna Jenni Tapio, Finnish Space Agency Frans G. von der Dunk, Black Holes Consultancy Marco Ferrazzani, European Space Agency Mahulena Hofmann, University of Luxembourg
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable DevelopmentProtecting People in the Context of Climate Change and DisastersMarch 25 - 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM
Climate change constitutes one of the preeminent threats of our time, menacing fragile ecosystems, exacerbating natural disasters, and disrupting societies, such as through the creation of climate refugees fleeing rising sea levels which threaten island nations. The legal protection of persons affected by climate change and disasters features on the agenda of several international bodies, including the United Nations General Assembly (including the SDGs and the Global Compact for Migration), the Human Rights Council specialized agencies, the International Organization for Migration, UNHCR, and the International Law Commission (including the recent work on the Protection of Persons in the Event of Disasters and the on-going work on sea-level rise in relation to international law), as well as civil society organizations. Recently, international, regional and domestic litigation has increased in frequency and significance, including before the United Nations Human Right Committee and the Committee on the Rights of the Child. In this session, the speakers will address the treatment of this topic before these various entities. The discussion will focus also on developments arising from cases brought before UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies, Regional Human Rights Systems, and national jurisdictions.
Panelist(s):Giulio Bartolini (Moderator), Roma Tre University Patrícia Galvão Teles, International Law Commission Kirsten Hagon, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Ambassador Duncan Muhumuza-Laki, UN Human Rights Committee Mohamed Nasheed, former President of the Maldives
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable DevelopmentThe Lorax Revisited: Protecting Forests from Illegal Logging and DeforestationMarch 25 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
Human-driven deforestation, such as illegal logging, large-scale agricultural investments, cattle grazing, and mining have caused concern around the globe, particularly during the 2019 Amazon fires, and have become key issues in the fight against climate change. Large-scale deforestation occurs everywhere and is thus a global problem: in the Amazonian basin, in Western and Central Africa, and South-East Asia. The few original forests in Europe are also under threat. Illegal logging is a major threat to global forest resources and a multibillion-dollar operation worldwide, reaching as much as $ 10 billion a year. It is also a major risk to the lives and livelihoods of indigenous communities, as "rainforest mafias" have threatened, attacked, and even killed indigenous "forest guardians" who patrol their native homelands and report illegal logging practices. It is also a threat to the biodiversity and wildlife of the forests as they face habitat degradation and loss. Panelists will address the legal and practical implications of illegal logging and deforestation on the indigenous and wildlife residents in diminishing forests around the globe. They will also address solutions and accountability measures to prevent further destruction of these habitats and encourage reforestation and sustainable development.
Panelist(s):Carole Excell, World Resources Institute Francisco Souza, Forest Stewardship Council's Indigenous Foundation Julia Urrunaga, Environmental Investigative Agency, Peru Daniel Wilkinson, Human Rights Watch
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable DevelopmentSpace Race for the Battlestar: International law implications of the militarization of spaceMarch 25 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
Over the last decade, as states have moved aggressively to establish their advantage in new domains, the rules-based international order is under unprecedented stress. The so-called return to great power competition is literally reaching for the stars, with states adopting new military strategies, command structures, and technologies aimed at securing dominance and competitive advantage in outer space. The United States recently created a unified combatant command (the US Space Command), as well as a new branch of the Armed Forces—the US Space Force. Other space powers, such as Russian and China, have expressed concern, and underlined the implications this may have for developing defensive capacities. These developments present acute challenges to the existing framework of international space law generally, and international humanitarian law more specifically. This panel will address the increasing militarization of space and the international legal challenges it presents.
Panelist(s):Setsuko Aoki (Moderator), Keio University Law School Laurent Gisel, International Committee of the Red Cross Elina Morozova, Intersputnik International Organization of Space Communications Amy Sfara, Office of the Judge Advocate General, U.S. Air Force Dale Stephens, Adelaide Law School
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable DevelopmentWe Are All Climate Lawyers Now March 25 - 13:45 PM - 14:45 PM
ASIL Signature Topic Series
Panelist(s):Carmen Gonzalez, Loyola University Chicago School of Law Sailesh Mehta, Red Lion Chambers Nilufer Oral, UN International Law Commission Hermann Ott, Client Earth Margaret Young, University of Melbourne Law School Rob Verchick, Loyola University New Orleans
Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable DevelopmentCreating the Crime of Ecocide: An effective tool to address climate and environmental crises?March 26 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
A growing number of activists and environmental defenders believe criminalizing acts amounting to “ecocide” would better equip international law to address climate and biodiversity crises. The term “ecocide” ordinarily refers to the destruction of the environment to the detriment of life. This session will examine the potential of its incrimination through a dynamic discussion on four issues. First, understanding the practical gaps or shortages in international criminal law, international environmental law and other relevant fields of international law that the incrimination of ecocide could overcome. Second, determining the point at which a specific conduct has environmental consequences so grave that it could be considered as ecocide and why it is important to differentiate between ecocide and any other environmental crimes. Third, turning ecocide into an international crime would require agreeing on the definition of its material and intentional elements, such as which acts and/or omissions would fall within the scope of ecocide and whether a special or regular intent would be required. Whether or not corporate actors could be held responsible is also key. Finally, it is important to identify and agree on the most appropriate forum to effectively investigate, prosecute and adjudicate this new international crime.
Panelist(s):Nnimmo Bassey, Health of Mother Earth Foundation Maud Sarlieve (Moderator), Paris Nanterre University Fadjar Schouten-Korwa, Coordinator Dutch Cooperating Organisations for West Papua Marie Toussaint, Member, European Parliament Justice Tuiloma Neroni Slade, former Judge, International Criminal Court
Keynotes & PlenariesOpening Plenary and Keynote Remarks: David Miliband (International Rescue Committee)March 24 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
"Combating the Global Rise in Impunity"
Keynotes & PlenariesHudson Medal Discussion: A Conversation with Bernard OxmanMarch 24 - 12:30 PM - 13:30 PM
Panelist(s):Lori Damrosch, Columbia Law School Bernard Oxman, University of Miami School of Law
Keynotes & PlenariesKeynote: A Conversation with Louise ArbourMarch 24 - 15:00 PM - 15:30 PM
Panelist(s):Louise Arbour, U.N. Special Representative for International Migration Mónica Pinto, University of Buenos Aires
Keynotes & Plenaries23rd Annual Grotius Lecture on International LawMarch 25 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
"Never let a good crisis go to waste! Can international law seize the advantage?”
Grotius Lecturer: Yves Daudet, University Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne
Distinguished Discussant: Hannah Buxbaum, Indiana University
It is well known that international law is currently undergoing transformations and challenges in many respects, regarding sources, subjects, ends and main principles in an international society that bears little resemblance to what it was in the aftermath of the Second World War. As international law is intended to be the glue that holds together a diverse international society, it is naturally at the heart of the crises affecting that society, as we are currently experiencing with the health crisis. Facing a crisis, one can be passive and hope for its end. Conversely, one can opt for a positive vision and try to find a dynamic of progress highlighted by the content of the crisis itself. In this perspective, it is necessary to check whether lessons can be learned, or even benefits achieved, as the crisis raises questions about the relevance or the need to reassess and transform major pillars of international law, such as the principle of sovereignty or that of multilateralism. Emergence of common interest or a principle of solidarity also needs to be addressed as they can provide legal means for responding to and preventing new crises. In this respect, this progress must be welcomed as an undeniable advance. Progress on other fronts, less comprehensive, should be seen as a step forward and a source of hope.
Grotius Lecturer: Yves Daudet, University Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne
Distinguished Discussant: Hannah Buxbaum, Indiana University
It is well known that international law is currently undergoing transformations and challenges in many respects, regarding sources, subjects, ends and main principles in an international society that bears little resemblance to what it was in the aftermath of the Second World War. As international law is intended to be the glue that holds together a diverse international society, it is naturally at the heart of the crises affecting that society, as we are currently experiencing with the health crisis. Facing a crisis, one can be passive and hope for its end. Conversely, one can opt for a positive vision and try to find a dynamic of progress highlighted by the content of the crisis itself. In this perspective, it is necessary to check whether lessons can be learned, or even benefits achieved, as the crisis raises questions about the relevance or the need to reassess and transform major pillars of international law, such as the principle of sovereignty or that of multilateralism. Emergence of common interest or a principle of solidarity also needs to be addressed as they can provide legal means for responding to and preventing new crises. In this respect, this progress must be welcomed as an undeniable advance. Progress on other fronts, less comprehensive, should be seen as a step forward and a source of hope.
Keynotes & PlenariesHonors and Awards Ceremony and Keynote Remarks: Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (World Health Organization)March 25 - 15:00 PM - 15:30 PM
"Law, Equity and Global Public Health"
Keynotes & PlenariesKeynote: A Conversation with Judge YusufMarch 26 - 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Judge Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, International Court of Justice
Panelist(s):Patrícia Galvão Teles, International Law Commission
Keynotes & PlenariesHague Plenary and Closing Remarks - Reconceptualizing International Law’s Role in the Governance of AI: Autonomous weapons as a case studyMarch 26 - 15:00 PM - 16:00 PM
Sponsored by the Municipality of the Hague, the Embassy of the Netherlands to the United States, and convened by the T.M.C. Asser Institute
Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly significant role in our daily lives, from social media algorithms determining what news is seen to machine learning-based models being used to search for effective viral therapies or to detect welfare fraud by governments. AI is also changing international relations and the challenges the international community is facing. International law has struggled to provide a governance framework within which the role of AI can be addressed, in significant part because the current structure of international law conceptualizes “actors” as states and multi-lateral organizations and, more recently, non-state actors. Existing international law has developed with human subjects in mind. Autonomous machines problematize traditional legal assumptions and categories, such as the military applications of AI, which poses increasingly urgent questions of well-established norms of jus ad bellum, jus in bello, and arms control law. This roundtable will examine the ways in which international law needs to reorganize its engagement with AI using the issue of autonomous weapons as a case study. Speakers will discuss how AI is challenging existing practices within the law of armed conflict; the underlying conceptual challenges that AI poses to the current international law framework, and ways in which a reconceived international law could contribute to the governance of AI.
Artificial intelligence (AI) plays an increasingly significant role in our daily lives, from social media algorithms determining what news is seen to machine learning-based models being used to search for effective viral therapies or to detect welfare fraud by governments. AI is also changing international relations and the challenges the international community is facing. International law has struggled to provide a governance framework within which the role of AI can be addressed, in significant part because the current structure of international law conceptualizes “actors” as states and multi-lateral organizations and, more recently, non-state actors. Existing international law has developed with human subjects in mind. Autonomous machines problematize traditional legal assumptions and categories, such as the military applications of AI, which poses increasingly urgent questions of well-established norms of jus ad bellum, jus in bello, and arms control law. This roundtable will examine the ways in which international law needs to reorganize its engagement with AI using the issue of autonomous weapons as a case study. Speakers will discuss how AI is challenging existing practices within the law of armed conflict; the underlying conceptual challenges that AI poses to the current international law framework, and ways in which a reconceived international law could contribute to the governance of AI.
Panelist(s):Jonathan Horowitz, International Committee of the Red Cross Mary Ellen O’Connell, University of Notre Dame Law School Amb. Marjolijn van Deelen, EU Special Envoy for Non-proliferation and Disarmament Sadjad Soltanzadeh (moderator), T.M.C. Asser Institute Karen Yeung, University of Birmingham Law School
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Donald Childress, U.S. Department of State
Professional and Academic Development
NGO Job-Seeking during a Global Pandemic
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMThis session is one of three sessions that are geared toward educating and informing students and recent graduates as to how to navigate the job market in various sectors, including, in addition to this panel, private practice and government and international organizations. Panelists will address the fundamentals of the NGO job market, as well as discuss topics including what students should be doing now to prepare for a career in a non-governmental organization, how COVID-19 has impacted the hiring process, and how recent graduates seeking employment can demonstrate professional experience in the absence of proper employment.
Panelist(s):Andrea Harrison (moderator), International Committee of the Red Cross Lia Lindsey, Oxfam America Sarah McIntosh, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Babette Ngene, Internews
Professional and Academic Development
Teaching the Practice of International Law: L Alumni as Educators
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:30 PMMany former lawyers in the Office of the Legal Adviser at the U.S. Department of State are now teaching international law in American law schools. This discussion between former attorneys from “L” will explore how their experiences shaped their educational content and methods. They will discuss how their professional experiences provided unique tools in how they prepare to teach public international law. How does their practical experience in representing a government's legal positions inform the process by which they prepare students to practice international law, whether in government service or in private practice students?
Panelist(s):John Bellinger (moderator), Arnold & Porter LLP Kristina Daugirdas, University of Michigan Law School Rebecca Ingber, Yeshiva University Cardozo School of Law Darin Johnson, Howard University School of Law
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 24 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Arif Ali, Dechert LLP
Professional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 24 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Jayne Huckerby, Duke University School of Law
Professional and Academic Development
Editors-in-Chief Roundtable
March 24 - 05:30 PM - 06:20 PMInvitation Only
Professional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 24 - 05:30 PM - 06:20 PMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Nawi Ukabiala, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 24 - 06:30 PM - 07:20 PMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Jeanne Davidson, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Foreign Litigation
Professional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 24 - 06:30 PM - 07:20 PMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Rachel Davis, Shift
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 25 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Philippa Webb, King's College London, Dickson Poon School of Law
Professional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 25 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Isabel San Martin, King & Spalding LLP
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 25 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Sarah Holewinski, Human Rights Watch
Professional and Academic Development
Careers in International Law
March 25 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Ben Juvelier, ASIL
Professional and Academic Development
Women in International Law Interest Group Award Discussion
March 25 - 12:30 PM - 01:30 PMPanelist(s):Judge Gabrielle Kirk McDonald, 2021 Prominent Woman in International Law Recipient
Professional and Academic Development
Private Practice Job-Seeking during a Global Pandemic
March 25 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMThis session is one of three sessions geared toward educating and informing students and recent graduates as to how to navigate the job market in various sectors, including private practice, non-profit, and government/international organizations. Panelists will address the fundamentals of the private practice job market, as well as discuss topics including what students should be doing now to prepare for a career in private practice, how COVID-19 has impacted the hiring process, and how recent graduates seeking employment can demonstrate professional experience in the absence of proper employment.
Panelist(s):Saadia Bhatty, Gide Loyrette Nouel (Moderator) Andrew Larkin, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP Duncan Pickard, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Alyssa Yamamoto, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Professional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 25 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Sonia Farber, Kluk Farber Law
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 25 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):James T. Gathii, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Professional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 25 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Amelia Mathias, U.S. Department of State
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 26 - 07:00 AM - 07:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Rod Rastan, International Criminal Court
Professional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 26 - 07:00 AM - 07:50 AMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Louise Fournier, Greenpeace
Professional and Academic Development
Ask-Me-Anything
March 26 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Lucinda Low, Steptoe & Johnson LLP
Professional and Academic Development
Government and International Organizations Job-Seeking during a Global Pandemic
March 26 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMThis session is one of three sessions that are geared toward educating and informing students and recent graduates as to how to navigate the job market in various sectors, including, in addition to this panel, private practice and non-profit. Panelists will address the fundamentals of the Government and International Organizations job market, as well as discuss topics including what students should be doing now to prepare for a career in these sectors, how COVID-19 has impacted the hiring process, and how recent graduates seeking employment can demonstrate professional experience in the absence of proper employment.
Panelist(s):Ari Bassin, Office of Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of State Darin Johnson, Howard University School of Law (Moderator) Karla Jones, Organization of American States Katerina Ossenova, Office of Foreign Litigation, U.S. Department of Justice Andrés Felipe Esteban Tovar, Former International Disputes officer at National Agency for the Legal Defense of the State (Colombia)
Professional and Academic Development
How to Publish in AJIL and AJIL Unbound
March 26 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMThis session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
Panelist(s):Karen J. Alter, Northwestern University Curtis A. Bradley, Duke University School of Law Melissa J. Durkee, University of Georgia School of Law Laurence R. Helfer, Duke University School of Law Meaghan Kelly, Duke University School of Law
Professional and Academic Development
Mentor Session
March 26 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMSESSION FULL
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
This session is for members of the Society. Students who signed up for free will need to become a member of ASIL to participate.
• Only one session per attendee
• Limited to 15 participants
Panelist(s):Christos Ravanides, UN Office of Legal Affairs
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Criminal Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMPanelists who have extensive experience in various aspects of international criminal law will discuss their paths to working in ICL, describe their past and current roles, and offer advice for law students and early-career lawyers on how to enter the field.
Panelist(s):Yasmine Chubin, Legal Advocacy Director, Clooney Foundation for Justice, The Docket Kate Gibson, Defense Counsel at International Criminal Court Roger Lu Phillips, Legal Director, Syria Justice and Accountability Centre Sunil Pal, Chief, Victims' Participation Unit, Special Tribunal for Lebanon
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Minorities in International Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Intellectual Property Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Lieber Society IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
ASIL-Midwest IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Environmental Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Cultural Heritage and the Arts IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 05:30 PM - 06:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Legal Theory IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 05:30 PM - 06:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Private International Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 05:30 PM - 06:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Teaching International Law IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 06:30 PM - 07:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Rights of Indigenous Peoples IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 06:30 PM - 07:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Government Attorneys IG Business Meeting
March 24 - 06:30 PM - 07:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
New Professionals IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Anti-Corruption Law IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Courts and Tribunals IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMWe are very pleased to announce that Philippa Webb will join us as guest speaker for the ICTIG business meeting at ASIL's 2021 Annual Meeting. We plan to engage Professor Webb in a lively conversation about her new book, The Right to a Fair Trial in International Law (co-authored with Amal Clooney). Our discussion will focus on the interpretation and application of the right to a fair trial by international courts and tribunals.
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Asia-Pacific IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Space Law IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Refugee Law IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Dispute Resolution IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Transitional Justice and Rule of Law IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 03:30 PM - 04:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Law of the Sea IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
ASIL-Southeast IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Economic Law IG Business Meeting
March 25 - 04:30 PM - 05:20 PMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Legal Research IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 07:00 AM - 07:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Africa IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 07:00 AM - 07:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Human Rights IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Nonproliferation, Arms Control, and Disarmament IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMThree NACDIG members will be discussing their careers in the fields of nonproliferation, arms control and disarmament:
- Nicole Hogg has served at the ICRC for 16 years. She is the Legal Advisor and Head of Department at the ICRC’s Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada, which involves work on weapons issues, including arms transfers, urban warfare, new technologies of warfare, and nuclear weapons. She previously worked as Legal Adviser in the ICRC’s Arms Unit in Geneva, as well as Legal Adviser to Operations for Asia and the Pacific. She holds a Law degree and an Arts degree from the University of Melbourne and an LLM in international law from McGill University in Canada.
- Loren Voss is the Senior Advisor for Civilian Harm Mitigation at the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency where she leads efforts to integrate civilian harm mitigation into security assistance and security cooperation with allies and partners. She previously served as an active duty officer in the Air Force, clerked for the Israeli Supreme Court, and conducted research as a Harvard Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellow on national security and the law of armed conflict. She holds a JD from Harvard Law and an MA in Global Affairs from Yale.
- Mike Meier is the Senior Civilian Adviser to the Army Judge Advocate General on matters related to the Law of War. He advises on legal and policy issues related to the law of war, reviews proposed new weapons, and serves as a member of the DoD Law of War Working Group. Mr. Meier served as an Attorney-Adviser with the Office of the Legal Adviser for Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State, from June 2009 until June 2016, where his portfolio included arms control agreements, such as the Ottawa Convention, Convention on Cluster Munitions, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and the Arms Trade Treaty. He holds a JD from St. Mary's University School of Law, an LLM from Georgetown University School of Law, and LLM from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School and an MS from the United States Army War College.
Participants will have the opportunity to ask them about their career trajectories. We hope you will join us for what promises to be a fascinating discussion. You will receive the information on how to attend after registering for the Annual Meeting.
- Nicole Hogg has served at the ICRC for 16 years. She is the Legal Advisor and Head of Department at the ICRC’s Regional Delegation for the United States and Canada, which involves work on weapons issues, including arms transfers, urban warfare, new technologies of warfare, and nuclear weapons. She previously worked as Legal Adviser in the ICRC’s Arms Unit in Geneva, as well as Legal Adviser to Operations for Asia and the Pacific. She holds a Law degree and an Arts degree from the University of Melbourne and an LLM in international law from McGill University in Canada.
- Loren Voss is the Senior Advisor for Civilian Harm Mitigation at the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency where she leads efforts to integrate civilian harm mitigation into security assistance and security cooperation with allies and partners. She previously served as an active duty officer in the Air Force, clerked for the Israeli Supreme Court, and conducted research as a Harvard Frederick Sheldon Traveling Fellow on national security and the law of armed conflict. She holds a JD from Harvard Law and an MA in Global Affairs from Yale.
- Mike Meier is the Senior Civilian Adviser to the Army Judge Advocate General on matters related to the Law of War. He advises on legal and policy issues related to the law of war, reviews proposed new weapons, and serves as a member of the DoD Law of War Working Group. Mr. Meier served as an Attorney-Adviser with the Office of the Legal Adviser for Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State, from June 2009 until June 2016, where his portfolio included arms control agreements, such as the Ottawa Convention, Convention on Cluster Munitions, the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, and the Arms Trade Treaty. He holds a JD from St. Mary's University School of Law, an LLM from Georgetown University School of Law, and LLM from the Judge Advocate General's Legal Center and School and an MS from the United States Army War College.
Participants will have the opportunity to ask them about their career trajectories. We hope you will join us for what promises to be a fascinating discussion. You will receive the information on how to attend after registering for the Annual Meeting.
IG Business Meetings/Sessions
Latin American IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 08:00 AM - 08:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
Women in International Law IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Organizations IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AMIG Business Meetings/Sessions
International Law and Technology IG Business Meeting
March 26 - 09:00 AM - 09:50 AM2021 Annual Meeting Co-Chairs
Simon Batifort, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLPChristie Edwards, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
Darin Johnson, Howard University School of Law
2021 Annual Meeting Committee Members
Andre Abbud, Barbosa, Müssnich & Aragão Advogados
Rob Anderson, U.S. Department of the Treasury
Raymond Atuguba, University of Ghana
Ari Bassin, Office of Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of State
Saadia Bhatty, Gide Loyrette Nouel
Colin Brown, Directorate General for Trade, European Commission
Gary Corn, Technology, Law, & Security Program, AUWCL
Melissa del Aguila, Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, AUWCL
Andrés Felipe Esteban Tovar, National Agency for the Legal Defense of the Republic of Colombia
Ezequiel Heffes, Geneva Call
Jaroslav Kudrna, Ministry of Finance, Czech Republic
Andrew Larkin, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP
Rachel Lopez, Drexel University School of Law
Ben Love, Reed Smith LLP
Kate Mackintosh, Promise Institute for Human Rights, UCLA School of Law
Manoj Mate, University of California, Irvine School of Law
Alina Miron, University of Angers
Sahr Muhammedally, Center for Civilians in Conflict
Katerina Ossenova, Office of Foreign Litigation, U.S. Department of Justice
Duncan Pickard, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Michele Potestà, Lévy Kaufmann-Kohler
Lisa Sachs, Columbia Center for Sustainable Investment
Victoria Sahani, Arizona State University College of Law
Camilo Sanchez, University of Virginia School of Law
Lela Scott, Office of the Legal Adviser, U.S. Department of State
Arsalan Suleman, Foley Hoag LLP
Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, Leiden University Law School
Alyssa Yamamoto, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP
Hongchuan Zhang, Attorney General's Chambers, Singapore
Adnan Zulfiqar, Rutgers Law School
Sponsors
2021 ASIL Annual Meeting Frequently Asked Questions
REGISTRATION
What is included in my registration?
Fees include access to all program sessions, keynotes, interest group meetings, side events, and networking and social tools on the AM website. Please note that access to professional development sessions is limited to members of the Society.
Who qualifies for the Government, Non-governmental, and International Organization Rate?
To qualify for the Government/NGO/IO rate, you must be (a) a full-time employee of a U.S. or foreign government agency (federal, state, local, or tribal) (government-supported universities or colleges, government contractors, and government consultants do not qualify); (b) a full-time employee of a U.S. non-profit organization or a non-U.S. non-profit organization recognized by the United Nations; or (c) a full-time employee of an organization designated by the President of the United States through Executive Order as qualified for the privileges, exemptions, and immunities provided in the International Organizations Immunities Act.
Do members of the media need to register?
Yes. Complimentary press registrations are available to those who meet ASIL's media accreditation guidelines. To request a complimentary press pass, please email services@asil.org with your name and media affiliation.
VIRTUAL MEETING FEATURES
What should I expect from the virtual AM?
You can join any session and can move "from room to room" if you wish to change sessions. If you miss a session, or wish to see a session again, you can watch it at any point during the Annual Meeting. All sessions will continue to be available to registrants after the meeting is over.
All registrants will have access to the attendee directory. If you wish to be removed from the attendee directory, please use the "Tech Help" feature on the Annual Meeting website. You may send a request to start a private chat or video call with any registrant who is currently online. If a registrant is offline, the chat and video options will be grey, indicating they are unavailable. You can ignore any chat or video requests. Affirmative acceptance from you is required for anyone to be able to share a chat or video message.
I'm a speaker. What do I need to do to prepare for the virtual AM?
We recommend business casual dress or the equivalent for all sessions. Prior to your session, check your internet connection, background, lighting, sound, and the position of your camera. As this is a new experience for many participants, familiarize yourself with the features of the platform. Make sure your face is well-lit and that there is no background noise that might interfere when you speak (e.g., children, pets, or unmuted phones). Additionally, be sure to read the "Best Practices for Presenting on Zoom" document sent to you by your committee member and/or moderator.
I'm an attendee. Can I ask the panelists questions?
Yes. For live sessions, you may submit questions in writing through the Q&A function on the Annual Meeting website. These questions will be collected and read out by the moderator during the course of the session (to the extent time permits).
For all sessions, we have added a new feature called "Continue the Conversation (CTC)." There is a button on the page of every session below the video screen that you can click once the session finishes to join a private Zoom room, where you will be able to share your video, turn on your mic, and ask questions directly of speakers (including some speakers whose remarks were pre-recorded).
As a non-panelist, am I allowed to speak during the online substantive sessions?
Only speakers will be able to turn on their microphone or video camera during substantive sessions. In other sessions, such as business meetings or social events, you can participate using video and/or audio. It is important that you check your video and audio equipment in advance, and make sure that you have good lighting.
Are there particular rules of behavior for a virtual meeting?
Please observe the same etiquette you would practice at the in-person Annual Meeting. Be civil, respectful, and courteous, and avoid interrupting other speakers. Refrain from distributing commercial or inappropriate content. Additionally, ASIL has a zero-tolerance policy for harassment and offensive content. Individuals who behave inappropriately will be removed from the Annual Meeting.
When participating in Interest Group meetings and interactive sessions, including in the CTC sessions, please mute your audio when you are not speaking. (Don't forget to unmute your audio when you wish to speak, and to go on mute when you are finished speaking).
How should I use the chat function?
Some sessions will have an embedded chat, which you can use to engage in discussion of the topic with other participants. Please do not use the chat for off-topic discussions or to ask questions of the speakers (use the procedure described above). If you are using the chat, make sure that your message is addressed only to the person(s) with whom you wish to chat before you hit "send." Think carefully before sending a message to all participants.
What if I have technical issues during the meeting?
If you have any technical questions or difficulties, use the "Help" button on the virtual AM page to address the question to the technical staff member who is monitoring the session. The "Help" button can be found on every page of the Virtual Annual Meeting site, and there will be technical staff monitoring the Help channel throughout the Annual Meeting.
Are the virtual sessions secure?
Access is restricted to registered attendees, who must use their assigned password to enter the site. Registrants are not permitted to share their password with any other individual.
Interference with the Annual Meeting, or with any user, host, or network, whether by sending a virus, overloading, spamming, or mail-bombing or by any other means, is strictly prohibited. Persons who interfere with the Annual Meeting will be removed from the conference immediately and will not be permitted to return.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
For any additional questions before the virtual Annual Meeting, don't hesitate to reach out to ASIL's Member Services team at services@asil.org.
CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION (CLE)
Is CLE credit available for meeting sessions?
Yes, a number of the substantive panels at the ASIL Annual Meeting will be accredited for CLE. Sessions that are approved for CLE credit will be designated as such in the final program and in the online agenda. ASIL will obtain accreditation for all of the CLE sessions from California, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. New York attorneys can gain automatic approval for CLE credits from the Annual Meeting through the Approved Jurisdictions policy. Attorneys from states recognizing out-of-state CLE credits in compliance with MCLE standards can obtain reciprocity for credits earned at the Meeting, but attendees are responsible for obtaining their own certification through their state board. ASIL will not submit on behalf of the attendee. There is a flat $75 fee for CLE registration for the Annual Meeting. You must include the CLE option during your registration to obtain the necessary credentials for CLE tracking.
How do I get CLE documentation?
To get CLE credit, you must register for CLE when you register for the Annual Meeting, as noted above.
As this is a virtual conference, attendees seeking CLE credit will register their presence at CLE sessions at the end of each session by clicking on a button on the session page. This serves as a self-certification that you attended and were present for the entire session. Data will not be shared with any other organization for any purpose other than state required audits.
Can I receive partial credit?
To receive credit for a session, you must attend the entire session. If you leave one session and join another, you cannot receive any CLE credit for either of those sessions. Furthermore, you may not watch multiple sessions simultaneously and receive CLE credit for both of them. If our tracking information shows you watching two sessions at the same time, you will receive CLE credit for only one of them. Please note that states require a minimum of one hour for CLE credit. Since our sessions are all only one hour long, you must observe the entirety of a session to receive CLE credit.
What should I do if I believe my Certificate of Attendance shows an incorrect CLE credit or contains a typo?
Contact the ASIL via e-mail at cle@asil.org with the following:
1. Your contact information (name, phone, e-mail, and address)
2. The session title
3. What you believe to be incorrect (e.g., name misspelled, etc.)
Providing ASIL with this information will allow us to respond to you quickly. Please remember that ASIL is not permitted to change any sign in/sign out data after the meeting has ended.
How do I get my CLE certificate of attendance form?
Following the Meeting, ASIL will process all of the attendee records for CLE sessions. ASIL will email every individual with a complete CLE record and ask for certain information (state(s) licensed, attorney id numbers, etc.) to be provided in an online survey form. Individuals who respond to that survey will receive their CLE certificate of attendance. Individuals who fail to respond to that survey will NOT receive their CLE certificates.
ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS
Please contact ASIL's Service Center, at services@asil.org or (202) 939-6001.