Webinars
Below is information about the schedule of webinars that we have organized during 2023.
Inaugural Conference
Date : Thursday 12 January 2023
Time : 1:00 pm – 4:30 pm (CET)
Over the years, international instruments have been and are still negotiated under the auspices of the United Nations and other intergovernmental organizations, through a process where many key stakeholders are admitted as observers. However, the negotiations, subsequent drafting and adoption of the texts, are usually conducted exclusively by the Executive branch.
The International Law Association (ILA) and Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) have seen with concern that Parliaments are rarely, if ever, invited to the discussions. Their role has been limited to the ratification stage. In States where implementing legislation is needed, Parliaments may tailor the provisions of the treaty to their domestic context, at the risk of straying away the original intent and coherence of the instrument. This may result in isolating that country from a common international enforcement of the treaty. In countries where no implementing legislation is required, the only choice offered to Parliaments is to accept or reject the international instrument.
States have particular interests and positions to defend at the negotiation table, which do not necessarily represent the majority of the people. To that extent, as the branch closest to the citizens and most responsive to the public needs and opinion, Legislatures can play a pivotal role in negotiating multilateral treaties and forming International Law. The involvement of legislators would increase the legitimacy and the acceptance of such norms in national contexts.
The webinar, co-organized by the ILA and PGA, intends to offer a space to discuss the role of parliaments in the formation of international law and propose reforms to the system, to make it more accountable, inclusive, and legitimate. After the event, both organizations may undertake to develop a toolkit on how to involve Members of Parliament when international law is being negotiated; citizens through their Parliaments would then participate in the process.
We thank Prof. Philippe Sands and Prof. Michael Hahn for having accepted to chair this event.
We are grateful to Hon. Millie Grace Odhiambo, Member of the Parliament, Kenya, for having accepted to deliver the keynote speech and to Mrs and Mr Emilie Béatrice Epaye of Central African Republic, Esther Cuesta Santana, Member of Parliament, Ecuador, Hon. Maung, Former Member of Parliament, Myanmar, Heidi Hautala, Vice-President of the European Parliament and Irwin Cotler, Former Attorney General and Ministry of Justice of Canada, for their participation on the panel. More speakers will be added as they become available.
Last but not least, our gratitude goes to Corinne Magallon and Sara Webster who will be our interpreters French/English for this conference.
For more details, the full program will be available soon.
Food / Agriculture
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Thursday 16 March 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (CET)
Chair: Geneviève Parent, Professor, Laval University, Québec
Introduction : Fabrice Riem, Professor, University of Pau and Pays de l’Adour
Orateurs:
Caroline Domen, Researcher in Economy and Human Rights, International Institute for Sustainable Development
Arianna Giuliodori, Secretary General of the World Farmers’ Organisation
Edwini Kessie, Director, Division of Agriculture and Commodities, WTO
Gérald Larose, President of the Board, Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins
Fatiha Sahli, Law Professor Emerita, University Cadi Ayyad de Marrakech, Morocco
Joy Angelica P. Santos Doctor, SEARICE
Juanjuan Sun, Associate Professor University of Agriculture, Hebei (Chine). Centre for coordination and innovation of food governance
Anthropocene
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Wednesday 1st February 2023
Time: 12:00 pm (noon) – 3:00 pm CET
Chair: Mario Oyarzabal, Ambassador of Argentina to the Netherlands
Introduction: Sandrine Maljean-Dubois, CNRS, Aix-Marseille University
Speakers:
Nicolas Angelet, Professor, Université libre de Bruxelles
Winnie Chehe, Conservationist, blogger, climate activist, volunteer, and Communication Lead at Kenya Environmental Action Network
Nisreen Elsaim, Chair of the UN Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change, Climate and Security
Carmen Gonzalez, Morris I. Leibman Professor, Loyola University
Lamia Moshin, Development Professional and Researcher on (inter alia) Climate Resilience
Nilufer Oral, Member of the International Law Commission
Marcos Orellana,Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights, Office of the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights
Hans van Loon,Former Secretary General of The Hague Conference on Private International Law
Salomon Yeo, Campaign Director of Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC)
The fight against corruption
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Tuesday 16 May 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (CET)
Chair: Anne van Aaken, Alexander von Humboldt Professor, Chair for Law and Economics, Legal Theory, Public International Law and European Law, Hambourg University (Germany)
Introduction: Nicola Bonucci, Partner, Paul Hastings, Former Legal Director, OECD and Pascale Dubois, Former Vice-President Integrity, World Bank
Speakers:
Nicola Allocca, Senior Executive, Chair of Business Group, OECD Anticorruption Committee
Mihaly Fazekas, Assistant Professor, Central European University
Delia Ferreira Rubio, Chair of Transparency International
John Githongo, CEO Inuka, Kenya
Xolisile Khanyile, Prosecutor, South Africa
Aurore Lalucq, Member of the European Parliament
Jonathan Mattout, Avocat, Herbert Smith Freehills Paris LLP
Zakhona Mvelase, Founder and Director, African Women Against Corruption Network
Webinaire on YouTube
Mass crimes and impunity
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Thursday 12 October 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (CET
Chair: Leila Sadat, James Carr Professor of International Criminal Law, Washington University in St Louis; Special Adviser on Crimes Against Humanity to the ICC Prosecutor
Introduction: Raphaëlle Nollez-Golbach, Ecole nationale supérieure, Paris
Speakers:
Vincent Asselineau, Attorney, Paris Bar
Olympia Bekou, Professor and Head of the Law School, Nottingham University
Sévane Garibian, Professor, Geneva University
Roger Koudé, Professor, Catholic University of Lyon, Director of UNESCO Chair “Mémoire, cultures et interculturalité”
Jean-Paul Segihobe, Professor, Kinshasa University; Attorney, Kinshasa/Gombe Bar
Mari Takeuchi, Professor, Kobe University
Law in support of democracy and the rule of law
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Monday 25 September 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (CET)
Chair: Mathias Forteau, Paris Nanterre University, Member of the International Law Commission
Introduction: Arthur Capella, University of Sao Paolo
Speakers:
Jean-Michel Arrighi, Professor, Secretary for Legal Affairs, OAS
Maria Isabel CUBIDES, Senior Manager, Sustainability,The Consumer Goods Forum
Kwamou Eva FEUKEU, Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law
Maurice KAMTO, Professor of Public Law, Member of the Institut de droit international, Former Members and President of CDI
Lauri MÄLSKOO, Professor, University of Tartu (Estonia), Member of the Venezia Commission for Democracy and Law
Emilie PRADICHIT, Founder and Executive Director, Manushya Foundation, Equal Human Beings
Human Rights
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Thursday 14 September 2023
Time: 2:00 pm-5:00 pm (CET)
Chair : Willem van Genugten, Tilburg University (The Netherlands)
Introduction : Laurence Burgorgue-Larsen, Paris 1 Panthéon Sorbonne University
Speakers:
Fernando Arlettaz, Professor, Defence University Center, Spain
Christina M. Cerna, Former Principal Human Rights Specialist for the OAS
Nicola Jägers, Professor, Chair of Human rights Law, Tilburg University, Netherlands
Angelika Nußberger, International Judge, Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Cekli Setva Pratiwi, Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, Indonesia
Andras Sajo, Former Judge and Vice President at the European Court of Human Rights
Sergio Salinas, Professor, University of Zaragoza, Spain
Jimmy Chia-Shin Hsu, Professor, Academia Sinica, Taïwan
Abdoulaye Soma, Professor and Attorney, Burkina Faso
René Urueña, Professor, University of Los Andes, Colombia
Energy
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Tuesday 24 January 2023
Time: 2:00 pm to 5 pm (CET)
Chair: Vicente Lopez-Ibor Mayor, Former Commissioner of the National Energy Commission of Spain, Attorney, Professor
Introduction: Urban Rusnak, Former Secretary General, Energy Charter Treaty
Speakers:
Catherine Banet, Professor, Oslo University
Béatrice Castellane, Attorney, Paris
Alexandra Harrington, Lecturer, Lancaster University
Luis Moreno, Attorney, Colombia
Victoria Nalule, Energy Expert and Consultant
Christophe Seraglini, Professor, Attorney, Paris
Masako Takahata, General Counsel, IDI Infrastructures, Inc
Sponsors :
Business and human rights
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Thursday 20 April 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm CET
Chair: Arif Havas Oegroseno, Ambassador of Indonesia in Germany and Anita Ramasastry, University of Washington School of Law in Seattle
Introduction : Catherine Pédamon, Westminster University and Humberto Cantù, University of Monterrey
Speakers:
Nathalie Bernasconi, Director, IISD, Geneva
Alejandro Celorio Alcántara, Legal Counsel, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mexico
Esteban Mezzano,General Counsel Operations & Sustainability, Nestlé
Tomás Pascual Ricke, Director (Human Rights), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chile
Emmanuel Umpula, Founder and Director of Afrewatch, Congo
Olena Uvarova, Chair of the International Laboratory on Business and Human Rights, (CEEBHRA), Ukraine
Aditi Wanchoo, Senior Manager, Human Rights Program, Novartis
Marie-Aude Ziadé, Attorney, Paris
Outer space
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Monday 4 September 2023
Time: 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm CET
Chair: Martha Mejia-Kaiser, Director for the International Institute of Space Law (IISL)
Introduction: Philippe Achilleas, Université Paris Saclay and Stephan Hobe, Université de Cologne
Speakers:
Jérémie Fierville, Attorney, Signature Litigation, Paris
Aisha Jagirani, Director General, Department of External Relations and Legal Affairs, Asia Pacific Space Cooperation Organisation (APSCO)
Kilitake Nakamura, Deputy Assistant Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan
Mamoudou Niane, Professor of Law, Gaston Berger University, Senegal
Alexandre Vallet, Chief of the Space Services Department, Radiotelecommunications Bureau of the International Telecommunications Union
Civil status
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Wednesday 5 July 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm (CET)
Chair: Katharina Boele-Woelki, Bucerius Law School, Hamburg (Germany)
Introduction: Fabienne Jault-Seseke, Paris Saclay University
Speakers:
Grace Agcaoili, Child Protection Specialist, UNICEF
Zenobia Du Toit, Director, Miller du Toit Cloete Inc, Cape Town, South Africa
Michel Montini, Attorney, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Yuko Nishitani, University of Kyoto, Japan
Capucine Page, Legal Officer, Hague Conference on PIL
Lori Roussey, Data protection and intelligence law specialist, OXFAM
International finance
Date: Monday 6 November 2023
Time: 2:00 pm-5:00 pm CET
Chair:
Gerard Sanders, Governance and policy consultant, Former Senior Adviser to the President and General Counsel Emeritus, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Introduction:
Caroline Kleiner, Professor, Paris Descartes University
Speakers:
Vivienne Yeda Apopo, President and Former General Counsel of the East African Development Bank
Douglas Arner, Professor of law and Former Dean of Hong Kong University
Deborah Burand, Professor of law at New York University and former General Counsel of OPIC
Yifeng Chen, Professor of law, Peking University
Theodora Christou, Co-Founder and Director, Centre for Applied Sustainable Transition, Convenor of Transnational Law and Governance, Queen Mary University of London
Whitney Debevoise, Senior Partner, Arnold & Porter, Washington DC, Former US Executive Director of World Bank
Alexandre Pauwels, Associate, Cleary Gottlieb, Formerly Counsel at World Bank and Asian infrastructure Investment Bank
Rhoda Weeks-Brown, General Counsel, International Monetary Fund
Taxation
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Tuesday 14 November 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (CET)
Chair: Jinyan Li, Osgoode Hall Law School, York University (Canada)
Introduction: Marilyne Sadowsky, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University
Speakers:
Reuven Avi-Yonah, Irwin I Cohn Professor of Law, the University of Michigan
Juliane Kokott, Advocate-General, Court of Justice of the European Union
Michael Lennard, Chief of the International Tax Cooperation Section in the UN Financing for Sustainable Development Office, Secretary of the UN Tax Committee
Annet Wanyana Oguttu, Professor, Department of Taxation and the African Tax Institute, Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences at the University of Pretoria
Marlene Nembhard Parker, Deputy Commissioner General, Legal Support Services, Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ)
Wolfgang Schön, Managing Director, Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance
Irma Mosquera Valderrama, Full Professor Tax Governance and PhD Dean at Leiden Law School
Global governance / multilateralism
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Tuesday March 7, 2023
Time: 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm (CET)
Chair: Nilufer Oral, NUS et Dire Tladi, Université de Pretoria
Introduction: Jeffrey Dunoff, Temple University, Philadelpha, USA
Speakers:
Anthony T. Anghie, Professor, NUS
Hajer Gueldich, Chair, International Law Commission, African Union
Augusto Lopez-Claros, Executive Director, Global Governance Forum
Xolisa Mabhongo, Ambassador, Deputy Permanent Representative of South Africa, United Nations
Tafadzwa Pasipanodya, Attorney, Foley Hoag
Henry Puna, Secretary general, Pacific Islands Forum
Lucien Rapp, Directeur, Chaire Sirius, Toulouse University
Sponsors :
International investments
The text of the White Paper discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Monday 3 April 2023
Time: 2:00 pm-5:00 pm (Paris)
Chair: Manjiao (Cliff) Chi, Center for International Economic Law and Policy (CIELP), Law School, University of International Business and Economics (UIBE), China
Introduction: Claire Crépet-Daigremont, Paris-Panthéon-Assas University and Arnaud de Nanteuil, Paris Est Créteil University
Speakers:
Catherine Amirfar, Attorney, Debevoise, New York
Jaemin Lee, Professor, Seoul National University
Kinda Mohamad Mohamadieh, Legal Advisor, Third World Network, Geneva
Pierre-Olivier Savoie, Attorney, Savoie Arbitration, Paris
Eduardo Silva Romero, Attorney, Dechert, Paris
Engela C. Schlemmer, Professor, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Mairée Uran Bidegain, Legal Advisor, Foreign Affairs Ministry, Chile
Sponsors :
Migrations
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Thursday 19 October, 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (CET)
Chair: François Crépeau, McGill University (Canada)
Introduction: Vasilka Sancin, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia) et Thibaut Fleury Graff, Versailles Saint Quentin University (France)
Speakers:
Idil Atak, Associate Professor, Lincoln Alexander School of Law, Toronto Metropolitan University
Paula Banerjee, Professor, University of Calcutta, Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies
Joel Hernandez, Ambassador, Former President of the Inter-American Commission (2019-2020)
Trésor Maheshe, Professor, Catholic University of Bukavu, Congo
Elora Mukherjee, Jerome L. Greene Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, Columbia Law School (USA)
Thomas Spijkerboer, Professor of Migration Law, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
Digital challenges for international law
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Tuesday 23 Mai, 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (CET)
Chair: Frédérick Douzet, Institut français de géopolitique
Introduction: Anne-Thida Norodom, Paris-Descartes University, Aude Géry, Géode, François Delerue, Leiden University
Speakers:
Chanmeta KAN, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology and Innovation of Cambodia, in charge of Technology transfer policy and regulation
Kobi LEINS, Honorary Senior Fellow of King’s College, London
Sandrine RICHARD, Responsible for Strategic Alliances, Respect Zone
Mariana SALAZAR ALBORNOZ, Professor of Public International Law, International Humanitarian Law and International Criminal Law at Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City
Karim SOUMANA, Advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Niger
Ocean
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Tuesday 25 April, 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (CET)
Chair: Eden Charles, Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority for the Enterprise
Introduction: Niki Aloupi, Paris-Panthéon-Assas University, Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Former Director of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs, United Nations
Speakers:
María Teresa Infante Caffi, Member of ITLOS
Vladimir Jares, Director of the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS)
Elie Jamarche, Former Member, Legal ant technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority
Natalie Klein, Professor at UNSW Sydney’s Faculty of Law, Australia, and an Australian Research Council Future Fellow
Sigrid Lüber, Founder and President of OceanCare
Angelique Pouponneau, Fellowship Director & Policy and Strategy Advisor to AOSIS Chair
Pradeep A. Singh, Fellow at the Research Institute for Sustainability, Helmholtz Centre Potsdam
Odo Tevi, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Vanuatu to the United Nations
Dire Tladi, Professor of international law at the University of Pretoria in South Africa and Chair of the UN International Law Commission
SDGs beyond 2030
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date : Tuesday 14 February 2023
Time: 2:00 pm-5:00 pm (CET)
Présidence : Pedro Conceição, Director, Human Development Report Office, UNDP
Introduction : Sabrina Robert-Cuendet, Le Mans University
Speakers:
Roberto Bissio, Social Watch Coordinator
Patricia Kameri-Mbote, Director, Law Division, UN Environment Programme
Ahtesham R. Khan, Head Tax for SDGs, UNDP
Ralf Michaels, Director, Max Planck Institute, Hamburg
Belinda Reyers, Professor, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Emma Ursich, Group Head of Corporate Identity and The Human Safety Net, Generali
Julie Vallat, VP Human Rights, L’Oréal
Cultural heritage
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Tuesday 21 November, 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (CET)
Chair: Rolf E. Fife, Ambassador of Norway to the European Union
Introduction:
Clémentine Bories, Professor, Toulouse 1 University
and
Asoid García-Márquez, Legal Officer, UNESCO
Speakers:
Marie Cornu, Research Director CNRS, France
Keun Gwan Lee, Professor, Seoul National University, President of the Korean Society of International Law
Namira Negm, Ambassador, Director of the African Union Observatory on Migrations, Egypt
Edward Kwakwa, Deputy Director General, WIPO
Laila Susanne Vars, Norwegian-Sami human rights lawyer and former politician, Expert member of the UN Expert Mechanism on the right of indigenous peoples
Intellectual property
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Thursday 24 August 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm CET
Chair: Irene Calboli, Texas A & M University School of Law
Introduction: Nicolas Binctin, Poitiers University
Speakers:
Paulin Edou Edou, Former General Manager at OAPI
Ysolde Gendreaun, Professor, Faculty of Law, Montreal University
Bryan Mercurio, Simon FS Li Professor of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong
Maria Vazquez, Dean of the Law School at Universidad de San Andres in Buenos Aires
Michel Vivant, Emeritus Professor, Sciences Po Paris Law School
Antony Taubman, Director of the WTO’s Intellectual Property, Government Procurement and Competition Division
Jayashree Watal, Visiting Professor at the National Law University Delhi
Dispute resolution
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Wednesday 31 May 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (CET)
Chair: Laurence Kiffer, Avocat, Paris et Attila M. Tanzi, Université de Bologne
Introduction: Hélène Ruiz-Fabri, Institut Max Planck, Luxembourg et Jean-Baptiste Racine, Université Paris-Panthéon-Assas
Speakers:
Arif Hyder Ali, Attorney, co-chair of Dechert’s international arbitration practice
Kai Ambos, Professor, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Germany
Rodman Bundy, Attorney, Senior partner, Squire Patton Boggs LLP, Singapore
Laurence Franc-Menget, Attorney, Partner, Herbert Smith Freehills Paris LLP
Carole Malinvaud, Attorney, Partner, Gide, Paris
Makane Moïse Mbengue, Professor, University of Geneva
Monica Pínto, Professor Emerita, Universidad de Buenos Aires
Wieger Wielinga, Managing Director Enforcement & EMEA, Omni Bridgeway, Amsterdam
Health
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Thursday 4 May 2023
Time: 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm CET
Chair: José Alvarez, New York University
Introduction: Hélène de Pooter, Franche-Comté University
Speakers:
Lawrence O. Gostin, University Professor, Global Health Institute, Georgetown University
Nina Jamal, International Head of Pandemics & Campaign Strategies at FOUR PAWS
Wanda Markotter, Director of the Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria
Maria Neira, Assistant Director General, ad interim, Division of UHC/Healthier Populations, WHO
Alexandra Phelan, Associate Professor, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Chuan-Feng Wu, Associate Research Professor, Institutum Iurisprudentiae, Academia Sinica, Taiwan
The future of labour law
The text of the White Paper that will be discussed during the webinar may be found here
Date: Wednesday 12 July 2023
Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm (CET)
Chair: Adelle Blackett, McGill University (Canada)
Introduction: Sophie Robin, Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University and Etienne Pataut, Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne University
Speakers:
Sergio Gamonal, Professor, University Adolfo Ibañez, Chile
Beryl ter Haar, Associate Professor and Director, CIELLS, University of Warsaw
Aukje van Hoek, Professor, UVA, Nederland
Anousheh Karvar, French Representative to the ILO
Tonia Novitz, Professor, University of Bristol, UK
Ruwan Subasinghe, International Federation of Transport Workers
Dzodzi Tsikata, Professor, University of Lagon, Ghana
Corinne Vargha, Director of the International Labour Standards Department, ILO