Call for Papers – 19th Congress: International Association of Democratic Lawyers

Call for Papers: IADL 19th Congress

The Role of Democratic Lawyers in Promoting and Defending Peoples’ Rights, Peace and International Law in the Face of Fascism, Genocide, Militarization and Wars of Aggression

Kathmandu, Nepal

18-21 July 2025

We are living in a time marked by profound upheaval and existential threats. The genocide against the Palestinian people, mounting global conflicts, militarism, climate change, and systemic inequalities are reshaping the global landscape, eroding the very foundations of international law.

It is in this context that the International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) proudly announces the 19th Congress—a landmark event bringing together legal experts from across the globe. The IADL Congress, which will take place from July 18 to 21 in Kathmandu, Nepal, seeks to reaffirm the vital role of democratic lawyers in promoting and defending people’s rights and upholding the rule of law in the face of these daunting global challenges.

The Congress will feature thematic workshops on Palestine, peace and war, the crisis of international law and the multilateral system, fascism, the human right to a clean and healthy environment, struggles for gender equality and against discrimination, and labor rights. Through plenary sessions and pointed commission workshops, delegates will critically examine widespread human rights violations (HRVs), formulate robust legal strategies grounded in international law and further strengthen solidarity among lawyers, scholars, and activists.

The International Association of Democratic Lawyers invites submissions of abstracts for presentation at the Congress at one of seven commissions. All abstracts should address one of the following, in the context of the promotion and defense of peoples’ rights, imperialism and its threat to the world, peace and international law, including the presentation of legal strategies, analysis of existing law and challenges, discussions of the relationship between the law and imperialism, fascism and genocide, and other relevant topics:

On Palestine: Struggle Against Apartheid and Genocide (sessions 1 and 2)
On the struggle for women's rights: equality, non-discrimination and state responsibility
On the Crisis of International Law and the International System
On Fascism
On the Human Right to a Clean and Healthy Environment
On Peace and War
On Labor and Labor Rights

Details and Guidelines:

Please submit a 300-word abstract and your CV via the form at https://19congress.iadllaw.org/call-for-papers-abstract-submission-form/ or via email at 19congress@iadllaw.org before June 30, 2025.
Please indicate which of the Commissions your paper is intended for. See the details about the Commissions here: Commissions/Workshops
Due to limited time and space, only some of the submitted abstracts will be invited to submit full papers, at the discretion of the Chair of each commission. The chair of each commission may invite contributors to submit a full paper for publication and/or for oral presentation during the commission, and the length and details will be provided by the chair. (See the Commissions/Workshops page for details of the Chair of each commission.)
Presentations will be made in person in Kathmandu, Nepal, on July 19-20, 2025. The chair and co-chair of a commission may, at their discretion, also choose to accept papers to be presented via a recorded video but priority will be given to in-person presentation.
If you are invited to present a full paper, please be prepared to submit a 5,000-10,000 word paper by July 15, 2025.
If your paper is selected, the Commission chair and/or co-chair will be in touch with you directly in order to confirm details of timing, word count, edits and other related information.