In association with the International Commission of Jurists

Recent Posts

22 Jul

[Jens Iverson is an assistant professor of international law at Leiden University] The Iranian Non-proliferation Problem: Where to Enrich? The main sticking point for a nuclear non-proliferation deal with Iran is domestic uranium enrichment. It seems intractable: but it might not be.  Iran has been clear that it is open to a new deal, but insists it must be able to enrich uranium...

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22 Jul

[Erard de Schaetzen is pursuing a masters in public international law at Utrecht University] In March 2023, Vanuatu’s initiative led the UN General Assembly to adopt a Resolution requesting an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on defining States’ obligations regarding climate change, and the legal consequences arising from their breach. Since then, proceedings before the “World Court”...

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22 Jul

[Jasmin Lilian Diab is an Assistant Professor, and Director at the Institute for Migration Studies, at the Lebanese American University] Introduction The language of war is often wielded as a tool of obfuscation, sanitizing acts of violence and displacement under the guise of protection. Nowhere is this more evident than in the forced displacements in South Lebanon amid the Israel-Hezbollah conflict since...

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21 Jul

[Dr Nina Araneta-Alana (she/her) is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Australian National University (ANU) under an ARC fellowship, where her research examines state engagement with and backlash against the international legal order] The arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte by the International Criminal Court (ICC) is a moment of rare consequence in the often-elusive pursuit of accountability for heads of...

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21 Jul

[Jane Ezirigwe is a G.F Henderson Fellow at the Human Rights Research and Education Centre, University of Ottawa and an associate professor of law at the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies] Introduction  Allegations of double standards frequently surface in multilateral forums, influencing debates on diverse issues, ranging from the Security Council’s role in maintaining international peace to the fairness of climate...

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21 Jul

[Dr Carlotta Manz defended her doctoral thesis in international public law in 2024 at the University of Lausanne and is now a postdoctoral researcher at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel] In 2025, genetic testing continues to raise pressing legal concerns. For instance, when 23andMe – the company that brought us at-home genetic tests – filed for bankruptcy, attention largely focused on privacy...

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20 Jul

To have your event or announcement featured in next week’s post, please send a link and a brief description (1-2 paragraphs) to ojeventsandannouncements@gmail.com. Announcements New additions to the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law (AVL): The Codification Division of the Office of Legal Affairs recently added the following materials to the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law: two lectures in English and Spanish on  “Ten...

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18 Jul

[Lisa Davis is the senior associate dean of Clinical Programs & professor of law at CUNY Law School, and the ICC special adviser on Gender and Other Discriminatory Crimes. Kirby Anwar is a senior legal fellow at Human Rights and Gender Justice Clinic, CUNY School of Law, senior legal advisor at MADRE and member of the Gender Persecution in Afghanistan Accountability Working...

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18 Jul

[Dr Sarah Katharina Stein, LL.M. (Columbia) is a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Crime, Security and Law in Freiburg, Germany. She holds a PhD focussing on public international law and PMSCs from Ludwigs-Maximilans-University Munich.] Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) have been part of the global security architecture for some while now, however, they still outpace the...

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18 Jul

[Ara Marcén Naval is a Spanish human rights advocate and policy expert with over 20 years of experience working at the intersection of conflict, human rights, corruption, and accountability. She has advised governments, UN agencies, and civil society organisations, and recently contributed to international efforts to regulate private military and security companies.] In today’s wars, power wears a suit and profit pulls...

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18 Jul

[Adrián Agenjo is a Clerk at the Constitutional Court of Spain] The views expressed in this article are the author’s alone and do not represent any institutional affiliation. The increasing presence of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) in modern conflict- zones has prompted critical questions regarding accountability, particularly when personnel from these entities commit international crimes. Who is held responsible for their actions? This article argues...

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17 Jul

[Darío Bürky Arellano holds an MA in International Law from the Geneva Graduate Institute] On 6 May 2025, a new bill was presented to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine: the “Draft Law on International Activities of Private Law Legal Entities in the Military and Security Spheres” (“Draft Law on PMSCs”). The proposal was referred to the parliament’s Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, and...

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