Each of the eight workshops will feature brief presentations selected from submitted papers; although not all authors will be able to orally present during the respective Commissions/Workshops. Accepted submitted papers may be published on the IADL website. Refer to the official call for papers for the full details regarding the submission.
If you have questions, please email the chair of each commission (noted in the information for the commission), or with general questions, email 19congress@iadllaw.org.
This workshop aims to address the harsh realities of apartheid, genocide, and occupation endured by and perpetrated against the Palestinian people, while examining the systemic impunity granted to Israel. It will also explore accountability measures and international solidarity efforts as pivotal avenues for advocacy and change.
The first session will focus on identifying and analyzing violations of international law. Discussion will include examining patterns of complicity, scrutinizing also the role played by mainstream media and corporations in justifying and perpetuating Israel’s crimes. Participants will also examine the colonial nature of occupation and zionism, while addressing the Palestinian liberation movement and regional resistance movements that have emerged in response within the context of international legal principles.
Key sub-topics: violations of international law, complicit actors, the role of media and corporations, colonial nature of occupation, zionism, resistance, right to resist, right of return
Commission Chair: Max Boqwana, palestine@iadllaw.org
Commission Co-Chair: Micol Savia, palestine@iadllaw.org
Commission Co-Chair: Suman Kumar Shrestha
Bearing in mind the objectives of this congress, i.e. to reaffirm the role of democratic lawyers in promoting and defending people’s rights and international law, delegates will present thematic and geographic case studies on the human rights of women. In addressing crucial pillars that are relevant to promotion, prevention and protection of rights to equality, non-discrimination and accountability, delegates will propose concrete demands relating to state responsibility, including upholding the rule of law and strengthening normative frameworks and accountability mechanisms. In the context of backlash against the human rights of women, setbacks to gender-justice legislation worldwide, this commission tackles international law implementation, intersectional strategic litigation, and advocacy techniques to address inequality and discrimination, through an inclusive and intersectional lens.
Key topics: Laws, policies and jurisprudence that enables inequality, discrimination and violence against women and girls on the basis of sex, gender, sexual orientation and gender identity. The sub-topics include among others, policies and jurisprudence in the UK, US, Turkey and Portugal; sexual slavery in Syria; gender apartheid in Afghanistan; economic impacts of care work in Latin America; and addressing the protection gap in international law on violence against women and girls.
Commission Chair: Evelyn Dürmayer, women@iadllaw.org
Cho-Chair: Bishnu Maya Bhusal
Multipolar competition of states, imperialism and the selective enforcement of international law have further pushed international legal systems towards fragmentation and democratic backsliding. This session seeks to critically assess the International Criminal Court (ICC), unilateral coercive measures and sanctions, and the role of the Global South’s non-aligned movement, among others. It will address the crisis and failure of international institutions and bodies; for example, the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in advance of the illegal Israeli aggression against Iran. Delegates will draft reform proposals to strengthen institutional accountability, bolster legal coherence, and defend the universality of human rights.
Key sub-topics: self-determination, international justice mechanisms, and people’s justice.
Commission Chair: Jan Fermon, intllaw@iadllaw.org
C0-Chair: Ishwori Prasad Bhattarai
We invite our colleagues to submit papers addressing “fascism” in the context of the current crisis of U.S. led imperialism. We welcome diverse approaches to understanding fascism and acknowledge fascist state and non-state apparatuses emerge differently in different regions. Yet, we hope the discourse can help guide us into a common understanding of the systems in which fascist power is rooted and maintained (colonialism, global finance capital, and imperialism) so that we can also focus on the question of the role of the global legal community in confronting these systems.
Possible discussions could include, for example, the current developments in the Sahel and the role of imperialism in Africa, U.S. and Zionist imperialist developments in West Asia and its relationship to fascist state apparatuses in the West, the role of U.S. and Israeli police and security training regimes around the world, the emerging impact of more powerful fascist power in the Global North and South (US, Europe, Brazil, India, Philippines) and its relationship to global capitalism and imperialism. Domestic and international legal responses to fascism will be explored, particularly how to support vulnerable communities and how to resist legal architectures that enable fascist consolidation.
We hope to look closely at the issues emerging locally and globally, from oppression of fascist power structures including but not limited to: racism, xenophobia and patriarchy, attacks against revolutionary forces in the working class and intelligentsia, hyper exploitation in our economies, ecosystems and food systems, broad counterinsurgency regimes which include not only state security and police forces, but technology based regimes, and more.
Key sub-topics: legal protection of vulnerable sectors against fascism, sharing of lessons and best practices, and fascism in the context of imperialism.
Commission Chair: Suzanne Adely, onfascism@iadllaw.org
Co-Chair: Suman Shrestha
Continuing the urgent Palestine dialogue, this action-oriented session will focus on reparations and accountability measures at both national and international levels. Topic will include referrals to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as efforts to enforce accountability through universal jurisdiction or domestic legal systems. International solidarity initiatives will also be examined, including the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, and all the ongoing initiatives to Break the Siege on Gaza. Participants will also address the criminalization and state repression of solidarity movements, as well as the designations of Palestinian and regional resistance organizations, as well as a number of advocacy groups, as “terrorist” organizations.
Key sub-topics: international solidarity across movements and sectors, international people’s tribunals, and the role of IADL in fighting the genocide of the Palestinian people.
Commission Chair: Max Boqwana, palestine@iadllaw.org
Commission Co-Chair: Micol Savia, palestine@iadllaw.org
Co-Chair: Suman Kumar Shrestha
In an era of imperialism, gunboat diplomacy, proxy conflicts, and war profiteering, this workshop will revisit the UN Charter’s use-of-force prohibitions, collective security doctrines, international peacebuilding processes, and transitional-justice frameworks in various international contexts, from the Sahel region of Africa to the Israeli aggression against Iran. This workshop seeks to deepen our understanding of the people’s right to resist, challenge the military-industrial complex, and propose legal avenues to prevent and resolve armed conflicts.
Key sub-topics: right to resist, imperialism, military-industrial complex
Commission Chair: Neri Colmenares, peace@iadllaw.org
Co-Chair: Milan Dharel
Recognizing environmental rights as fundamental, this workshop reviews major treaties, landmark climate litigation, state and corporate liability, and the role of democratic lawyers in pursuing climate justice and protection for environmental defenders.
Key sub-topics: developments in the Greenpeace lawsuit, legal victories as precedents, and environmental rights as human rights.
Commission Chair: Contact environment@iadllaw.org
Co-Chair: Ghanendra Shrestha
This commission evaluates international labor standards, collective-bargaining rights, and protections against precarious work. Participants will collaborate to propose legal strategies to defend the rights of workers, unions, and informal workers. A particular emphasis on the synergy between labor movements and democratic legal advocacy will be adopted.
Key sub-topics: labor rights under neoliberalism, international labor solidarity against fascism and exploitation.
Commission Chair: Jeanne Mirer, labor@iadllaw.org
Co-Chair: Ashwini Sukthankar
Co-Chair: Bhakti Ghimire