Donnerstag, 29. Dezember 2016

Call for Papers of the ESIL IG on International Environmental Law


The 2017 Annual Conference of the European Society of International Law (Naples, 7-9 September 2017) is devoted to "Global Public Goods, Global Commons and Fundamental Values: The Responses of International Law". See: http://www.esil-sedi.eu/node/1444
On behalf of the Coordinating Committee, in this framework, the ESIL Interest Group on International Environmental Law intends to submit an Agora proposal on “Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Environmental Sustainability: Choices, Compromises and Priorities”.
European Society of International Law Interest Group on “International Environmental Law”
Agora to be held on ”Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Environmental Sustainability: Choices,
Compromises and Priorities” on the occasion of the 13th ESIL Annual Conference on “Global Public Goods, Global Commons and Fundamental Values: The Responses of International Law”, Naples, 7–9 September 2017

Call for Papers

Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Environmental Sustainability: Choices, Compromises and Priorities

The water-energy-food nexus is a theoretical concept describing the mutual interconnections between the complex systems of these resources. Its purpose is to develop solutions mitigating and promoting synergies able to maintain and further elaborate sustainable development. Currently there are numerous challenges this area necessary to face and policymakers all over the world struggle to balance between different priorities such as minimizing the ecological footprint of human activities, satisfying the needs of the constantly growing population, and in order to fulfill Sustainable Development Goals set.
While water is a vulnerable and valuable resource in itself, its importance for, and connection with, energy and food security cannot be understated. The over-exploitation of fresh water resources by both the energy and agricultural industry is one example of competing uses. Similarly, energy is needed for water sanitation and farming. Finally, nutrition is vital for livestock breeding, biofuel production and the maintenance of labor. Despite this factual indivisibility, regulatory solutions continue to be isolated and sectorial. Although some of these can be regionally effective, without thoroughly analyzing wider impacts they are likely to be counterproductive with respect to global sustainability.
This panel invites contributions on the W-E-F nexus, under the following themes:
-  Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Implications for Sovereignty Principles, Self-Determination and Global Public Goods;
-  Water-Energy-Food Nexus: International Trade and Investment Law Dimension
-  Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Agriculture, Farmer Rights in the light of Human Rights, the Protection of the Environment and Democracy
-  Water-Energy Linkage: Perspectives of a Water-Efficient Energy Production;
-  Water-Food Linkage: Water-Food Security and Water-Food Safety in the light of the Sovereignty and Global Public Goods;
-  Water-Food Linkage: Anthropogenic Forcing of Agriculture Causing Climate Change and Water Scarcity;
-  Energy-Food Linkage: A Dangerous Race for Land, Water and Capital.
This call is open for senior and junior academics, as well as practitioners of international organizations and NGOs working in these areas. The objective is to optimize research impact of our participants by engaging the different communities of practice in law, political science, bioengineering, climatology, hydrology or environmental science in this interdisciplinary field of sustainability, energy and environment.
The result of this workshop will be three-fold:
1) relating the forward-thinking academic work to the on-going policy dialogue,
2) preparing a special issue for a relevant peer-reviewed journal or a book collection on “Water-Energy-Food Nexus”,
3) and enhancing the dialogue between the different academic disciplines through creating an inventory of the different theories and methodologies with a view to the specific research, teaching and publication environments.
Publication opportunities: The ESIL Interest Group on International Environmental Law will seek for publication opportunities of a Special Issue on Peer-reviewed or US Law Journal. In any event, IG on International Environmental Law has already an established agreement to publish the results of the agora and workshop in one of the Routledge Publishing (New-York/London) multidisciplinary book series on “Global Law and Sustainable Development” (https://www.routledge.com/Global-Law-and-Sustainable-Development/book-series/ASHSER1419) and “Transnational Law and Governance” (https://www.routledge.com/Transnational-Law-and-Governance/book-series/TRANSGOVLAW)
Eligibility: All Members of the Interest Group on International Environmental Law, the members of other ESIL IGs and also the non-ESIL members (ESIL membership might be required if the abstract is selected) are invited to submit abstracts.
Evaluation Criteria: Abstracts will be selected for inclusion in the “International Environmental Law” IG agora proposal at the main conference on the basis of their alignment with the agora description and objectives as well as the overall coherence of the agora. The IG will organize an interest group workshop if the proposal was not accepted or, in case the agora will be accepted and depending on the time and available resources, an agora and a workshop will be both organized. Please note: the submissions will automatically be considered for participation in the separate workshops of the IG International Environmental Law held during the year and at the Annual Conference.
Applications: The following must be submitted to pdfarah@mail.wvu.edu and paolofarah@yahoo.com by 24th January 2017
·       The author’s name and affiliation;
·       An 700-word abstract [Word file and PDF]
·       The author’s CV, including a list of relevant publications;
·       The author’s contact details, including email address and phone number;
·       Whether the author is an ESIL member; and
·       Whether the abstract should be considered for the ESIL Young Scholar Prize.
Multiple abstracts from the same authors will be considered, but only one can be selected. Co-authored multidisciplinary papers are also welcomed. Submissions may be in either English or French. Applicants will be informed of the selection committee’s decision no later than 28th January 2017.
The Interest Group is unable to provide funding for travel to and attendance at the conference.  Please see the ESIL web site for information on finances and for other relevant information about the 2017 Annual Meeting.
We are looking forward to receiving your abstracts and to meeting all of you at the Annual Conference in Naples.
Kind regards,
Paolo, Josephine, Jaye, Oren
Coordinating Committee of the ESIL IG on International Environmental Law

Dienstag, 27. Dezember 2016

Sonntag, 25. Dezember 2016

Call for Papers: 2017 ESIL Annual Conference

Call for Papers: 2017 ESIL Annual Conference
The 13th Annual Conference of the European Society of International Law will take place in Naples, Italy, on 7-9 September 2017. The conference will be hosted by the University of Naples Federico II, the oldest public university in the world.
The theme of the conference is ''Global Public Goods, Global Commons and Fundamental Values: The Responses of International Law''.
The opening session of the conference will be held in the Teatrino di Corte, the King’s private opera theatre inside the Royal Palace, and the main conference will be held in the Castel dell’Ovo, a magnificent medieval building which is the oldest standing fortification in Naples.
Pre-conference ESIL Interest Group events will be held at the historical premises of the School of Law of the university. 
The Call for Papers is now open.
The deadline for submission of abstracts is 31 January 2017.
Further details of the programme and the registration process will be available in early 2017.

Freitag, 23. Dezember 2016

The future of trade policy: Canadian (and other) perspectives on the U.S. election results

Saturday 28 January 2017, 14:30 - 18:00
The future of trade policy: Canadian (and other) perspectives on the U.S. election results
With John Manley, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada.
Organised by the Graduate Institute's Centre for Trade and Economic Integration.


http://graduateinstitute.ch/lang/en/pid/1963/_/events/ctei/2017/trade-policy-canadian-perspectiv

Laid Low: Inside the Crisis That Overwhelmed Europe and the IMF

Tuesday 31 January 2017, 18:30 - 20:00
Laid Low: Inside the Crisis That Overwhelmed Europe and the IMF
With the Centre for Finance and Development and the International Center for Monetary and Banking Studies. 


http://graduateinstitute.ch/events/_/events/corporate/2017/laid-low-inside-the-crisis-that

What Next – after Brexit?

Thursday 23 February 2017, 18:30 - 20:00
What Next – after Brexit?
With Will Hutton, Principal of Hertford College, Oxford University.
Organised with The Europaeum. 


http://graduateinstitute.ch/events/_/events/corporate/2017/what-next--after-brexit
 

Registration open for Lausanne LLM in International and European Economic and Commercial Law (Fall 2017)

We are happy to announce that we are now accepting registrations for the next programme of the Master of Advanced Studies / LLM in International and European Economic and Commercial Law at the University of Lausanne. While registration is possible until 30 June we highly recommend early registration as available places may fill up quickly. Scholarships are also limited and awarded on a rolling basis. This programme fully taught in English by internationally recognized academics and practitioners from international organisations (WTO, WIPO etc.) as well as global law firms and multinational enterprises has so far more than 400 alumni all over the world, Find out more at: www.unil.ch/llm

Donnerstag, 22. Dezember 2016

FIAA-CIDS Conference : Advocacy in different international fora: Innovation through cross-fertilization?

FIAA-CIDS Conference : Advocacy in different international fora: Innovation through cross-fertilization?

__________________________

Geneva, 27 January 2017

www.fiaacidsconference.ch

Montag, 19. Dezember 2016

Call for Papers: Public Values and Public Goods: How do They Live in the Intersection of Finance, Human Rights and International Economic Law?

European Society of International Law - Interest Groups on “International Business and Human Rights”  &“International Economic Law”

Agora to be held on the occasion of the 13 th  ESIL Annual Meeting: ‘Global Public Goods,
Global Commons and Fundamental Values: The Responses of International Law’,
Naples, 7–9 September2017


Call for Papers

Public Values and Public Goods:  How do They Live in the Intersection of Finance, Human Rights and International Economic Law?

Despite  the  centrality  that  the  principle  of  State  sovereignty  still  holds  in  the
contemporary international arena, the financial crisis has drawn attention to the role of
the financial market and market actors in the protection and respect of human rights.
The 2016 UN Forum on Business and Human Rights acknowledged the need for further
inquiry on how the links between financial markets and human rights can serve as a
catalyst for change in both social and economic life.

Human rights and due diligence processes concerning environmental and social risks of
finance projects are a tool for protecting public goods of individuals and communities.
Whereas public goods have a collective dimension, human rights continue to place the
individual  at  their  ethical  centre.  The  concepts  of  ‘public  goods’  and  ‘public  values’
could,  thus,  complement  each  other.  They  could,  however,  also  operate  on  different
levels and remain parallel to one another.

This  panel  will  address  legal  instruments  ranging  from  the  UN  “Protect,  Respect,
Remedy” Framework,  and the related UN  Guiding Principles on Business and Human
Rights (UNGPs), to the OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises and sustainable
development  in  international  financial  law.  The  IGs  on  “International  Business  and
Human Rights” and “International Economic Law” invite contributions on the following
topics: 1) How and to what extent do the UN “Protect, Respect, Remedy” Framework
and the UNGPs apply to financial services?; 2) Do public values and public goods feed
into environmental and social assessments of projects finance?; 3)Could the evolution
of the European legal framework help align corporate governance with corporate social
environmental  responsibility  objectives,  also  considering  the  EU  Directive  on  Non-
Financial  Reporting?  4)  Whether  international  actors  (States,  Regional  Economic
International Organizations like the EU, or non-State actors) adopt the same approach
when:  a)  adopting  and  implementing  the  UN “Protect,  Respect,  Remedy”  Framework,
the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines on
Multinational Enterprises; and: b) acting within the WTO system and the WTO rounds
of negotiations, the new mega-regional debates and negotiations,  

and  the  case-law  developed  in  international  investments'  disputes  and  the  proposed
new treaties of international investment law and sustainable development.

This call is open to senior and junior academics wishing to share, discuss, and develop
their work on the Agora topic. The objective is to optimise the research impact of our
participants by engaging the different communities of practice in law, political science,
management studies, or accounting in this interdisciplinary field of business and human
rights and international economic law.

The  result  of  the  proposed  Agora  is  intended  to  be  three-fold:  1)  relating  forward-
thinking academic work to the on-going policy dialogue; 2) preparing a special issue on
“Finance, Human Rights and International Economic Law” in a relevant journal; 3) and
creating a platform for sharing theories and methodologies across different disciplines.

Application Process

Please submit an abstract in PDF of no more than 800words by 24:00 of 16 January
2017 (London- UK time)to: mara.tignino@unige.ch and, only with reference to point
4), i.e. on the aspects of International Economic Law, to elisa.baroncini@unibo.it
Applicants  will  be  informed  of  the  selection  committee’s  decision  no  later  than  27
January 2017.

The following information must be provided with each abstract: 

•   The author’s name and affiliation; 
•   The author’s CV, including a list of relevant publications; 
•   The author’s contact details, including email address and phone number; 
•   Whether the author is an ESIL member; and
•   Whether the abstract should be considered for the ESIL Young Scholar Prize.

Only one abstract per author will be considered. 
Evaluation  criteria:Abstracts  will  be  selected  for  inclusion  in  the  “International
Economic Law” and “International Business and Human Rights” IG’s Agora proposal to
the 2017 ESIL Annual Meeting, on the basis of following criteria: 1) their alignment with
the  panel  description  and  objectives,2)the  overall  coherence  of  the  panel,  and  3)  the
general criteria according to the ESIL Conference Call for Papers. Submissions in both
English and French, the two official languages of the Society, are welcome. Please note:
the  submissions  will  automatically  be  considered  for  participation  in  the  separate
workshops of the IG International Business and Human Rights held during the year and
at the Annual Conference.

Publication  opportunities:  ESIL  provides  the  opportunity  to  publish  papers  in  the
ESIL SSRN Series and to publish selected high-quality papers in a volume of the ESIL
Book Series.
The Interest Groups are unable to provide funding for travel to and attendance at the
conference.  Please  visit  the  ESIL  website  for  information  on  funding  and  for  other
relevant information about the2017 Annual Meeting.

Donnerstag, 8. Dezember 2016

Les défis de la démocratie suisse

Les défis de la démocratie suisse

LES DISPUTES DE LA MAISON DE LA PAIX

SAMEDI 28 JANVIER, 14:30 - 18:00
AUDITORIUM IVAN PICTET | MAISON DE LA PAIX, GENÈVE
 14:30 – 15:30
La démocratie directe, faits et perspectives
Projection de Démos : la démocratie à l’épreuve de la mondialisation, un court-métrage réalisé par Charles Kleiber suivi d'un exposé du professeur Hanspeter Kriesi, European University Institute.

 15:30 – 16:30
La démocratie suisse à l’épreuve du changement
Débat entre le professeur Andreas Auer, Université de Zürich et Tibère Adler, Avenir Suisse.

 17:00 – 18:00
La démocratie suisse à l’épreuve de la réalité
Débat entre Ruth Dreifuss, ancienne présidente de la Confédération, Pascal Couchepin, ancien président de la Confédération et Pascal Broulis, conseiller d'État, de jeunes citoyens et le public.

Modération: Madeleine von Holzen, EPFL.

En partenariat avec Le Temps, Avenir Suisse et Foraus
         

Montag, 5. Dezember 2016

CIDS Doctoral Seminar, 8 December 2016, Geneva


 
"The First Amendment and a Right of Public Access to Investor-State Arbitration"

Sonja Heppner, PhD Candidate at Trinity College Dublin, School of Law

The Geneva Center for International Dispute Settlement (CIDS) is pleased to invite you to attend the fifth session of the CIDS Doctoral Seminars series that will take place on Thursday, 8 December 2016, in Maison de la Paix, room S4 (Chemin Eugène-Rigot 2), at 18h00.

For this session, the CIDS Doctoral Seminars will count on Sonja Heppner, PhD Candidate at Trinity College Dublin, School of Law, who will give a presentation on "The First Amendment and a Right of Public Access to Investor-State Arbitration".

A cocktail will be served after the seminar.

In order to register to attend the seminar, please fill in the registration form you will find through the following link: http://bit.ly/2gIxilr
We look forward to have you join.

Clément Bachmann, Josef Ostransky and Diego Gutiérrez
 
Register here

CIDS Doctoral seminars


The Center for International Dispute Settlement (CIDS) is a joint Center of the University of Geneva Law School and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, led by Prof. Gabrielle Kaufmann-Kohler and Prof. Zachary Douglas.

Among other activities, the CIDS aims at building up an academic 'home' for PhD students working in the field of international dispute settlement. For that purpose, a series of doctoral seminars was launched in 2015 where a PhD candidate from any university working in international dispute settlement issues is offered the possibility of presenting her work before a group of PhD candidates and Professors working in closely related topics and methodologies.

The doctoral seminars take place in Geneva and consist of a presentation for about 30-40 minutes, followed by another 30 minutes of discussion, and a cocktail. The usual schedule goes from 18h to 20h.

Attendance is composed of PhD candidates and Professors mostly from Swiss universities, but also from abroad. The CIDS may cover the travel expenses in Switzerland for doctoral participants, both presenters and attendees, affiliated with a Swiss university. For more information please contact us at: info@mids.ch

Upcoming CIDS doctoral seminars


The following speakers are confirmed for presenting at the CIDS doctoral seminars in 2017:
  • *February 2017, Brian McGarry, University of Geneva, on "Third Party Intervention in Inter-State Adjudication"
  • *March 2017, Florence Jaeger, University of Basel, on "The Law Applicable to the Arbitration Agreement"
  • *April 2017, María de la Colina, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, on "Doctrine of Discretion in International Adjudication"
  • *May 2017, Michal Swarabowicz, Graduate Instittue on International and Development Studies, on "Admissibility of Claims in International Investment Law"
  • *December 2017, Alexandre Lercher, Université Paris Dauphine PSL, on "The Impact of Third Party Funding on International Arbitration"
If you are interested in presenting your research in the context of the CIDS PhD seminars please send us an email to info@mids.ch mentioning your research topic, affiliation and potential dates for your presentation.

(*) The specific date will be announced at a later stage.

Freitag, 2. Dezember 2016

Global Commission on Drug Policy's installation in Geneva




PANEL DISCUSSION | TABLE RONDE

International Geneva and the International Drug Control System


THURSDAY 15 DECEMBER 2016, 16:30–18:00
AUDITORIUM IVAN PICTET | MAISON DE LA PAIX, GENEVA



Geneva's human rights and health mechanisms made important contributions to the recent UNGA Special Session on the World Drug Problem, but how can Geneva's participation on drug issues be sustained? This event celebrates the Global Commission on Drug Policy's installation in Geneva.

Introductory remarks

 Ruth Dreifuss, former President of Switzerland and Minister of Home Affairs, Chair of the Global Commission on Drug Policy
 Michael Møller, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva

Keynote speech
 Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of the United Nations, member of the Global Commission on Drug Policy

Moderator
 Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Adjunct Professor of International History, The Graduate Institute, Geneva

Panel
 Amb. Krystyna Marty Lang, Deputy State Secretary, Switzerland
 Amb. Bente Angell-Hansen, Chair of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs
 Michel Kazatchkine, former Executive Director, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
 Maria Cattaui, former Secretary-General, International Chamber of Commerce, Switzerland
 Gilberto Gerra, Chief of Drug Prevention and Health Branch, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime

Organised with the Global Commission on Drug Policy and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.