Grotius Centre Staff attend ESIL Annual Conference in Aix-en-Provence
A large delegation from Leiden University’s Grotius Centre attended the annual conference of the European Society of International Law (ESIL) in Aix-en-Provence from 31 August to 2 September 2023. Staff members presented their research on various topics, adding to the scholarly discussion surrounding the main theme of this year’s conference: Is International Law Fair?
As in previous years, staff members from Leiden University actively participated at the annual conference of ESIL, of which Dr Daniel Peat has served as a Board member since 2022. This year, various staff members were invited to speak and participate in different fora and agora of the main conference: Dr Brian McGarry presented his paper, titled ‘Balancing Three Plates on the Scales of Justice: Intervention and Procedural Fairness in Inter-State Litigation’ at the Agora on Fairness and International Litigation on 1 September 2023. Similarly, Professor Carsten Stahn gave a presentation on the topic ‘Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose? Impunity Discourse and Typologies of Victor’s (In)Justice from WWII to Ukraine’ at the Agora on Conceptualizing Fairness and International Criminal Justice on 1 September 2023. Both presentations were well-received and stimulated thought-provoking discussions both among panellists as well as with the audience.
Grotius staff members and PhD researchers were also members of various ESIL interest groups, which covered a wide range of research interests, ranging from International Economic Law to Peace and Security, and the History of International Law. Dr Anna-Alexandra Marhold was the co-convenor of the workshop of the ESIL International Economic Law Interest Group in 2023. She chaired the second session, which discussed the different facets of fairness in International Trade Law. Amongst others, Runar Lie presented his paper in this workshop, titled 'Ghosts of the Past: The Dominance of Older Treaty Language in International Investment Arbitration', which was subsequently awarded the ESIL Young Scholar Prize of 2023; Dr Cecily Rose chaired an interest group workshop on ‘New International Courts and Tribunals’. The first panel focused on new institutions and methods in the areas of the environment and the law of the sea, namely proposals for an international court for the environment and the dispute settlement provisions of the BBNJ Treaty. The second panel focused on new institutions in business and human rights, investment, and trade; namely the Meta/Facebook Oversight Board, the WTO’s MPIA (multi-party interim appeal arbitration arrangement), and the proposal for a multilateral investment court. Cecily organized the event with the other co-conveners of the ESIL interest group on international courts and tribunals, Michael Becker, Stephan Wittich, and Yusra Suedi.
At the same time, two Grotius PhD candidates presented their research on two different topics: Ms Ida Asscher LL.M. presented her paper, titled ‘Buck-Passing through the deprivation of nationality: an unfair practice regulated by international law’ at the Peace and Security Interest Group on 31 August 2023. On 31 August 2023, Mr Ocean Lam LL.M. presented his paper, ‘Unequal Treaties: Revisiting China’s approaches toward colonial injustice’ at the ESIL Interest Group on the History of International Law. Both presentations showcased the wide spectrum of research conducted within the Grotius Centre to the academic audience. It also allowed early-career scholars to receive useful and constructive feedback from their academic peers and build useful connections amongst scholars based in different parts of Europe who nonetheless shared similar research interests.
Apart from engaging in scholarly discussions, Grotius staff members and researchers also enjoyed a strong presence at various activities organised by the ESIL and l’université d’Aix-Marseille in the beautiful city of Aix-en-Provence. Activities included the Early-Career Drinks on the terrace of Le Vieux Tonneau on 31 August 2023 and the conference dinner at the Aquabella restaurant, located in the central part of the old town on 1 September 2023. All members of the Grotius delegation wish to extend our sincere gratitude to the organisers for this unforgettable experience!