Galway

Go On! Update, ICC Summer School 2015 (deadline 30 May)

/ Karen Hoffmann / Leave a comment

We’ve posted previously about this year’s ICC Summer School from 15-19 June 2015 at the Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway. Here is an update, with the full list of faculty:

The ICC Summer School at the Irish Centre for Human Rights is the premier summer school on the International Criminal Court, the world’s permanent institution for the trial of international crimes. This year’s ICC Summer School will take place from 15-19 June 2015 at NUI Galway, Ireland. The Summer School comprises a series of intensive and interactive lectures over five days given by leading academics and legal professionals working at the International Criminal Court. Participants are provided with a detailed working knowledge of the establishment of the Court, its structures, operations, and applicable law. Specific topics covered include international crimes (genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity & aggression), jurisdiction, modes of liability, the role of victims and prosecutorial discretion. This year’s Summer School will include a special session on Palestine and the International Criminal Court, which will involve the participation of the Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland, Ambassador Ahmad Abdelrazek. The Summer School is suited to postgraduate students, legal professionals, journalists and staff of civil society or intergovernmental organisations.

The 2015 ICC Summer School faculty includes:

  • Professor William Schabas – Middlesex University & Irish Centre for Human Rights
  • Professor Kevin Jon Heller – School of Oriental and African Studies, London
  • Dr. Fabricio Guariglia – Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court
  • Dr. Mohamed M. El Zeidy – Pre-Trial Chamber II at the International Criminal Court
  • Dr. Rod Rastan – Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court
  • Professor Ray Murphy – Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway
  • Professor Don Ferencz, Visiting Professor, School of Law, Middlesex University; Research Associate, Oxford University Faculty of Law Centre for Criminology
  • Dr. Kwadwo Appiagyei Atua – University of Ghana and University of Lincoln
  • Dr. Michael Kearney – School of Law, Sussex University
  • Dr. Noelle Higgins – Senior Lecturer, Law Department Maynooth University
  • Ms. Salma Karmi-Ayyoub – Barrister, London
  • Dr. Nadia Bernaz – School of Law, Middlesex University
  • Mr. John McManus – Canadian Department of Justice
  • Professor Megan A. Fairlie – Florida International University
  • Dr. Mohamed Badar – Northumbria University, United Kingdom
  • Dr. Shane Darcy – Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway

The closing date for registrations is 30 May 2015. The registration fee (€450) includes all course materials, all lunches and refreshments, a social activity and a closing dinner. The registration fee also includes a complimentary copy of: William A. Schabas, Introduction to the International Criminal Court (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2011, 4th ed.).

To register and for more information, please visit: http://www.conference.ie/Conferences/index.asp?Conference=405.

Should you have any queries, please email: iccsummerschool@gmail.com.

Go On! 7th International Disability Law Summer School, Galway, 22–26 June 2015

/ Karen Hoffmann / Leave a comment

The Centre for Disability Law and Policy at NUI Galway has announced that it will hold the 7th International Disability Law Summer School from June 22-26, 2015. The theme will be Disability-Inclusive Development Aid.

The purpose of this five-day International Disability Summer School is to equip participants with the insights and skills necessary to translate the generalities of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into tangible reform for persons with disabilities. The core focus of this year will be on Human Rights and Disability-Inclusive Development.

We look forward, as usual, to a world-class Faculty and participants from around the globe including persons with disabilities, civil society groups, advocates for disability law reform, lawyers, policy makers and policy analysts.
In 2014, the summer school attracted over 100 participants from 39 different countries – from Africa, Asia, Latin America and China. We believe it is the biggest such event in the world.

In keeping with the practical orientation of the Summer School there will be a Moot Court competition based on a problem disseminated at the beginning of the Summer School and culminating in a mock court at the end. All participants are expected to be involved at some level. 

The aim is to provide the participants with a forum to sharpen their argumentative strategies based on the CRPD and to identify weaknesses as well as strengths in the different argumentative approaches. Delegates will be mentored throughout the week in crafting their arguments by the international Faculty. The participants will demonstrate what they have learnt in arguing before a mock UN Committee.

Prior legal knowledge or experience is not required for attending. The fee is 330 euros. 

For more information and to register, visit http://www.nuigalway.ie/cdlp/Summer_School_2015/summer_school_2015_info.html.

Go On! Galway International Summer School – Arts and Human Rights

/ Karen Hoffmann / Leave a comment

UPDATE:

Because we have recently received further funding, we are delighted to be able to announce that the fee has been dropped by 50% to €175, fully inclusive of lunches and refreshments. Registration can be made online:http://conference.ie/Conferences/AddRegistration.asp?Conference=418.

We are also inviting the submission of papers, posters, performance, or visual art pieces for the Summer School. A selection of submissions will be invited for inclusion in the peer-reviewed conference proceedings to be published by an international academic publisher in 2016. Please find further information on our website: http://conference.ie/Conferences/menu.asp?menu=1882&Conference=418.
Further information on the Summer School, including the programme and profile of the speakers, can be found on our website: http://conference.ie/Conferences/index.asp?Conference=418. You can follow us on Twitter @AHRGalway or on our Facebook page for further updates.

The first Galway International Summer School on the Arts and Human Rights will take place from 9–11 July 2015 in National University of Ireland, Galway. Co-directed by Prof Michael O’Flaherty, Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights, and Dr Dominique Bouchard, Curator at the Hunt Museum, it will bring together arts practitioners with human rights activists and scholars to explore their shared space. Events will take the form of panel discussions, exhibitions and performances.

The global theme for 2015 will be “Belonging”. The Summer School will consist of keynote addresses, plenary discussions, and themed discussions on three parallel tracks – literature and human rights; the visual arts and human rights; and music and human rights. The opening speaker will be the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Cultural Rights, Farida Shaheed.

Other speakers and panelists include:

·  Jennifer Johnston, Novelist, winner of the Whitbread book award;

·  Manfred Nowak, Scientific Director of the Ludwig Boltzmann Institut für Menschenrechte, former United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture and judge at the Human Rights Chamber for Bosnia and Herzegovina;

·  Susan McKay, Journalist;

·  Sarah Joseph, Director of the Castan Centre for Human Rights Law, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia;

·  Kateřina Šedá, Artist;

·  Vincent Woods, Poet and playwright;

·  Lelia Doolan, Film producer, former artistic director of the Abbey Theatre.

·  Rita Duffy, Artist;

·  Dominic Thorpe, Artist;

·  Mary Lawlor, Front Line Defenders

·  Neil Jarman, Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation and Social Justice, Queen’s University Belfast;

·  Barbora Bukovska, Senior Director for Law, Article 19;

·  Vered Cohen Barzilay, Director, Novel Rights;

·  Paul Seawright, Artist, Professor of Photography, University of Ulster;

·  Bob Collins, Chairman of the Board of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland;

·  Guido Gryseels, Director, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Brussels, Belgium;

·  Rod Stoneman, Director, Huston School of Film & Digital Media, National University of Ireland, Galway;

·  David Petrasek, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa, Canada;

·  Julian Fifer, Musicians for Human Rights.

Galway is a thriving cultural centre at the edge of the Atlantic and is the gateway to some of Ireland’s most beautiful scenery.  The Summer School immediately precedes the world famous Galway International Arts Festival.

Registration costs €350, but a reduced early bird registration fee of €290 is available until 31 March 2015.

For more information please visit http://conference.ie/ or email artsandhumanrights@gmail.com.

Find attached the provisional Summer School Arts & Human Rights Programme.

Go On! ICC Summer School at Irish Centre for Human Rights (early bird deadline 31 March)

/ Karen Hoffmann / 2 Comments

The 2015 International Criminal Court Summer School will take place at the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland Galway from 15–19 June 2015.

The annual International Criminal Court Summer School is the premiere summer school specializing on the International Criminal Court. The summer school allows participants the opportunity to attend a series of intensive lectures over five days. The lectures are given by leading academics on the subject and by legal professionals working at the International Criminal Court. The summer school is attended by legal professionals, academics, postgraduate students and NGOs. Participants are provided with a detailed working knowledge of the establishment of the Court, its structures and operations, and the applicable law. Participants are also given the opportunity to network with the speakers throughout the week. Lectures also speak to related issues in international criminal law, including: genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, the crime of aggression, universal jurisdiction, immunities, and the role of victims.

The list of speakers at the 2015 ICC Summer School has yet to be confirmed. The list of speakers at the 2014 ICC Summer School included:

  • Professor William Schabas – Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, NUI Galway and School of Law, Middlesex University
  • Mr. Fabricio Guariglia – Appeals Division of the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court
  • Dr. Mohamed M. El Zeidy – Pre-Trial Chamber II at the International Criminal Court
  • Dr. Rod Rastan – Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court
  • Professor Ray Murphy – Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, NUI Galway
  • Dr. Noelle Higgins – Irish Centre for Human Rights, School of Law, NUI Galway
  • Dr. Shane Darcy – Irish Centre for Human Rights, NUI Galway
  • Dr. Nadia Bernaz – School of Law, Middlesex University
  • Mr. John McManus – Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Section, Canadian Department of Justice
  • Professor Megan A. Fairlie – Florida International University
  • Dr. Mohamed Badar – Northumbria University, United Kingdom
  • Professor Donald M. Ferencz – Middlesex University School of Law, London
  • Dr. Kwadwo Appiagyei Atua – University of Ghana and University of Lincoln

An early bird registration fee of €400 is available for delegates who register before 31 March 2015, with the fee for registrations after that date being €450. The registration fee includes all course materials, all lunches and refreshments, a social activity and a closing dinner. A limited number of scholarships are available.

To register and for more information regarding the 2015 ICC Summer School, please visit: http://www.conference.ie/Conferences/index.asp?Conference=405.

Write On! Call for Papers: ‘Taming Power in Times of Globalization: What Role for Human Rights?’ (deadline 15 March)

/ Karen Hoffmann / Leave a comment

The Irish Centre for Human Rights, National University of Ireland, Galway, has issued a Call for Papers for their conference-workshop “Taming Power in Times of Globalization: What Role for Human Rights?” The conference will take place Nov. 30-Dec. 1, 2015. From their announcement:

The ways power is exercised today at the global level seems to be qualitatively different, demanding new responses from international law and other relevant disciplines. In particular, it seems that today the exercise of power at the global level is less controllable, less subject to restraints and checks than some decades ago. Global governance, international or global constitutionalism, legal pluralism are terms indicating some of the ways developed in the scholarship to comprehend, analyse and respond to challenges posed by the contemporary forms of exercise of power at the global level.

Human rights are featured prominently in the Western thought as hallmarks of protection of individuals against the arbitrary exercise of power.

Human rights form today a core of any Western constitutional order. However, the role of international human rights as mechanisms for controlling exercise of power at the global level is articulated only rudimentarily. The conference aims at providing a forum for discussion about the place of human rights in current discourses on globalization. Instead of assuming that human rights are a proof of the possibility to control power at the global level, the conference aims at examining this premise from a variety of perspectives.

The following are some of the questions the organizers would like to see addressed:

  • What human rights are part of international constitutional order?
  • How legal pluralism/ global governance/ various theories of constitutionalism conceive the role of human rights as a mechanism for limiting exercise of power at the global level?
  • What are the consequences of different answers?
  • How precisely, human rights as guarantees against arbitrary exercise of power, function within different visions?
  • Are there any alternatives available to the human rights language?
  • Can other mechanisms of control over arbitrary exercise of power at the international / global level be imagined?

Contributions can address these and other related issues from a variety of perspectives, both theoretical and empirical. Critical and interdisciplinary approaches are particularly encouraged.  Contributions examining relevant issues from a historical perspective, or integrating experience of non western legal traditions are also welcome.

Contributions will be selected following a peer-review process. The selection will be based on the following criteria: relevance to the conference theme, originality, and overall coherence of selected papers with a view of producing engaging discussion. The organizers have publication plans for the presented papers. The precise format of publication will be discussed during the conference. Therefore, all selected contributions must be original and not published elsewhere. All presenters will be required to submit full papers in advance.

Accommodation for presenters will be provided. There are limited funds available to cover travel expenses. Please indicate while applying whether you would like to be considered for reimbursement of travel expenses and indicate if possible the approximate amount.

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Congressional Briefing on The International Criminal Court and US-ICC relations

/ Megan A. Fairlie / 4 Comments

stephen-rappDelighted to return to intlawgrrls, and to have attended the June 10 briefing on the International Criminal Court (ICC) delivered by U.S Ambassador-at-Large, Stephen J. Rapp,(photo, left) head of the Office of Global Justice in the U.S. Department of State and hosted by the Washington Working Group on the International Criminal Court (WICC) and the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Those present heard an up-to-date perspective on the ICC, including its relationship with the United States, moderated by Christopher “Kip” Hale, Senior Counsel for the American Bar Association and Director of the ABA’s International Criminal Court Project.

Ambassador Rapp set the stage for his briefing by discussing the global leadership of the United States in the field of international criminal justice, beginning with the Nuremberg proceedings and continuing through to the work of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda.

He followed with an extensive and detailed discussion of the work of the Court to date, along with an incisive analysis of the evolving role played by the United States over the course of the ICC’s development.

Among other themes, Ambassador Rapp discussed:

  • The ways in which ICC practice and US policy are aligned: The clear preference of the United States is to see justice performed at the national level. This position, Rapp emphasized, is consistent with the Court’s principle of complementarity. Under each approach, the priority is for cases to be prosecuted at the national level unless nations lack the will or capacity for domestic prosecutions.
  • The benefits of engaging with the ICC: Rapp highlighted that the current policy of constructive engagement ensures that U.S. interests and perspectives are well-represented as the Court goes forward. To place the importance of this positioning in perspective, Rapp noted that  a number of Court’s developments—particularly those related to the crime of aggression—might have gone differently, and perhaps preferably, had the United States been a part of the ICC conversation from 2002-2008.
  • The need to structure engagement with the Court within the confines of existing laws: Federal law presently prohibits direct financial support to the ICC. Thus, Rapp discussed alternative means of US assistance including the U.S. Rewards for Justice Program which, with bipartisan backing, was recently expanded to include support for the apprehension of individuals wanted by the ICC.
  • The salutary benefits of the ABA’s ICC project: Federal law also limits U.S. non-monetary assistance to specific ICC cases,  precluding the United States from acting in ways designed to benefit the Court as a whole. Rapp lauded the ABA’s ICC Project for filling this void.  Promoting practitioner engagement and training is one of the three pillars of the ABA project, which aims to unite ICC lawyers and staff with their domestic counterparts, enhancing investigation and advocacy skills through such vehicles as best practices conferences and training workshops.

The overall tenor of the briefing was markedly positive. Noting the U.S. commitment to hold perpetrators of atrocities accountable, Rapp reasoned that the United States ought to do what it can to assist the Court in bringing alleged war criminals to justice.

When I asked Rapp to identify what, in his view, was the most significant impediment to the United States joining the ICC, he first acknowledged that U.S. ratification of international treaties has historically been a lengthy process. Rapp noted, however, that before moving in this direction, the United States would have to overcome its concern that the Court might be used unfairly against it.  In Rapp’s view, this process will require more time for the United States to assess how prosecutors act and how ICC judges decide admissibility standards, in order to establish confidence that the U.S. would not be unfairly targeted by the Court.

faculty_megan_fairlie2This author is looking forward to discussing Rapp’s briefing next week at the International Criminal Court Summer School in Galway, Ireland, where she will be lecturing on the U.S. and the ICC.   The upcoming course, offered by the Irish Centre for Human Rights boasts a distinguished list of speakers, including the founding Director and now Honorary Chairman of the Centre, Professor William A. Schabas, fellow intlawgrrl, Nadia Bernaz, numerous ICC insiders and Don Ferencz, executive director of the Planethood Foundation and member of the Board of Advisors on the ABA-ICC Project.

A video-recording of the briefing is available here.