TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2025

Thirteenth Annual Charles N. Brower Lecture

Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution

4/15/2025 5:00:00 PM-4/15/2025 6:00:00 PM

Georgetown University Law Cent

Description:

This year’s Charles N. Brower Lecture will officially kick off the 119th ASIL Annual Meeting with a special off-site event on Tuesday, April 15. Join us at Georgetown University Law Center as we welcome Claudia Salomon, President of the International Court of Arbitration and her lecture, “From Wannabe to Where to Be: Becoming the Next Arbitration Capital.” With arbitration surging, more and more cities worldwide are competing to be the preferred seat. To succeed, they must think long-term and invest in a comprehensive strategy. This lecture will explore what it takes for a city to be a preferred seat in international arbitration and provide cities with a blueprint, as they vie to be the next arbitration hub. This event is FREE and OPEN TO ALL (Annual Meeting registration is not required), but separate registration is required for all. REGISTRATION: asil.org/BrowerLecture

Speakers:

Claudia Salomon

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2025

Executive Council Meeting (by invitation only)

Ancillary Events

4/16/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/16/2025 4:00:00 PM

Offices of WilmerHale

Description:

Offices of WilmerHale 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20037

ITA-ASIL Annual Conference

Ancillary Events

4/16/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/16/2025 2:00:00 PM

Holmead East/West

Description:

Separate registration with the ITA is required. (Re)considering the Enduring Role of Public International Law in Commercial and Investment Disputes Involving State Parties April 16, 2025 Washington Hilton 1919 Connecticut Ave NW Washington, DC 20009 Full Details and Registration The half-day ITA-ASIL Conference is presented annually by the ITA Academic Council with the American Society of International Law (ASIL) immediately preceding the ASIL Annual Meeting. Scholarship is a hallmark of this conference. Disputes involving States parties have evolved from their traditional State-to-State paradigm. Today investment and commercial arbitrations between States or State-owned entities and private actors have become increasingly common and, by their nature, invoke questions of public international law (PIL). This conference explores the extent to which PIL’s foundational principles have influenced international arbitrations involving sovereign entities. Sources of PIL are at the foundation of investment treaty arbitration. The regime largely emanates from treaties; its substantive protections against expropriation and the international minimum standard of treatment derive from custom; and the application of these standards to concrete cases involves reference to general principles of law to fill substantive and procedural gaps. The relationship between PIL and investment arbitration has evolved over time calling into question whether PIL remains integral to investment arbitration and whether the field is moving away from its foundational principles. How has State responsibility evolved under PIL and ISDS jurisprudence and are these evolutions occurring in parallel or moving in different directions? What influence will international conventions and modern jurisprudence from international courts, such as those relating to human rights, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards, have on the decisions of arbitral tribunals? And what are the potential future trajectories of ISDS in light of these changes? At the same time, the classical divide between public and private international law is being blurred as PIL plays an increasingly significant role in commercial arbitrations involving State parties. Commercial arbitrations are themselves becoming more reliant on public international law for questions of attribution, sovereign defenses of necessity and national security, and even to discern and apply the governing law. What are the implications of this shift, and how does this convergence challenge the traditional public-private international law divide? The result of these phenomena is that public international law is increasingly descending into commercial disputes, whether based in treaty or contract. On the one hand, this has given increased application, expression and texture to international law principles that might otherwise have lay dormant, but it has also stretched the traditional scope of public international law beyond its original State-to-State origins. Through this lens, the conference will discuss these developments in investment and commercial arbitration, questioning whether, and how, such changes should be resisted or embraced.

A Climate of Litigation: International Courts and the Evolution of Environmental Law

Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development

4/16/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/16/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

In 2024, dubbed the “Year of Climate in International Courts,” several landmark decisions by international and regional tribunals reshaped the landscape of climate obligations under international law. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) found that the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea requires states to take concrete action to prevent and control marine pollution from greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, the European Court of Human Rights ruled for the first time that a state’s failure to mitigate climate change breaches human rights obligations under the European Convention. As the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice prepare to weigh in, international law’s intersection with climate obligations is rapidly evolving. This panel will assess how these rulings define states’ climate responsibilities and the increasing reliance on scientific evidence to establish accountability for climate harms. It will explore how this evidence is influencing judicial interpretations and the potential for future climate litigation. By unpacking these developments, the panel will offer insights into the implications of these decisions for global environmental governance and predict the next steps in contentious climate litigation. The discussion will emphasize both opportunities and challenges in this shifting legal climate.

Speakers:

John Knox, Nikki Reisch, Payam Akhavan, Jonathan Patz, Rhianna Hoover

Between Tradition and Transition in Multilateral Treaty-Making: Pandemics, Plastics, and Cybercrime

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/16/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/16/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

The goal of this panel is to shed light on the evolving practice of multilateral treaty-making by comparing three recent treaty-making processes: the negotiations for the pandemic treaty or agreement under the auspices of the WHO, a treaty on plastics pollution under the auspices of UNEP, and the recently concluded UN Convention against Cybercrime. With insights from experts involved in the negotiation processes, the panel will highlight strengths and weaknesses of each negotiation process, focusing, inter alia, on the negotiating forums, geopolitical blocks, the roles played by various non-state actors (including international organizations, civil society, business actors, and media), and the way the negotiations have been structured. The panel aims to leave attendees with a sense of how multilateral treaty-making is evolving in the XXI century.

Speakers:

Roojin Habibi, Katniss Xuejiao Li, Alexandra Phelan, Ben Grazda

Mentoring Q&A: Paola Patarroyo

Professional Development

4/16/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/16/2025 3:00:00 PM

Cardozo

Description:

Speakers:

Paola Patarroyo

Rapid Transitions and Challenges in Global Governance for International Migration

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/16/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/16/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

At the 2018 Annual Meeting, a panel examined the global governance of migration. Since then, there have been rapid transitions and developments in international migration law. The UN created a “Network on Migration,” two new global compacts are being implemented, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has arguably rooted itself as the “UN migration agency.” Current realities like rapidly-developing climate change and unprecedented displacement from conflicts are creating new challenges and stresses for this emerging system. All the while, politicians and publics in developed nations are becoming increasingly skeptical of migration – even when facing demographic challenges that could benefit from it – and enacting policies that are less welcoming towards migrants. Practitioners and academics focused on migration will examine a series of interconnected questions: Are the institutions and regimes that purport to govern the global movement of people responding adequately to current challenges? Are international law and the global compacts positively impacting mobility and human rights? How has IOM’s role evolved and how does it navigate its responsibilities in relation to other specialized agencies like ILO and UNHCR, and are there opportunities for enhanced collaboration or clarity? How will the new U.S. administration’s actions and funding cuts impact migration governance?

Speakers:

Neha Misra, Luca Dall’Oglio, Kate Jastram, Janie Chuang

Coffee Break

Bridging the Gaps: Reparations for Conflict and Climate Justice

Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice

4/16/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/16/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 1-2

Description:

This panel will explore the evolving landscape of reparations efforts in international justice, from armed conflicts to climate justice. Panelists will first address the established frameworks for reparations for human rights violations in armed conflict, including mechanisms such as the International Criminal Court Trust Fund for Victims and the Register of Damage for Ukraine. They will examine both the success stories and the institutional limitations and administrative challenges these processes face. Looking ahead, panelists will then consider how these experiences should inform ongoing efforts to implement reparations in the climate change context. As the climate crisis escalates, so do calls for justice and compensation in the context of climate change related harms, particularly from communities in vulnerable regions. The UNFCCC’s recent creation of the Loss and Damage Fund aims to address climate change related harm, but how it will translate into effective, accessible reparations remains unclear. Panelists will consider how lessons learned from reparations efforts in armed conflicts could shape more efficient and inclusive approaches in the climate space. The conversation aims to highlight innovative paths to justice that balance institutional efficiency and victim advocacy, while addressing the complex interplay between different reparative mechanisms.

Speakers:

Vladyslav Lanovoy, Nikki Reisch, Chiara Giorgetti, Kristine Beckerle

Digitized Brushstrokes: Are IP Laws Protecting Art in the AI Era?

Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution

4/16/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/16/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

In the digital age, AI-generated art is challenging the very foundations of creativity and ownership. As the intersection of art, law, and technology becomes increasingly complex, the traditional legal framework is evolving to address the unique and rapidly changing landscape of art produced with the aid of AI. Recent copyright disputes and groundbreaking case law have highlighted the divergent approaches states are taking to tackle these challenges. This session will explore the nuances of authorship, copyright, and authenticity concerning the creation of artistic works with the assistance of AI, and the different approaches taken by States in addressing this rapidly evolving landscape. Drawing insights from the unique perspective of artists, intellectual property experts, and legal professionals specializing in art law, the session will discuss how such pieces are perceived and valued in terms of intellectual property law and the art market. The panel will also examine the challenges facing AI-generated art, what measures of protection such works or their authors are or should be entitled to, and what the way forward might be in this exciting and contentious field.

Speakers:

Philippa Loengard, James Rosenfeld, Lorena Guzmán-Díaz, Joshua Kaufman, Maria L. Vazquez

Impact of Trump’s Election on the War in Ukraine

Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force

4/16/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/16/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

By the time this panel meets, President Trump will have been in office for 88 days. In what ways has his election impacted the war in Ukraine with respect to approaching a ceasefire, Russian accountability for its aggression, erecting a sustainable peace, supporting Ukrainian sovereignty? The United States controls most arms shipments to Ukraine, financial aid, NATO policy toward the war, sanctions against Russia, and influences what’s done with Russian frozen assets. Our panel, which includes a Ukrainian attorney and scholars who have been to Ukraine, explores the future of the war and prospects for ending it by focusing on what we should keep our eyes on with respect to the war in Ukraine now that Trump is in the White House. Topics discussants will explore include the impact on NATO, how the outcome of the war affects America’s other strategic concerns, what Trump’s transactional approach to foreign policy means with respect to the war, and the impacts of Trump’s decisions on the resilience of international law.

Speakers:

Margaret deGuzman, Svitlana Starosvit, Gregory Shaffer, Harold Hongju Koh, Patrick Pearsall

International Law and Technology Interest Group Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/16/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/16/2025 4:30:00 PM

Fairchild East/West

Description:

The Business Meeting will begin by announcing the Essay Prize results, recognizing outstanding contributions to international legal scholarship. The Prize Winner is Jack Wright Nelson for the article “Large Language Models and the Treaty Interpretation Game,” published in 12(2) Cambridge International Law Journal 305 (2023). The Honorable Mention is awarded to Pierre Walkers, Christine Frison, and Sylvain Aubry for their work, “A Roadmap to Equity in Pandemic Preparedness, Prevention, and Response,” featured in 14 Journal of Global Health 1 (2024). Jack will share his insights based on this award-winning article. Following this, the meeting will transition into an interactive session to gather feedback from Interest Group members on ways to enhance its activities and programming and address any institutional or governance matters that may arise.

Speakers:

Legal Glitches: How the Search for Cyber Governance Disrupts International Law’s Operating System

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/16/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/16/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

Think for a moment: which rules form the core of international law’s operating system? You might point to the UN Charter, the ICJ Statute, certain principles of friendly relations, rules of attribution in state responsibility, remedial rights of enforcement and retaliation, or the basic tenets of IHRL and IHL. Modern cyber activity frays at the edges of these rules: cyber espionage disrupts the positivist conceptualization of customary law formation and complicates foundational doctrines like territorial sovereignty and non-intervention; botnet takedowns reshape the prohibition on extraterritorial enforcement jurisdiction and rules on countermeasures; ransomware attacks redefine the doctrine of due diligence. In this sense, cyber is no longer a niche subject but a critical case study for understanding broader evolutions in international law. This session will explore how cyber governance processes produce feedback loops that reverberate across the international system. We will examine, for example, whether recent UN multistakeholder cyber initiatives introduce new actors as rule creators and whether the growing number of national and regional positions on the applicability of international law in cyberspace is producing legal reboots beyond that domain. Our panelists will evaluate whether cyber tensions between tradition and transition offer a net gain to the broader international order.

Speakers:

Russell Buchan, Catalina Vera, Asaf Lubin, Noa Schreuer, Eugenia Lostri

Mentoring Q&A: Beatrice Walton

Professional Development

4/16/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/16/2025 4:30:00 PM

Cardozo

Description:

Speakers:

Beatrice Walton

The World Bank’s New B-READY Report: Advancing Inclusive Economic Growth in Global Governance

Track 3: International Trade, Investment, Finance, and Tax

4/16/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/16/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 3-4

Description:

Organized by: World Bank Group’s B-READY team, and the Georgetown University Center on Inclusive Trade and Development In October 2024, the World Bank Group launched its new flagship corporate report, B-READY. The report provides a quantitative assessment of the business environment with annual frequency, worldwide coverage, and an extensive scope that covers more than 1,200 indicators across 10 topic areas. B-READY’s indicators promote inclusive economic growth by advancing the interests of individual firms while also elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. They have been chosen based on best practices supported by strong economic research. Many indicators have been endorsed by international organizations in relevant fields, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL), and International Labour Organization (ILO). In this respect, B-READY is the position to be key tool to advance global governance and international law.

Speakers:

Katrin Kuhlmann, Klaus Koch-Saldarriaga

27th Annual Grotius Lecture on International Law

Keynotes & Plenaries

4/16/2025 5:00:00 PM-4/16/2025 6:15:00 PM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

Traditions and Transitions: For Whom is International Law? E. Tendayi Achieve will give the 27th Annual Grotius Lecture. Jamil Dakwar will serve as Distinguished Discussant.

Speakers:

Jamil Dakwar, E. Tendayi Achiume

Grotius Reception

Patrons’ Toast (by invitation)

AJIL Board of Editors Meeting (by invitation)

THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2025

Acting Against Authoritarians: Legitimate Roles for Shared Norms and Institutions

Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force

4/17/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/17/2025 10:00:00 AM

Columbia 3-4

Description:

Authoritarian regimes have increasingly sought to exploit legitimate legal avenues as fulcrums to advance illicit objectives. As Emir Vattel observed, such pretexts represent “homage which unjust men pay to justice” because they implicitly acknowledge the existence of a shared system and an accompanying understanding that it would be unseemly to “openly trample on what is most sacred in human society.” Recent examples of this phenomenon include the rise of Hostage Diplomacy under the guise of legitimate domestic law enforcement. In recent years, several states have attempted to appropriate INTERPOL mechanisms to achieve their own narrow political objectives rather than strengthen international police cooperation in pursuit of legitimate objectives. Even where states share normative convergence derived from shared institutional objectives and lex lata, divergences over legal innovations to counteract authoritarian actions continue to fester. Ongoing debates in the International Law Commission and other international venues on these divergences have inspired domestic legislation reforms in many states. Yet, despite the strictures of INTERPOL’s constitution, some states have framed persecution of political opponents as appropriate advancement of collective human rights goals. This panel will discuss the modern misuse by authoritarian states and debate the most beneficial avenues for responding to this frequent misuse of otherwise legitimate mechanisms and institutions.

Speakers:

Diane Foley, Claudio Grossman, Roger Carstens, Cara Horan, Mike Newton, Louis Martin Aumais

Interest Group Co-Chairs Meeting

Ancillary Events

4/17/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/17/2025 10:00:00 AM

Fairchild East/West

Description:

For current and incoming IG Co-Chairs only. Light breakfast will be provided.

Mobilizing the ICJ for Human Rights: An African Tradition?

Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice

4/17/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/17/2025 10:00:00 AM

Columbia 1-2

Description:

The orthodox understanding of the dearth of inter-state human rights actions before international judicial mechanisms is that states are reluctant to act against sovereign equals in matters in which their interests are not at stake. Such reluctance presumably emanates from a fear of being subjected to similar proceedings. Yet, remarkably, African states have pioneered the use of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) as a mechanism for the protection of the human rights of foreign peoples’ subjected to large-scale and systematic abuse at the hands of another state. In his compelling dissenting opinion in the South West Africa Cases of 1966 (Ethiopia and Liberia v. South Africa), Judge Jessup suggested that, although no such general right was recognized by international law, there may, under certain conditions, be a limited form of actio popularis. The Gambia v. Myanmar and South Africa v. Israel cases at the ICJ have recently highlighted the notion of an actio popularis to enforce erga omnes partes obligations in international law, especially in the context of significant developments since the South West Africa Cases regarding obligations erga omnes and jus cogens norms. This panel will examine the tradition of actio popularis human rights litigation at the ICJ that African states appear to be forging.

Speakers:

Gus Waschefort, Tafadzwa Pasipanodya, Namira Negm

Navigating Climate Change and Investment Disputes: The ASIL Task Force on ISDS and Climate Change, a Roundtable Presentation

Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution

4/17/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/17/2025 10:00:00 AM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

Organized by: ASIL Task Force on ISDS and Climate Change In November 2024, ASIL launched a Task Force on Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) and Climate Change, aiming to develop guidance on the substantive and procedural challenges posed in ISDS cases involving climate change issues. This guidance will fill an important gap in the current understanding around the legal and practical complexities inherent in navigating climate-related questions that are increasingly contested in ISDS proceedings, including in light of growing regulations impacting energy, oil and gas, and mining related investments. This roundtable will explore the Task Force´s mandate and goals, featuring a dynamic discussion among its co-chairs, members, and key stakeholders. The conversation will place the initiative in the broader context of significant 2024 developments in international courts and tribunals, with climate-related cases featuring in numerous domestic and international forums, including the International Court of Justice, the European and the Inter-American Courts of Human Rights, and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The discussion will explore the intersection of ISDS and climate change, emphasizing the Task Force’s role in addressing these pressing issues and advancing the dialogue on reconciling investment protection with global climate objectives.

Speakers:

Jeremy Sharpe, Janet Whittaker, Mairée Uran Bidegain, Arman Sarvarian, Petra Minnerop, Chiara Giorgetti, Franz Xaver Perrez

Pursuing a Career in International Law: Taylor Kilpatrick, ASIL

Professional Development

4/17/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/17/2025 10:00:00 AM

Cardozo

Description:

Speakers:

Taylor Kilpatrick

Seeing beyond the Words: What Interdisciplinary Methodologies Reveal about International Law

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/17/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/17/2025 10:00:00 AM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

Interdisciplinary scholarship has brought a host of social science methodologies to bear to understand the larger dynamics shaping international law and international legal processes. This panel, organized by the International Law and Social Science interest group, brings together seasoned scholars who have used a range of legal and social science approaches to understand international legal dynamics, and how international law is shaping people, global politics, and the world we all share. The goal of the panel is to think about the windows of insight that different methodologies bring to international legal scholarship and international legal practice, as well as how partnerships among scholars and disciplines are transforming international legal scholarship.

Speakers:

Wolfgang Alschner, Chantal Thomas, Katerina Linos, Beth Simmons, Matthew Erie

Tenth Annual Detlev F. Vagts Roundtable on Transnational Law - AI Governance: The Path Forward

Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice

4/17/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/17/2025 10:00:00 AM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

Around the world, national governments and international organizations are establishing new norms for the governance of Artificial Intelligence. From the soft law frameworks of the OECD/G20 AI Principles and the UNESCO Recommendation on AI Ethics, to new legislation such as the EU AI Act, China’s application-specific AI rules, and the Council of Europe Framework Convention on AI, Human Rights, Democracy, and the Rule of Law, the field of AI law is evolving rapidly. In this roundtable, we will focus on a working paper by Professor Nathalie A. Smuha exploring different approaches and challenges to regulate AI in a way that safeguards public safety and human rights, and promotes innovation. The discussion will examine the regulatory pathways ahead, including the implementation and enforcement of AI governance frameworks, the dynamics of policy convergence and divergence, the background influence of data protection law and institutions, as well as the ever-present prospect of rapid technological innovation, such as generative AI.

Speakers:

John Shattuck, Tammy Horn, Nathalie Smuha, Catherine Regis, Marc Rotenberg

Coffee Break

WILIG Coffee & Conversation

Professional Development

4/17/2025 10:00:00 AM-4/17/2025 11:00:00 AM

Morgan

Description:

WILIG serves as a platform for mentorship, growth, and advocacy—empowering women who are shaping the field of international law while guiding the next generation of professionals. Continuing our tradition from the Annual and Mid-Year Meetings, we invite you to join us for a 60-minute session over coffee and pastries. This gathering offers space to connect with fellow WILIG members, hear about upcoming programming, and foster dialogue between established professionals and emerging voices in international law.

ABILA Board Meeting - by invitation only

Cultural Traditions and International Law Transitions: How does cultural diversity influence international law in the Asia-Pacific?

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/17/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/17/2025 11:30:00 AM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

The 21st Century has been referred to as the “Asian Century” for international law. The Asia-Pacific is one of the most diverse regions, with different cultural traditions, religions, economies, environments and styles of government. These diverse States, however, have a common experience of colonialism and relations with hegemonic powers. These experiences and cultural heritage have led to the emergence of some regional approaches to State relations, such as the Ten Principles of Bandung which are reflected in the Charter of the United Nations. These States, however, often have less engagement with international law, exhibited by preference for non-legal methods of State relations and limited representation at international institutions. The role of culture is often overlooked in international law, but arguably plays an important role in a State’s perceptions and engagement with international law. As the region is a theatre for some of most important international law issues of our day, this panel seeks to ask the question – How does the cultural diversity of the region impact State relations and its engagement with international law?

Speakers:

Ji Li, Trang (Mae) Nguyen, Frédéric Mégret, David J Devlaeminck, Hsien-Li Tan

International Law and Social Sciences Interest Group Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/17/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/17/2025 11:30:00 AM

Dupont

Description:

The ILASS Annual Business Meeting will include the Annual Report of the Co-Chairs, which will be distributed in print, followed by the presentation of the First Annual ILASS Awards recognizing outstanding contributions in international law through categories for Best Book, Best Article, and Best Paper presented at the ILASS Research Conference. The meeting will conclude with a roundtable discussion on “Real-Time Communication in International Law,” featuring distinguished panelists Catherine Amirfar (Debevoise and Plimpton), MJ Durkee (Washington University College of Law), and Katerina Linos (Berkeley Law).

Speakers

Rulemaking in the Practice of International Law

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/17/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/17/2025 11:30:00 AM

Columbia 1-2

Description:

Organized by: the IBA Arbitration Committee Presented by the International Bar Association (IBA) Arbitration Committee, this panel will examine the role practitioners play in developing the rules we apply in the practice of international law. Traditionally, rulemaking in international law has been the prerogative of States, whether through treaty-making or the formation of customary international law. Public international organizations and institutions—such as the International Law Commission and the Sixth Committee of the General Assembly—have historically played key roles in this regard. Today, however, practitioner-driven organizations are increasingly taking on a rulemaking function, influencing both the substance and procedure of international arbitration and adjudication. Among other organizations, the IBA produces detailed rules, guidelines, and best practices on a wide range of issues, including the taking of evidence and conflicts of interest. At the same time, practitioners wear multiple hats and participate in the elaboration of norms through advocacy, scholarship, and arbitral and judicial decisions. Our esteemed panelists will examine how modern rulemaking in international law fits within the framework of the traditional sources of international law. Topics will include the relative (im)penetrability of the rulemaking process at diverse institutions like the IBA, ILC, and ICJ; cross-bench engagement between counsel and adjudicators; the role of the civil law and common law traditions; and the spillover between private and public international law. With opening remarks by Chiann Bao, Co-Chair of the IBA Arbitration Committee. Organized with the support of Foley Hoag.

Speakers:

Luciana Ricart, Joan Donoghue, Sean D. Murphy, Samaa Haridi, Amir Farhadi

Stand Tall for the Rule of Law - A Screening of the Award-Winning ASIL Documentary Short

4/17/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/17/2025 11:30:00 AM

Columbia 3-4

Description:

Join us for or a screening of “Stand Tall for the Rule of Law,” a documentary short film about the landmark summit that ASIL convened in Lviv, Ukraine in December 2023. The summit marked the 75th anniversaries of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, both of which have deep ties to the scholars and city of Lviv. It brought together 150 legal professionals, scholars, and representatives of international organizations and civil society. The documentary was filmed during the summit and screened publicly for the very first time at the 2024 ASIL Annual Meeting. Since that time, it was named the Best Documentary Short at the Berlin Independent Film Festival.

Speakers:

Upholding the Rule of Law in Crisis – Prof. Yeginsu in conversation with Judge Eicke and Prof. Satterthwaite

Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution

4/17/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/17/2025 11:30:00 AM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

Sponsored by CBC Law and Co-Convened by Columbia Law Human Rights Institute As we see the rise of armed conflict, the erosion of democratic norms, challenges to human rights at home and abroad, increased attacks on judicial independence, weakening international cooperation, and growing impunity – is the rule of law in crisis? If so, how can international law and legal institutions do more to respond effectively to these pressing challenges? Join Prof. Can Yeğinsu (Barrister and Deputy Chair, High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom), in conversation with Judge Tim Eicke K.C. (Judge, European Court of Human Rights) and Prof. Margaret Satterthwaite (UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers).

Speakers:

Can Yeginsu, Tim Eicke, Margaret Satterthwaite

Written in the Stars: Future Governance Models for Interplanetary Civilization

Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development

4/17/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/17/2025 11:30:00 AM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

Humanity as an interplanetary species is no longer pure science fiction. Public and private space actors alike advertise ambitious goals to land humans on Mars. SpaceX’s Starlink terms of service explicitly require parties to recognize Mars as a “free planet.” As an interplanetary future poises itself to become our present reality, the Outer Space Treaty, Artemis Accords, and other models of international space law and governance appear at best a starting point, at worst a foreclosure of innovative ways to think about inter-planetary governance. This roundtable will bring together thinkers from science fiction, practice, and academia to engage with vignettes of imagined future interplanetary human life and to discuss how we approach thinking about their governance models, and what our existing thinking says about our ideas of governance on planet earth. Should human colonies on other planets have their own constitutions? Should governing bodies on Earth have influence over colonies on other planets? Panelists will draw inspiration from their respective fields and seek to reference the present and history of international law and some of its central concepts—such as sovereignty, self-determination, commons, property, and justice—in order to imagine the contours or a novel interplanetary governance mechanism.

Speakers:

Caitlin Poling, David Anderman, Benedict Kingsbury, Tracy Reynolds, Haris Durrani

Are Market-Based Mechanisms the Most Effective Tool for International Organizations to Address Climate Change?

Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development

4/17/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 1:00:00 PM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

This panel will explore whether market-based mechanisms—such as carbon pricing, emissions trading systems, and clean development incentives—are the most effective tools for international organizations, including international financial institutions, to address climate change. Advocates of market-based approaches argue that these mechanisms align economic incentives with environmental goals, fostering global cooperation and innovation. They contend that such tools leverage the interconnectedness of international markets, driving sustainable outcomes at scale. Critics, on the other hand, question whether market mechanisms sufficiently address the urgency of climate action, particularly in countries with weaker institutional frameworks. They may also argue that regulatory measures, direct intervention, and binding international commitments offer a more equitable and reliable path to achieving global climate objectives. This panel will examine whether market-based tools are best suited to harness the interdependence of economies, technologies, and environmental impacts to tackle the climate crisis. The speakers will then turn to how to align the legal frameworks governing international organizations’ climate mandates to fit best industry practice. Co-sponsored by the International Organizations and International Law of Development Interest Groups.

Speakers:

Charles Di Leva, Nikki Reisch, Sheila Braka Musiime, Nat Keohane, Alice Hill

Butcher Medal Lecture

Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice

4/17/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 1:00:00 PM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

“The Long Arc of Justice: Forging a Convention for Crimes Against Humanity” The Goler T. Butcher Medal has been awarded by ASIL since 1997 to a distinguished person of American or other nationality, for outstanding contributions to the development or effective realization of international human rights. It is named for Goler Teal Butcher, a prominent African American scholar and professor of international law at Howard University School of Law, who served as assistant administrator for Africa at the U.S. Agency for International Development in the Carter Administration and was a leading advocate for ending global hunger. Leila Sadat, The Washington University School of Law

Speakers:

Leila Sadat

Dispute Resolution Interest Group Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/17/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 1:00:00 PM

Fairchild East/West

Description:

At this meeting, we will begin by discussing the DRIG’s program of activities for the next year. Professor Harold Hongju Koh will then speak about his varied career in international law, including lessons he learned from his time working at the State Department, his work on international human rights, and his experiences arguing in front of the International Court of Justice. Professor Koh’s stories served as inspiration for his forthcoming book, which will distill these lessons learned to inspire young lawyers.

Speakers

Indigenous Theories of International Law: Living Inter-Nations Legal Orders

Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice

4/17/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 1:00:00 PM

Columbia 1-2

Description:

The panel presents the findings of an ongoing project entitled Indigenous Theories of International Law, which is producing an edited volume hosting contributions from members of the ASIL Rights of Indigenous Peoples Interest Group. Scheduled for publication in 2026, the project follows growing Indigenous rights discourses which assert the existence of Indigenous legal orders that operate concurrent to the prevailing state-based Westphalian international legal system. The project highlights such Indigenous legal orders, with chapters presenting examples that rise to “trans-nations” status and identifying their implications for international law. The panel presents several chapters that illustrate the contentions of the book, with commentary on prescriptive directions for legal practitioners and scholars who aspire to bridge international law with Indigenous perspectives.

Speakers:

Andrew Ambers, Sheryl Lightfoot, Margaret Palaghicon Von Rotz, Sultana Afrin Nipa, Yuri Mantilla, Jonathan Liljeblad

International Courts and Tribunals Interest Group Meeting: “New Developments in International Dispute Settlement”

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/17/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 1:00:00 PM

Dupont

Description:

This meeting will feature a conversation between Judge Charles Brower (Twenty Essex) and Professor Chiara Giorgetti (University of Richmond School of Law) regarding new developments in international dispute settlement. Judge Brower will address the proposal of a standing multilateral mechanism for the resolution of international investment disputes that has been spearheaded by the EU, while Professor Giorgetti will discuss the Register of Damage for Ukraine. They will have an opportunity to comment on each other’s presentation and engage with the audience in a Q&A.

Speakers:

International Economic Law Interest Group Business Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/17/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 1:00:00 PM

Embassy

Description:

The International Economic Law Interest Group (IELIG) will be hosting its business meeting at 12:00pm on Thursday, April 17. The meeting will welcome new members and discuss the group’s agenda for the year ahead.

Speakers:

Mentoring Q&A: Omar Yousef Shehabi

Professional Development

4/17/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 1:00:00 PM

Cardozo

Description:

Speakers:

Omar Yousef Shehabi

Share Your Views on Gender Justice and International Law (video interviews)

Ancillary Events

4/17/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 3:15:00 PM

Northwest

Description:

ASIL Annual Meeting participants are warmly invited to share their views on gender justice and international law and institutions, as part of ASIL’s Signature Topic on Advancing Gender Justice. Brief recorded interviews (maximum 10 minutes per person) will be conducted by Student Fellows of the University of Baltimore School of Law’s Center for International and Comparative Law in the room ‘Northwest’ (located on the Lobby Level), on Thursday, April 17 and Friday, April 18. Interviews will cover the following topics: What does gender justice mean to you? What are the main obstacles to achieving gender justice in international law and institutions? How do we overcome those obstacles? These recordings, like the rest of the Advancing Gender Justice initiative, are intended to spark dialogue on these important topics and may be posted on ASIL’s Signature Topic website and shared in a future Advancing Gender Justice video or event. This session will be offered on Thursday and Frida.

The Geopolitics of International Economic Law: Tools for Economic Coercion

Track 3: International Trade, Investment, Finance, and Tax

4/17/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 1:00:00 PM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

In an era of intensifying geopolitical tensions, economic coercion has re-emerged as a critical challenge to the international legal order. From Russia’s energy manipulation to China’s trade restrictions on Australia, states increasingly wield their economic tools to impact the sovereign policy choices of other nations. The “flex,” however, is not confined to influencing economic decisions, but can be linked to matters like national security. Although state exercise of economic coercion is not a new phenomenon, the tools available today—and their increased use—come with new challenges. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, this panel considers the modern tools available to states, the risks of exerting novel forms of economic leverage and potential coercion, and the impact upon our geopolitical context. The panel will analyze the legitimate use of negotiation leverage and problematic economic coercion. After identifying the tools currently used for economic coercion (whether financial tools, trade remedies, investment policy, or economic sanctions), the panel will explore the difficulty of wielding these tools to manage climate change, energy demand, sovereign debt, financial sanctions, trade, and global pandemics. Panelists will then debate the need for alternative governance strategies, including hard and soft law standards, to improve the sustainability of financial and economic governance.

Speakers:

Vera Songwe, Lorand Bartels, Elena Chachko, Pierre-Hugues Verdier, Devin S. Sikes

Break

Hudson Medal Luncheon (separate ticket required)

Receptions & Luncheons

4/17/2025 1:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 2:30:00 PM

International Terrace West

Special Thanks to Oxford University Press for supporting the Hudson Medal Luncheon

Description:

“The Pax Americana: A Postmortem” Tickets for this event must be purchased separately with registration. The Manley O. Hudson Medal is the Society’s most prestigious award and has been conveyed to a distinguished person of American or other nationality for outstanding contributions to scholarship and achievement in international law since its creation and conferral on Manley O. Hudson in 1956.

Speakers:

Joseph H. H. Weiler

“Digital Sovereignty” and Economic Regulation: Navigating the Future of Global Governance

Track 3: International Trade, Investment, Finance, and Tax

4/17/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

As the global economy becomes increasingly cross-border and data-driven, breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, cyber technologies, and quantum computing impact daily life. Governments face novel challenges navigating this digital territory and must decide how to balance protecting their citizens while harnessing the potential of the digital age, through regulating technology, data transfers, or digital assets; fostering domestic innovation and fair competition; or supporting commerce through well-functioning supply-chains. As economies innovate and digital boundaries blur, states recognize there is more at stake. Should they proactively address emerging technologies to protect individual rights and national sovereignty? Or should private actors, like businesses and technological innovators, establish baselines for the global economy? Whoever leads, what exactly should be done and to what ends? What stands to be gained or lost by stakeholders under these approaches? International law has struggled with these questions, as reflected in the United Nations Norms of Responsible State Behaviour in Cyberspace, the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, or the United States’ 2023 Executive Order on Use of Artificial Intelligence. This panel will explore the existing legal frameworks, characterize predominant approaches, and explore alternative means of regulating cyberspace and the digital economy while balancing national interests, individual rights, and international cooperation.

Speakers:

Georgios Dimitropoulos, Danielle Osler, Brian Egan, Julia Pohle, Mark Wu

Asia-Pacific Interest Group Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/17/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 3:00:00 PM

Fairchild East/West

Description:

Pathways and Prospects for International Legal Careers in the Asia-Pacific The Asia-Pacific is dynamic and diverse, with unique culture and legal systems and a growing need for professionals with experience in international law. This Meeting offers practical guidance for anyone interested in pursuing a career as an international lawyer in the Asia-Pacific region or those wishing to focus their career on Asia-Pacific issues. It will focus onreal-world advice, essential skills, and strategic career planning. Experienced practitioners will discuss navigating the legal landscapes of various Asia-Pacific countries, overcoming regulatory hurdles, and understanding cultural nuances critical for success. They will also share tips on building a robust professional network, leveraging local and international opportunities, and adapting to the rapid technological changes impacting the legal field, among other topics. David Devlaeminck, Chongqing University Ying Zhu, University of Hong Kong Han-Wei Liu, Singapore Management University Chang LIU, World Bank

Speakers:

BASIL Speed Mentoring Program

Professional Development

4/17/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 3:30:00 PM

Holmead East/West

Description:

Students and new professionals are invited to participate in a speed mentoring session with international lawyers from a wide variety of practice areas and professional backgrounds. Participants will spend 10-12 minutes at a table, engaging with a mentor, before switching to a new table. This session is open to all Annual Meeting attendees.

Speakers:

Ntombizozuko Dyani-Mhango, Chantal Thomas, Adrien Wing, Rabiat Akande, Patricia Sellers, Adejoké Babington-Ashaye, Darin Johnson, Victoria Sahani, Idriss Fofana, James Gathii

Careers in International Law from a Latin American Perspective

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/17/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 3:00:00 PM

Embassy

Description:

The Latin America Interest Group (LAIG) will hold its annual business meeting at the ASIL Annual meeting on April 17 from 2-3 pm. All international lawyers with an interest in the Latin American region are welcome to attend, network, brainstorm and collectively plan LIAG’s agenda for the upcoming year. As part of our annual business meeting, LIAG will also host a career panel with international law practitioners from Latin America, from the public sector, working with international organizations, and from the private sector, working on investment arbitration and public international law. The panel will be an informal discussion where each speaker will provide insights into their careers and advice to younger practitioners, with a particular focus on how Latin American lawyers can forge a career path in international law. The panel will also explore how current international law issues impact Latin America. Matheus Bastos Oliveira: Senior Associate of the Arbitration Group at Freshfields Paola Patarroyo, Legal Officer at the UN

Speakers:

DEIWG - Pausing U.S. Foreign Aid: The Impact on Vulnerable Communities and DEI Efforts Across the Globe

Professional Development

4/17/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 3-4

Description:

The U.S. government’s suspension of foreign aid in January sent shockwaves through global humanitarian and development organizations, with far-reaching consequences for marginalized and vulnerable local communities. With the State Department and USAID’s stop-work order halting new aid obligations and freezing ongoing grants, critical programs that support diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in humanitarian and development programs worldwide face unprecedented disruptions. This panel will delve into the immediate and long-term impacts on vulnerable people, including women, children, refugees, people with disabilities, and those living with HIV, and how DEI principles are being threatened by this policy shift. Experts and advocates from affected populations will discuss how this freeze undermines progress on global health, gender equality, education, human rights, and humanitarian response operations, while exacerbating systemic inequalities. How can local and international organizations defend their programs and continue to prioritize the needs of the most impacted individuals in the face of this crisis? What role can international lawyers play in ensuring that marginalized groups are not left behind as foreign aid resources shrink? This conversation will explore how U.S. foreign assistance policies can either advance or hinder global equity goals, and provide practical strategies for advocating for those most affected by conflict or crises during this period of uncertainty.

Speakers:

Kathryn Striffolino, Neela Ghoshal, Anna Spain Bradley, Michelle Strucke, Christie Edwards

Human Rights Interest Group Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/17/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 3:00:00 PM

Dupont

Description:

The meeting will discuss ongoing and future initiatives of the HRIG, opportunities for collaboration, and ways to engage with ASIL’s broader human rights community. Attendees will be encouraged to share insights, propose activities, and contribute to shaping the group’s agenda for the upcoming year.

Speakers:

ISDS Reform at UNCITRAL WGIII: Promising Enterprise or Doomed to Fail? — A Debate

Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution

4/17/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

After seven years of negotiations, UNCITRAL Working Group III (WGIII) has come under increasing scrutiny. Critics argue that the only two reforms adopted so far—a Code of Conduct and the Statute of an Advisory Center—are “low-hanging fruit” and that WGIII is unlikely to implement the comprehensive reforms needed to address concerns surrounding the current investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) system. On the other hand, supporters of the process emphasize that complex multilateral negotiations require time, and that WGIII has made substantial progress in identifying states’ concerns regarding ISDS and in developing practical solutions to address these issues. This session will feature a debate between two speakers on the outcomes of the WGIII process to date. The debate will explore both the legitimacy of the reform process, the substantive progress made by the working group, and its potential for structural reform. Following the debate, two discussants will offer additional perspectives, adding depth to the discussion. The debaters and discussants will be selected mainly from delegations to WGIII, giving the audience a unique opportunity to “lift the curtain” and engage directly with participants in the negotiation process.

Speakers:

Shane Spelliscy, Simon Batifort, Ladan Mehranvar, Mariana Pinto Schmidt, Chiara Giorgetti

Strengthening the UN Architecture to Prevent 21st Century Nuclear & Security Risks

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/17/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

Today’s fragmentation in global coordination and governance have multiplied nuclear and novel security dangers related to the Anthropocene, raising unprecedented, catastrophic Earth system risks. This fragmentation is paired with an increasingly multipolar world, where global institutions of the past are being tested by new realities and emerging challenges. The UN Secretary-General highlights the current “inflection point in history,” while other authors label this time as a dangerous “precipice” for humanity. What paths for reform of global institutions are available? What are the barriers to deeper collaboration? How can they be overcome? Charles Oppenheimer observed that ‘unity is our path to survival.’ In this context, what is role for the nuclear powers, which have significant overlap with highest GHG emitters? Can nuclear and key climate powers (e.g. the “Big Four” emitters) be stimulated to address the rising nuclear threat, and at the same time existential climate and Earth system risks, and if so, how? Can regional groups avoid exclusionary tendencies and play a constructive role in novel global coordination? What is the role for the UN/international institutions? For example, how might the dispute resolution architecture of the UN Charter and an international “rule of law package” be advanced to address these ‘existential catastrophes’?

Speakers:

Maja Groff, Shahla Ali, Tong Zhao, Richard Ponzio

The Sky is Falling: Space Debris and Earth’s Vulnerable Climate

Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development

4/17/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 1-2

Description:

Scientists, policy makers, and space lawyers have long been concerned about the dangers of proliferating space debris in Earth’s orbit, including threats to the usability of outer space. It has been nearly 15 years since the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space developed Space Debris Mitigation Guidelines to encourage States to address these risks. However, recent research has highlighted a risk not contemplated by the Guidelines and most national space debris mitigation policies—that space debris not only negatively affects the outer space environment, but Earth’s environment as well. New research suggests that vaporized heavy metals from space object reentry are polluting the Earth’s stratosphere and may be contributing to changes in Earth’s climate as private activity in space exponentially increases year-over-year. This roundtable will unpack this current science. It will discuss gaps in the international legal framework and national laws addressing space debris and opportunities to close those gaps. Third, it will connect the international law obligations of States in respect of climate change, as elucidated by recent proceedings in the ICJ, ITLOS, and Inter-American Court of Human Rights, to the activities of space actors, both public and private.

Speakers:

Karen Jones, Matthew Hersch, Curtis Schmeichel, Timiebi Aganaba, Caryn Schenewerk, Christel Tham

Coffee Break

“THE VETO”: a film showing accompanied by panel discussion

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/17/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/17/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

Organized by: NYU Center for Global Affairs One of the greatest challenges to multilateralism, particularly in the area of international criminal justice, is the threat and use of the veto in the Security Council—especially when it is used in the face of the core international crimes such as genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and the crime of aggression. Such vetoes have had extensive detrimental impact, causing significant loss of life, and have blocked accountability, preventing referral to the International Criminal Court. The film explores the history of the veto and how its use has evolved over time. It also explores groundbreaking ideas for challenging abusive vetoes, such as the ACT Code of Conduct, the French/Mexican initiative, the Vetoes Initiative (Resolution A/77/L.52), as well as the idea of seeking an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice. The question posed could be: Does existing international law contain limitation on the use of the veto power by permanent members of the UN Security Council in situations where there is ongoing genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, or the crime of aggression? The discussion will explore these ideas raised in the film, as well as other ideas for achieving a functioning Security Council, fit for purpose.

Speakers:

Jennifer Trahan, Tina Al-khersan, Andras Vamos-Goldman, Rebecca Shoot, Oona Hathaway

Access Denied: Debating the Limits of Internet Control in Crises

Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice

4/17/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/17/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 1-2

Description:

Internet shutdowns—disrupting access to or use of online information and communications systems—are on the rise. Governments around the world are using internet shutdowns, ranging from total obstruction to more targeted restrictions, in a variety of contexts and for different purposes, including in armed conflicts and to interfere with elections. With increased dependence on internet access, these actions pose an increasingly significant threat, but this growing practice is largely unregulated and unexamined. This panel will discuss the international human rights and humanitarian law principles applicable to the use of internet shutdowns. Panelists will also be asked to consider the application of these principles to specific scenarios based on real-world situations, including in ongoing conflicts in Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East, and to debate the circumstances and nature of permissible restrictions on internet access.

Speakers:

Viviana Krsticevic, Greg Nojeim, Asaf Lubin, Evelyn Aswad

International Economic Law Institutions: Evolving to Face Global Challenges

Track 3: International Trade, Investment, Finance, and Tax

4/17/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/17/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

The modern international economic law (IEL) order was created during the aftermath of World War II to promote global growth, aid reconstruction, facilitate trade, and promote economic integration. In 1944, forty-four countries gathered in Bretton Woods to create the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). Three years later, countries launched Global Agreement on Trade and Tariffs (GATT) to cement the third leg of today’s IEL system. Evolving during the Cold War, the IBRD expanded to become the World Bank Group with a broader mandate and GATT transformed into the World Trade Organization (WTO). Today, the global community is experiencing novel challenges ranging from environmental issues, technological innovation, and political shifts. This panel will consider the past, present, and future of IEL and its institutions by exploring how IEL objectives and governance have evolved and whether IEL organizations remain fit for purpose. The panel addresses the impact of shifting political alliances and IEL’s ability to manage concerns involving debt, trade, health, environment, and artificial intelligence. Fostering a dialogue influenced by the new “multipolar world,” speakers will consider how modern conflicts, new alliances, and social media shapes stakeholder action and influences the work of international lawyers.

Speakers:

Charles Di Leva, Rumu Sarkar, Alexia Latortue, Jennifer Hillman, Andrew Lang

International Environmental Law Interest Group Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/17/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/17/2025 4:30:00 PM

Dupont

Description:

The International Environmental Law Interest Group meeting is open to all members of the IEnLIG and those interested in joining the IEnLIG. During the meeting, interest group members will have the opportunity to present on their current work in the environmental law space, such as: involvement in legal proceedings, including the recent advisory opinions on climate change before the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, the International Court of Justice, and the Inter-American Court on Human Rights; recent publications and articles on topics of interest; and other ongoing projects. Members will also discuss plans for the IEnLIG in 2025.

Speakers:

New York Chapter Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/17/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/17/2025 4:30:00 PM

Embassy

Description:

New York Chapter members are invited to join the group’s business meeting to reconnect with colleagues, meet fellow members, and exchange insights on the Chapter’s activities and the Annual Meeting.

Speakers:

Signature Topic: Focus Group Discussion on Advancing Gender Justice in International Law: Challenges, Strategies, and Future Directions

Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice

4/17/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/17/2025 4:30:00 PM

Kalorama

Description:

This session will be led by members of the ASIL Signature Topic on Advancing Gender Justice Steering Committee and will provide a dynamic and interactive forum for discussing the evolving meaning of gender justice in international law and institutions. The focus groups will critically assess both progress and persistent challenges in advancing the rights of women, in all their diversity, and marginalized gender groups within the international legal framework. Participants will explore key questions at the heart of gender justice: How can international law be more effectively harnessed to achieve gender justice? And what concrete steps can be taken to ensure equal and meaningful participation in lawmaking processes? By bringing together experts from diverse fields, including legal advisors, academics, and representatives from non-governmental organizations, to facilitate the discussion, this session aims to identify obstacles, share strategies, and chart future pathways for advancing gender justice through international law. The conversation will contribute to broader information-gathering efforts, helping to shape future initiatives and recommendations for ASIL’s Advancing Gender Justice Signature Topic.

Speakers:

Nienke Grossman, Christina Beharry, Caroline Bettinger-Lopez

The Use of Behavioral Science in International Law and Policy-making

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/17/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/17/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

This panel will address the use of behavioral science in law and policy-making in international organizations. In recent years, several international organizations have turned to behavioral science as a tool to gather data, address challenges, and implement new policies and regulations. Some examples can be found in the joint work of the World Bank (WB) and the World Health Organization (WHO) concerning public health. The United Nations (UN) has also reportedly turned to behavioral science to confront new challenges, particularly concerning the Sustainable Development Goals, the challenges posed by climate change, and gender equality. Such behavioral insights are often developed and implemented by “behavioral units” established in additional international organizations. The panel will explore recent and ongoing programs using behavioral science, including those addressing challenges related to climate change, public health and gender equality. It will reflect on the motivation for organizations to use behavioral science, the advantages of using such an approach, and lessons learned from implementing such programs. The panel will also reflect on possible future uses to address legal challenges and the possible shortcomings of using this methodology in designing and assessing rules and policies.

Speakers:

Benn McGrady, Anne van Aaken, Michelle Dugas, Moshe Hirsch, Renos Vakis

Working in Public International Law: Info Session and Open Mentoring, Organized by the Department of Defense Office of General Counsel

Professional Development

4/17/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/17/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 3-4

Description:

Organized by the Department of Defense Office of General Counsel

Speakers:

Karl Chang, Kimberly Larkin, Deborah Plunkett, Andrea de Sa, Susan McGarvey

ASIL Assembly & Keynote

Keynotes & Plenaries

4/17/2025 5:00:00 PM-4/17/2025 6:30:00 PM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

The Assembly program includes presentation of the Society’s annual honors and awards, remembrances of those we have lost during the past year, and the election and introduction of incoming officers and Executive Council members. Resolution on Slavery and the Slave Trade During the Assembly, members of the Society in attendance will be asked to consider for adoption a resolution relating to principles of international law and international relations. Before voting, all ASIL members are encouraged to read the Proposed Resolution and Full Report.

Speakers:

Elinor Hammarskjöld

ABILA and Friends Reception in Honor of Cynthia Lichtenstein

BASIL Toast of Honorees (by invitation only)

President’s Reception

FRIDAY, APRIL 18, 2025

2025 ASIL Executive Council Meeting (by invitation)

Ancillary Events

4/18/2025 8:00:00 AM-4/18/2025 9:00:00 AM

International Terrace West

Coffee Break

Double Standards in the Emerging Multipolar Global Order

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/18/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/18/2025 10:00:00 AM

Columbia 1-2

Description:

Double standards are ubiquitous within international law. Examples abound as states speak abstractly about accountability and justice but act inconsistently in applying human rights standards or enforcing global trade norms. With wars raging in parts of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, many observers now question whether the western-dominated ‘rules-based’ or ‘liberal’ international order favors some over others. With the United Nations and World Bank struggling for legitimacy, there is also speculation we may be witnessing a transition away from the post-Second World War international system to a more multipolar and decentralized system of global rule-making and enforcement. Drawing from emerging scholarship in several cross-cutting areas of international law, this panel seeks to foster debate about how double standards are expressed within international law, how evidence of double standards impacts perceptions and practice, and how the ongoing debate over double standards is shaping conversations about a transition away from the Western-led ‘rules-based’ order to a more decentralized ‘multipolar’ order. The speakers will show some of the ways in which claims and evidence of double standards manifest in international legal arguments, in particular how accusations of double standards are formulated and perceived from various perspectives, especially from the Global South(s).

Speakers:

Ka Lok Yip, Anne Havn, Edgardo Antonio Sobenes Obregon, Patryk Labuda, Hansong Li

Intellectual Property Law in Transition: African and Asian Perspectives

Track 3: International Trade, Investment, Finance, and Tax

4/18/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/18/2025 10:00:00 AM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

Societies in Africa and Asia have rich traditions, defined by communal knowledge systems with collective ownership of cultural expressions, medical practices, and artisanal crafts. Alongside customs and practices are vibrant commercial activities, whether evidenced by the technology boom in India, the coffee exporters of Ethiopia, or Nollywood, Nigeria’s film industry. A third element shaping an already dynamic environment is international law, reflected in treaties, such as Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), free trade agreements, including the African Free Trade Agreement, and supporting international organizations, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Can international IP law protect traditions and other indigenous activities, commercial or not, from exploitation or facilitate a transition to promote sustainable growth and cultural empowerment? This core question will be the focus of a conversation featuring experts from African and Asian states. The comparative dimension will enable the identification of possible uniform lessons while allowing for the panelists and audience to learn about unique aspects of the covered societies.

Speakers:

Janewa Osei-Tutu, Ruth Okediji, Srividhya Ragavan, Chidi Oguamanam

International Law in Uncharted Waters

Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development

4/18/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/18/2025 10:00:00 AM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

Like the ocean, the law of the sea is never at rest. Technological and scientific currents continue to push its limits, challenging the traditional jurisdiction of States and international institutions over marine spaces, resources and activities. 30 years after UNCLOS’s entry into force, this panel explores areas where the law of the sea is entering uncharted waters. As possibilities to exploit the continental shelf expand – including through novel technologies such as geologic carbon sequestration that turn the very notion of “exploitation” on its head – States and international institutions increasingly collide when charting their own courses across seabed and subsoil. A new regime for managing marine genetic resources of areas beyond national jurisdiction is about to hit the waves, yet abiding problems of jurisdiction and origin in biodiversity governance are exacerbated by the accelerating dematerialization of genetic resources into information and data. And advances in technology seem to sink the traditional consent regime for marine scientific research, as autonomous underwater vehicles, floats and other research equipment cross maritime boundaries undetected. The panel will bring together global experts to discuss what transitions lie on the horizon for the law of sea – and what may be beyond.

Speakers:

Hilde Woker, Sean D. Murphy, Coalter Lathrop, Siva Thambisetty

Late Breaking Panel - Syria’s New Dawn: Legal and Political Challenges Post-Assad

Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force

4/18/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/18/2025 10:00:00 AM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

The recent overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime has ushered Syria into a complex phase of political reorganization and reconstruction. As the country grapples with the challenges of governance transition, issues of accountability, minority rights, and international influence are at the forefront. Efforts to establish a temporary constitutional framework and integrate various militias into a unified national army highlight the struggle for political legitimacy and stability. Meanwhile, regional dynamics are shifting, with neighboring countries like Israel and Turkey closely monitoring developments and asserting their security concerns, including demands for demilitarized zones. This roundtable will examine the legal and political challenges facing post-Assad Syria, including the formation of inclusive governance structures, the protection of minority rights, and the implications of foreign involvement. The session will also explore the role of international law in transitional justice and mechanisms for accountability, questioning the effectiveness of international interventions in conflict resolution and peacebuilding. Panelists will analyze the potential for Syria’s reconstruction to either stabilize the region or further entrench existing conflicts. Attendees will gain insights into the broader implications for international law, security, and regional power dynamics.

Speakers:

David Crane, Harout Ekmanian, David Scheffer, Radwan Ziadeh, Noor Hamadeh

Making the Most of your Membership: Networking and Mentorship with NPIG

4/18/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/18/2025 10:00:00 AM

Fairchild East/West

Description:

International law can be hard to navigate, but the New Professionals Interest Group (NPIG) is here to help. Join us at the 2025 Annual Meeting for “Making the Most of your Membership: Networking and Mentorship with NPIG”, another event in our series of events geared toward providing insight and advice for early career professionals and law students. After an introduction to opportunities within NPIG, this session will host a panel discussion on career opportunities in the field of international law. Speakers with significant experience in government practice, at international organizations, and private practice will provide insight into their career paths, explain differences between fields, and answer audience questions. After the panel discussion, facilitators will break the audience into small, rotating groups for networking.

Speakers:

Resume & Cover Letter Workshop with Taylor Kilpatrick

Professional Development

4/18/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/18/2025 10:00:00 AM

Cardozo

Description:

Speakers:

Taylor Kilpatrick

Rights of Indigenous Peoples Interest Group Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/18/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/18/2025 10:00:00 AM

Dupont

Description:

The Rights of Indigenous Peoples Interest Group (RIPIG) will be hosting a meeting at 9am Friday April 18. This follows our conference panel from 12noon Thursday April 17. The meeting will welcome new members and discuss the group agenda for the year.

Speakers

The International Law of Alliances: Treaties Nonbinding Arrangements, and the International Security Architecture

Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force

4/18/2025 9:00:00 AM-4/18/2025 10:00:00 AM

Columbia 3-4

Description:

With transformative elections around the world affecting national security and the ongoing reality of military conflicts, traditional bastions of national security such as alliances are under renewed scrutiny. This panel seeks to explore historic and emerging methods of establishing, maintaining, and adapting the architecture of alliances. Speakers will discuss the experiences of traditional alliances such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and more recent innovations, such as including the security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom, and United States (AUKUS), security guarantees for Ukraine, efforts to form a European Defense Union, and collective security arrangements in the African Union. The panel explores how the legal and institutional frameworks contribute to meeting current and emerging challenges. Panelists will discuss the interplay between formal treaties and more informal arrangements, like non-binding documents. Despite being neither regularly discussed in public nor extensively studied, these informal arrangements—in reality—govern many aspects of international cooperation that advance national security objectives. In an era where formal treaty-making is more difficult, these informal arrangements will likely take on more importance. This panel aims to expose the audience to critical features of national security that have become the “international law of alliances.”

Speakers:

Evelyn Farkas, John Blaxland, Sherrod Lewis Bumgardner, Steven Hill, Bonnie Denise Jenkins

Coffee Break

Share Your Views on Gender Justice and International Law (video interviews)

Ancillary Events

4/18/2025 10:00:00 AM-4/18/2025 12:00:00 PM

Northwest

Description:

ASIL Annual Meeting participants are warmly invited to share their views on gender justice and international law and institutions, as part of ASIL’s Signature Topic on Advancing Gender Justice. Brief recorded interviews (maximum 10 minutes per person) will be conducted by Student Fellows of the University of Baltimore School of Law’s Center for International and Comparative Law in the room ‘Northwest’ (located on the Lobby Level), on Thursday, April 17 and Friday, April 18. Interviews will cover the following topics: What does gender justice mean to you? What are the main obstacles to achieving gender justice in international law and institutions? How do we overcome those obstacles? These recordings, like the rest of the Advancing Gender Justice initiative, are intended to spark dialogue on these important topics and may be posted on ASIL’s Signature Topic website and shared in a future Advancing Gender Justice video or event. This session will be offered on Thursday and Friday.

Charter Cities and Frontiers of Sustainable Development: Opportunities, Risks, and Legal Shifts

Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development

4/18/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/18/2025 11:30:00 AM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

Sustainable development, like international law, is no longer dominated by state-based mechanisms. Private sector influence, with significant implications for sustainable development and international law, continues to grow, and states gradually yield more rule-making capacity to private economic entities. This influence is evident in the context of Charter Cities, which are being (re)imagined as sites for extensive private sector and external actor engagement in development, especially in the Global South. Charter Cities, which are sometimes referred to as private cities, are semi-autonomous zones that have attracted both favorable and critical commentary, and in some cases, opposition. They have significant implications for sustainable development and international law. For example, Próspera, a recently developing Charter City in Honduras, is currently the subject of an investor-state arbitration claim against Honduras potentially worth over US$10 billion. The panel will assess the extent to which Charter Cities could facilitate, or operate as antitheses to, the sustainable development agenda, while examining their relationship with Special Economic Zones and Sustainable Development Zones. Specifically, the panel will discuss the implications of Charter Cities for economic development, the environment and environmental regulation, foreign direct investment and international economic law, displacements and forced relocations, land grabs, and states’ regulatory autonomy.

Speakers:

Ulysses Smith, Sumudu Atapattu, Jeffrey Mason, Ladan Mehranvar, James Gathii

From Soft Promises to Hard Obligations: The Evolution of Business & Human Rights

Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice

4/18/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/18/2025 11:30:00 AM

Columbia 1-2

Description:

For decades, international human rights law overlooked corporations, focusing solely on state responsibilities. In 2011, the landscape began to shift with the introduction of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). Though non-binding, the UNGPs called on companies to adopt human rights policies and take proactive steps to address adverse impacts across their operations. The UNGPs became a global standard among governments, companies, and organizations like the OECD, but the lack of enforcement mechanisms meant that this “soft law” approach could not deliver accountability. That’s changing. What began as voluntary guidelines are transforming into binding legal obligations. The EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) codifies key aspects of the UNGPs. It requires businesses to meet stringent due diligence requirements and applies international human rights standards, ILO conventions, and environmental agreements to companies with sweeping extraterritorial effects. This panel will explore how the once soft principles of corporate responsibility are hardening into a web of binding obligations, marking a new era where companies are held legally accountable for their human rights impacts. Welcome to the future of corporate accountability.

Speakers:

Tran Che, Douglass Cassel, Yousuf Aftab, Anita Ramasastry, Benjamin Ryan Nathan

Grotius’ Legacy: The 400th Anniversary of the Law of War and Peace

Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force

4/18/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/18/2025 11:30:00 AM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

In 1625, Hugo Grotius published one of the most important books in international law: The Law of War and Peace. His work sought to provide a pathway through the religious and political disputes underlying the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) that wrought cataclysmic change to European governments and the civilian population. Crafting conceptions of the nation state and the role of law in mediating transnational conflicts, Grotius argued that law should play a middle role, and it was neither per se irrelevant nor a cure-all, for international relations and dispute settlement. Focused on understanding natural law, positivism, historic custom, and human intervention through specific treaties, Grotius’ law of nations has been an inspiration for academics and practitioners of international law for hundreds of years. On the 400th anniversary of that milestone, and during the midst of changing international political, economic, and legal orders, the question remains as to whether Grotius has continued relevance to the modern world. This panel will explore whether and how Grotius’ theories remain relevant to modern international law while considering the insights Grotius can offer practitioners, policymakers, academics, and others involved in negotiating the modern international world order. On the 400th anniversary of that milestone, and during the midst of changing international political, economic, and legal orders, the question remains as to whether Grotius has continued relevance to the modern world. This panel will explore whether and how Grotius’ theories remain relevant to the modern reality of international law while considering the insights Grotius can offer practitioners, policymakers, academics, and others involved in negotiating the modern international world order.

Speakers:

Hina Shamsi, Diane Orentlicher, Marco Basile, Jean Claudy Pierre, Harlan Cohen

International Criminal Law Interest Group Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/18/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/18/2025 11:30:00 AM

Embassy

Description:

The International Criminal Law Interest Group Business Meeting will offer attendees an overview of the group’s activities over the past year, including a recap of events, the announcement of the inaugural ICL IG Prize winner, and a discussion of the winning paper.

Speakers:

Mentoring Q&A: Alison Macdonald KC

Professional Development

4/18/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/18/2025 11:30:00 AM

Cardozo

Description:

Speakers:

Alison Macdonald

The Enduring Partnership of the American Society of and Canadian Council on International Law: A Conversation Between Presidents Hodgson and Côté

Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force

4/18/2025 10:30:00 AM-4/18/2025 11:30:00 AM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

Organized by: the Canadian Council on International Law (CCIL) Canada-United States relations are reeling in the wake of a trade war and related threats of annexation emanating from a new U.S. administration. These developments seem to signal a seismic shift in U.S. foreign policy not just with respect to North American neighbors, but globally. This shift portends an intentional dismantling of the post-WWII international rules-based order largely established by the United States as the “champion of the free world.” Much of that world order and world view has now come into question. Presidents Hodgson and Côté will discuss the contours this new political reality and its implications for international law.

Speakers:

Charles-Emmanuel Côté, Mélida Hodgson, H. Scott (Scott) Fairley

Author Interview: Frédéric Mégret in Conversation with Chimène Keitner

Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force

4/18/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 1:00:00 PM

Columbia 3-4

Description:

Organized by: Brill | Nijhoff This interview explores how interference—far from being simply a violation of sovereignty— can be understood as a constitutive force in international law. From cyber disruptions and election meddling to ideological influence and economic pressure, Mégret challenges us to rethink the meaning of intervention in a world where sovereignty itself is constantly being renegotiated. Together, Keitner and Mégret will examine how power and legal argument shape what counts as interference—and why these debates matter now more than ever. What does it mean to govern on the basis of sovereignty in an international system where what is domestic and what is international has never been more blurred? This event is an invitation to scholars, practitioners, and anyone interested in global politics to engage with one of the most urgent and contested issues in international law today. Mégret’s new book on the topic is entitled Interference in Sovereign Affairs and the Discursive Economy of International Law.

Speakers:

Frédéric Mégret, Chimene Keitner

De-Mythologizing Disruptive Technologies: Continuity and Change in Private International Law for Cross-Border Transactions in the AI Era

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/18/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 1:00:00 PM

Columbia 1-2

Description:

As AI-driven technologies reshape global trade and cross-border transactions, legal discussions often focus on regulatory adaptation. However, while AI introduces novel challenges, many foundational legal principles remain relevant. This session will take a nuanced approach, examining both the evolving and enduring aspects of private international law in an AI-driven global trade environment. This session will explore key issues such as liability in AI-powered medical services, the impact of AI-driven decision-making on consumer rights, and the legal responsibilities of global service providers operating within AI-enhanced supply chains. It will also assess regulatory gaps, jurisdictional conflicts, and the role of private international law in ensuring legal certainty amid technological advancements. Rather than reinforcing the perception of AI as purely disruptive, this session will highlight the importance of distinguishing between stable legal frameworks and those requiring adaptation. By balancing continuity with transformation, participants will gain practical insights into navigating AI-related legal complexities in cross-border transactions. Designed for legal practitioners, scholars, and policymakers, this session will provide informed perspectives and practical strategies for addressing liability concerns, ensuring regulatory compliance, and maintaining legal stability in an evolving technological landscape.

Speakers:

Alex Hao, Jane Winn, David Stewart, Peter Yu, Fadia Tuma Antunes

From Friends To Influencers: Assessing the Role of Amici Curiae In Climate-Related Proceedings

Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution

4/18/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 1:00:00 PM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

Amici curiae have traditionally served the role of “friends of the court.” As climate-related proceedings have gained significant momentum, amici curiae have evolved into influencers who are increasingly shaping the assessment of disputes, whether before international, regional, or domestic courts and tribunals. This panel will explore the evolving role of amici curiae in climate-related cases. It will examine advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights; cases before investor-state arbitration tribunals; and cases before domestic courts. The panel will also study different types of amici curiae in climate-related proceedings, including environmentally-focused non-governmental organizations, industry representatives, indigenous peoples, intergovernmental organizations including United Nations Special Rapporteurs, scientific organizations, and academics. The panel will also investigate the diverse admissibility interpretations of amici briefs in such proceedings and assess whether such actors have effectively advanced the enforcement of climate-related rights and obligations, including the recently acknowledged human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

Speakers:

Nikki Reisch, Myanna Dellinger, Ceyda Knoebel, Juan Ernesto Mendez, Tibisay Morgandi

Frontiers of Gender Equality

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/18/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 1:00:00 PM

Fairchild East/West

Description:

Join WILIG for its presentation of the 2025 ASIL WILIG Scholarship Prize to Prof. Rebecca J. Cook for her edited volume, Frontiers of Gender Equality: Transnational Legal Perspectives. This will be followed by a lively discussion with Prof. Cook about the creation and continuing relevance of Frontiers of Gender Equality. All are welcome!

Speakers:

Global Justice in Court: Fair Trial or Legal Imperialism?

Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution

4/18/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 1:00:00 PM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

International human rights courts and treaty bodies aim to provide justice to marginalized communities, but do they promote fairness or reinforce legal imperialism? This debate will examine whether the International Court of Justice (ICJ), regional human rights courts, and arbitration mechanisms effectively address human rights violations or disproportionately reflect Western legal traditions. Should international dispute resolution forums apply universal human rights norms or allow for cultural and legal pluralism? What role do minority and Global South voices play in shaping jurisprudence at international courts and tribunals? Speakers may also analyze recent cases, such as genocide claims before the ICJ, investor-state arbitration over human rights violations, and corporate accountability suits in global courts, to assess whether international dispute resolution enhances access to justice or merely reinforces existing power dynamics.

Speakers:

Yasmine Chubin, Shaw Drake, Viren Mascarenhas, Eva Buzo

Intellectual Property Law Interest Group Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/18/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 1:00:00 PM

Dupont

Description:

The will hold its annual business meeting on April 18th from 12 - 1 pm at the ASIL annual meeting. The meeting will be hybrid and we will circulate a Zoom link on the IPLIG listserv. To request a link, please email Mary Ann McGrail at lawofficeofmamcgrail@gmail.com. Anyone interested in invited to attend. Agenda items; Introduction of the newly elected Co-Chair of IPLIG, Maria Vasquez who will be taking over from outgoing Co-Chair Mary Ann McGrail (who will join the Advisory Board) We have established a new award for Best Publication in the field of International Intellectual Property - the award for 2024 will be given at the annual meeting We will introduce two new officers, Felipe de Andrade, Vice-Chair for Programs, and Maria Luisa Mauricio, Vice-Chair for Membership Engagement. New Officer positions will be created We will recap programming from last year, and invite suggestions for programs for the upcoming year. Any other business attendees may wish to raise. All Are Welcome.

Speakers:

Mentoring Q&A: Jennifer Marcovitz

Professional Development

4/18/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 1:00:00 PM

Cardozo

Description:

Speakers:

Jennifer Marcovitz

The Temporal Limits of Armed Conflict: Indefinite NIACs, Forever Wars, and Prolonged Occupation

Track 1: International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice

4/18/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 1:00:00 PM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

The nature and duration of conflict is changing. From the War on Terror to the conflict in Sudan, forever wars and indefinite NIACs show no signs of abating. Inter-state war has returned and following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, assumes a similar pattern, cycling between moments of low and high-intensity conflict. Most recently, the ICJ held in Legal Consequences Arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory that a now 58-year long occupation is illegal and must end, raising further questions about the temporal limits of the various legal frameworks that regulate armed conflict and its consequences. Today’s world features novel challenges and longstanding debates about when IHL—and the prohibitions and allowances it provides—ceases to apply. From the seminal decision in Prosecutor v. Tadic which articulated the peaceful settlement standard to determine the end of a NIAC to enduring debates about when and how an occupation must end, questions regarding IHL’s temporal scope remain unsettled. Panelists will discuss approaches to determining the end of IHL’s application in diverse scenarios and consider whether existing legal frameworks are sufficient to regulate contemporary, never-ending conflicts.

Speakers:

Yael Ronen, Alka Pradhan, Ian Hurd, Omar Yousef Shehabi, Lakmini Seneviratne

Theory Forum, hosted by the International Legal Theory Interest Group

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/18/2025 12:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 1:00:00 PM

Embassy

Description:

The International Legal Theory interest group is hosting its second annual Theory Forum, open to all Annual Meeting attendees. The Forum is a mini workshop of three unpublished projects that develop claims related to international legal theory, broadly construed. Audience feedback will be welcomed. Presenting authors were selected through a call for papers and include Sannoy Das of Vanderbilt Law School, presenting “Unilateralism, Domestic Stability, and the Foundations of International Order,” Weijia Rao of Boston University School of Law, presenting “Signaling through National Security Lawmaking,” and Melissa Stewart of the University of Hawai’i Richardson School of Law, presenting “Statelessness and the Risk of Genocide.”

Break

EiC (Editors-in Chief) Roundtable [by invitation only]

Ancillary Events

4/18/2025 1:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 2:00:00 PM

Kalorama

Description:

By invitation only. In recognition of the important role that student-edited international law journals play in the dissemination of international legal scholarship, the Society hosts an annual International Law Review Editor Roundtable. This Roundtable will discuss key issues around legal scholarship, including: selecting great topics that might be more relevant to the various audiences of law journals, including scholars and practitioners; how international law journals can be more effective at soliciting and/or selecting relevant pieces of international legal scholarship; and how to work with authors (who may have different cultural perspectives) to successfully publish their pieces. The Roundtable will be facilitated by international law experts as well as sitting editors-in-chief of law student-run international law journals. The Society invites current students and recent graduates interested in the process of scholarship and publication in international law to connect with their peers and distinguished scholars and practitioners.

Prominent Woman in International Law (WILIG Luncheon - separate ticket required)

Receptions & Luncheons

4/18/2025 1:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 2:30:00 PM

International Terrace West

Description:

Tickets for this event must be purchased separately with registration The Prominent Woman in International Law Award is awarded annually by the Women in International Law Interest Group in recognition of a woman recipient’s contribution to the development of international law.

Speakers:

Viviana Krsticevic

Share Your Views on Gender Justice and International Law (video interviews)

Ancillary Events

4/18/2025 1:45:00 PM-4/18/2025 4:00:00 PM

Northwest

Description:

ASIL Annual Meeting participants are warmly invited to share their views on gender justice and international law and institutions, as part of ASIL’s Signature Topic on Advancing Gender Justice. Brief recorded interviews (maximum 10 minutes per person) will be conducted by Student Fellows of the University of Baltimore School of Law’s Center for International and Comparative Law in the room ‘Northwest’ (located on the Lobby Level), on Thursday, April 17 and Friday, April 18. Interviews will cover the following topics: What does gender justice mean to you? What are the main obstacles to achieving gender justice in international law and institutions? How do we overcome those obstacles? These recordings, like the rest of the Advancing Gender Justice initiative, are intended to spark dialogue on these important topics and may be posted on ASIL’s Signature Topic website and shared in a future Advancing Gender Justice video or event.

Algorithms, Avatars, and the Remaking of Warfare

Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force

4/18/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

The Internet Age has wrought fundamental changes to the law of warfare and living through armed conflicts. This panel considers how novel technology—including Artificial Intelligence, AI-derivative algorithms, and drone technology—influences state military decisions, impacts the daily lives of private citizens, and requires reconsideration of how to regulate the use of force. Taking a practical approach focusing on ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine, this roundtable identifies how AI and other technologies provide military decision-makers with real-time actionable data facilitating rapid responses with real-world consequences. Yet, as AI is far from perfect, errors can lead to inaccurate virtual representations of people and spaces about actual ground conditions, which can improperly skew the information available to military decision-makers making life and death decisions. Beyond technical errors or other AI design limitations, the reality of human decision-making and cognitive illusions create further challenges for human judgment under pressure. Recognizing the difficulty of human-machine interactions, speakers will explore how to improve human-machine collaboration, reduce risk of error in decision-making, and enhance compliance with international humanitarian law. The objective is to aid the evolution of the law of warfare by integrating advanced technology with humanitarian principles to enhance sound and ethical decision-making.

Speakers:

Loren Voss, Shiri Krebs, Michael Sulmeyer, Nicol Turner Lee

Global Health Law Interest Group Business Meeting: Updates from the Field

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/18/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 3:00:00 PM

Embassy

Description:

Join us for the Global Health Law Interest Group (GHLIG)’s second annual business meeting. The IG invites all members as well as other ASIL attendees wishing to learn more about the field of global health law to join for a conversation about the future of global health in international law. The meeting will begin with a brief overview of the past and future activities of the GHLIG, including updates on new IG leadership and the winner of the 2024 Global Health Law Student Essay Competition, followed by a fireside chat with Peter Maybarduk of Public Citizen, who will share updates on the state of global health in light of recent US funding cuts. IG members will also be invited to present on their latest projects related to global health as well as share their ideas for possible future collaborations with the GHLIG.

Speakers:

Mentoring Q&A: Vladyslav Lanovoy

Professional Development

4/18/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 3:00:00 PM

Cardozo

Description:

Speakers:

Vladyslav Lanovoy

Midwest Chapter Business Meeting: The Trump Administration and International Law: Sanctions and Tariffs and Their Impact on the Midwest

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/18/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 3:00:00 PM

Fairchild East/West

Description:

Panelists will discuss and assess the impact that Trump Administration policies, such as tariffs on imported goods from specific countries, as well as sanctions against international law institutions or individuals, have had on the Midwest. Panelists will specifically focus on tariffs against the import of Chinese goods and tariffs against the import of Canadian goods on the Midwest’s economy and manufacturing sector. In addition, panelists will focus on the impact of sanctions against the ICC on the ability of Midwestern scholars and academics to continue to engage with the ICC and support the ICC. Finally, panelists will more generally discuss how/whether the Midwest will be affected by Trump Administration policies. Michael Kelly, Creighton University Law School Craig Martin, Washburn University Law School Milena Sterio, Cleveland State University College of Law Shaoxuan Xu, NYU Law School, LLM Candidate

Speakers:

Precolonial Histories of International Law in Africa

Track 4: International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health

4/18/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

This panel will bring together collaborators working on a forthcoming volume on the precolonial history of international law in Africa. The volume responds to the paucity of systematic and primary-source-driven research into the legal and institutional design of international relations in the years preceding European colonialism in Africa. Despite this gap in the literature, claims about the precolonial African international legal history are commonplace, particularly in debates over the proper place of the continent in the international legal system. Panelists will speak to various research projects that excavate the complex history of international legal norms, practices, and institutions in Africa. Through engagement of primary sources existing historiography, the panel will interrogate how African polities and communities navigated relations across political and cultural boundaries, regulated trade, resolved conflicts, and established forms of legal order. By illuminating this understudied history, the panel will not only broaden our understanding of the development of international law and challenge Eurocentric narratives about its origins but also feature and invite debate about the challenges and possibilities of recovering the histories of international law in precolonial Africa.

Speakers:

Ntombizozuko Dyani-Mhango, Rabiat Akande, Obiora Okafor, Idriss Fofana, James Gathii

Protecting Sustainable Investment in a Riskier World: The Role of Political Risk Insurance

Track 6: Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development

4/18/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

Similar to international investment protection agreements, political risk insurance (PRI) protects investors against losses suffered at the hands of foreign governments (such as expropriation, contract repudiation, or non-payment of arbitral awards) as well as against armed conflict. PRI can be purchased from private insurers, multilateral institutions such as the World Bank Group’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), or dedicated national agencies like the Development Finance Cooperation. Little known to many international lawyers, but coveted by states and investors alike, PRI is increasingly everywhere you look. War risk insurance supported by the G7 helped channel much-needed foreign investment into Ukraine. Debt-for-nature swaps rely on PRI against the non-payment of arbitral awards to refinance billions of dollars in developing countries’ sovereign debt and to free up funds to support nature conservation in the process. PRI is vital for derisking investment in the green transition, and plays a crucial role in diversifying supply chains and supporting geo-economic ambitions, such as China’s Belt and Road Initiative. With the world in transition and risks abounding, the role of PRI is only likely to grow further. This panel takes stock of the growth of PRI and explores the legal and governance dimensions that underpin its success and limitations.

Speakers:

Kenneth Hansen, Wolfgang Alschner, Hoda Moustafa, Marlena Hurley

The International Anti-Corruption Court: Debate on Feasibility and Potential Effectiveness

Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution

4/18/2025 2:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 3:00:00 PM

Columbia 3-4

Description:

The plight of grand corruption undermines democratic institutions, hinders economic development, and fuels inequality. In times of armed conflict, grand corruption siphons life-saving aid away from the communities that crucially need it. In times of relative peace, grand corruption is wielded by oligarchs to enrich themselves and weaken public opposition. In response, international actors have suggested many would-be solutions. One proposal that has gained some traction is the creation of a new international court, named the International Anti-Corruption Court (IACC). Although some steps toward establishing the legal framework for the IACC are underway, it is unclear whether the proposal will ever gain enough support by state governments to advance further. This panel will serve to shed light on the IACC’s potential mandate and jurisdiction, the pros and cons of such an endeavor, and the potentially rocky road the ratification. Where do the efforts to establish the IACC stand in 2025? What is grand corruption and what types of cases would fall within the IACC’s jurisdiction? Finally, are existing anti-corruption enforcement mechanisms unfit to prosecute grand corruption?

Speakers:

Bruce Swartz, Kevin Davis, Rebecca Shoot, Marielle Vavier, Nickolas Eburne

Coffee Break

International Development Law Interest Group Meeting

IG Meetings/Sessions

4/18/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/18/2025 4:30:00 PM

Fairchild East/West

Description:

This meeting is the launch of ASIL’s new International Development Law Interest Group. This group will provide two basic functions. The first is to establish a discussion forum in which ASIL members can discuss how international laws and policies apply to, affect. or are influenced by the IFIs and development-related entities. The issues that the group will seek to address in its activities will include the rich array of challenging legal issues that arise within the public and private international law roles of IFIs and development actors. Among these issues are questions of immunity to such operational questions as helping the international community deal with complex challenges like climate change, poverty and inequality and in promoting sustainable economic growth and human, environmental and social rights. The second is to establish a learning forum for lawyers who aspire to have a career in the field of development and/or with the IFIs, as well as to understand how these organizations engage in large scale international public and private commercial transactions. The purpose of the inaugural meeting is to discuss how the interest group can best serve these functions and to set out a work program for 2025”

Speakers:

Is the International Court of Justice in Need of Reform?

Track 2: Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution

4/18/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/18/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 9-10

Description:

The International Court of Justice has recently seen a noticeable uptick in usage by States and international organizations, with several of the cases coming before the court being notable for the attention they have garnered in political circles and in the mainstream press. States appear more willing than ever to entrust the ICJ with particularly significant, controversial, and high-profile matters, which has led to the busiest time-period in the Court’s history. However, the number and nature of the cases pending before the Court raises questions regarding the adequacy of its working methods, the existence and exercise of its jurisdiction, the effectiveness of incidental proceedings, and questions of compliance. The panel will take on three issues relating to the Court’s work that remain under scrutiny and propose, if any, a way forward. First, the adequacy of the threshold for provisional measures and their (in)effectiveness in recent cases. Second, the need to review the criteria for determining questions of jurisdiction and admissibility in the context of entrepreneurial litigation, shoehorning, and obligations owed erga omnes. Third, the use of third-party interventions as a tool of political support.

Speakers:

Alison Macdonald, Pierre d’Argent, Janina Barkholdt, Michael Wood

Late Breaking Panel: The Trump Administration and International Law 2.0: A Conversation with Harold Hongju Koh

Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force

4/18/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/18/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

The American Society of International Law’s recent statement on the International Rule of Law identified that, historically, the “United States has led the world in constructing an international legal framework that reflects American values, nurturing broader peace and prosperity.” While the United States’ relationship with international law has waxed and waned over time, this “fireside chat” with Harold Hongju Koh, the Sterling Professor of International Law at Yale Law School and the 22nd Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State, offers an opportunity for Professor Koh to reconsider his 2018 book, The Trump Administration and International Law. In keeping with the Annual Meeting’s theme of “Traditions and Transitions in International Law,” Penn Carey Law Professor William Burke-White will engage Professor Koh in a conversation that explores the shifts within the global arena and re-considers the United States’ relationship with International Law. This session will provide an opportunity for ASIL members to use technology, namely the Annual Meeting App, to submit questions for consideration to add to the “fireside chat” and foster an interactive dialogue.

Speakers:

William Burke-White, Harold Hongju Koh

Mentoring Q&A: Diem Huong Ho

Professional Development

4/18/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/18/2025 4:30:00 PM

Cardozo

Description:

Speakers:

Diem Huong Ho

Speaking Truth to Power on the Brink of Armed Conflict

Track 5: Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force

4/18/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/18/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 11-12

Description:

The world is witnessing a resurgence in inter-state armed conflict. The legality of such armed conflicts is governed by jus ad bellum - an area of law that many international lawyers have deep familiarity with. But how is legal advice in this area actually given and received in practice? States set up their legal advising on this issue in different ways. Acknowledging these differences, this panel seeks to understand, in concrete terms, the way that legal advice on jus ad bellum is developed, communicated, received, and accepted (or not) inside governments. What can examples of past practice tell us about the process of advising on jus ad bellum when important decisions must be taken in real time?

Speakers:

Srinivas Burra, Douglas Wilson, Chimene Keitner, Tess Bridgeman, Namira Negm

Taxing Times for Energy Investment

Track 3: International Trade, Investment, Finance, and Tax

4/18/2025 3:30:00 PM-4/18/2025 4:30:00 PM

Columbia 1-2

Description:

Governments around the world have introduced various incentives to encourage international investment. Some of these involve domestic business law, subsidies, and tax policy. Others provide actionable claims against state conduct that violates treaty undertakings, such as the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), which has generated some $36 billion in awards against signatory states respecting renewable energy and fossil fuel investments. These awards prompted the EU and several European countries to announce their intent to leave the ECT, thus removing one tool in the quest to attract international investment. But recent developments in international tax add a complication. Specifically, a new multilateral tax initiative focuses on reducing tax competition and introducing a global “minimum tax” system that seeks to ensure multinational corporations face a 15 % tax floor wherever they operate. This initiative threatens to cancel out the value of domestic tax incentives and subsidies, accelerates potential trade wars, and generates practical problems for States seeking the benefits of investment in the energy sector and beyond. This panel draws upon the perspectives of the Global South, Global North, NGOs, academics, and practitioners to explore this conundrum and the challenge of balancing international tax and investment policy in the energy sector.

Speakers:

Kudzai Mataba, Jarrod Wong, Jaroslav Kudrna, Vanessa Rivas Plata, Gaela Gehring Flores

The Hague Closing Plenary - Can Arms Trade bring about Peace?

Keynotes & Plenaries

4/18/2025 5:00:00 PM-4/18/2025 6:30:00 PM

Columbia 5-8

Description:

Sponsored by: the Municipality of The Hague and organized by the T.M.C. Asser Institute As conflicts worldwide intensify or harden into a stalemate, arms transfers and weapons procurement have reached record highs across industrialized states. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, military expenditure has soared in top arms exporting countries, but also in every other region of the world. International law provides for state and corporate responsibility for wrongful weapons transfers through prohibitions and risk prevention measures. However, the advent of supply chain accountability has revealed the limitations of the traditional framework. As the conflict in Israel/Palestine has made clear, the global arms trade regime lacks comprehensive due diligence and transparency obligations that would contribute to preventing downstream damage such as human rights abuses, violations of international humanitarian law and environmental degradation. Moreover, conventional weaponry, including technology, is increasingly being used in non-traditional ways by states and non-state actors. This panel will therefore ask whether international law is fit for purpose to address risk prevention and misconduct for wrongful or negligent arms transfers. How, for instance, should one strike the balance between ensuring security and preventing potential adverse impacts? What alternative modes of liability are available outside purely international modes of dispute settlement? Do transnational supply chain accountability mechanisms offer a way forward? Ultimately, participants will be invited to reflect on whether the arms trade can contribute to meaningful and lasting peace.Sponsored by: the Municipality of The Hague and organized by the T.M.C. Asser Institute

Speakers:

León Castellanos-Jankiewicz, Leila Sadat, Allison McManus, Lana Baydas, Josh Paul

L Reception (by invitation)

The Hague Closing Reception