International Law

Book Review III: Sustainable Development, International Law, and a Turn to African Legal Cosmologies (Godwin Eli Kwadzo Dzah) (CUP, 2024)

International law applies to the interchanging relationships and rules between states, including the establishment of norms and standards which govern their activities. This changing landscape of international law is recognised in one of the introductory paragraphs of this book: ‘international law possess an inherent transformative power to renew and remake itself if we are committed to reimagining the discipline and its fundamental characteristics, including the concept of sustainable development’ (pg 2). Sustainable development (SD) has been an integral part of international law discourse before the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (UNCHE) and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Hence, this book focuses on the ahistoricism and influence of international law on the environment and sustainable development in African legal systems through a Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) lens.

IBA Webinar Invitation: The role of international law and institutions in attaining Goal 1 of the SDGs

A webinar presented by the IBA Poverty and Social Development Committee, supported by the IBA Academic and Professional Development, the IBA Access to Legal Aid Committee and the Human Rights Research and Education Center, University of Ottawa, Canada.

Book Review I: Towards Worldview Interactions: A Review of Godwin Eli Kwadzo Dzah, Sustainable Development, International Law and African Legal Cosmologies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024)

Dr. Godwin Dzah’s thought-provoking book investigates the actual and potential contributions of Africa and its peoples, including through their rich worldviews, to the making and doing of international law, treating sustainable development as a microcosm. At its core is a vision to deploy Africa’s Indigenous worldviews to reimagine sustainable development, advance thinking on how it should be applied in international law going forward.

Book Review Symposium Introduction: Sustainable Development, International Law, and a Turn to African Legal Cosmologies, Godwin Dzah (CUP, 2024)

I am very happy to introduce the symposium on my book, Sustainable Development, International Law, and a Turn to African Legal Cosmologies, by Cambridge University Press in May 2024. This symposium features four very thoughtful and critical reviews. These four reflections should be read as companion pieces together with my introduction. They address different aspects of the book, provide points of convergence and divergence, and foreshadow future research. I am grateful to these reviewers for their kind engagement with my book, for their constructive criticisms and positive feedback. I am equally grateful to the editors of AfronomicsLaw.org for curating this symposium.

Call for Essays: 4th Edition of the International Law Essay Writing Competition: The Contribution of International Financial Institutions to Sustainable Economic Growth and Development in African Countries

Therefore, it is important to analyse the impact of these International Financial Institutions in the development of African countries which they operate in. It is also necessary to assess their accountability mechanisms and legal personalities in line with International Law, the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment and the United Nations Guiding Principles on Human Rights Impact Assessments of Economic Reforms. This is because their regulation and compliance with International Standards and International Law is an important and contemporary area which would inform their effectiveness and their contribution to sustainable development while considering the UN 2030 Agenda and 2063 Agenda for Africa.

Call for Papers: 2025 ILA-ASIL Asia-Pacific Research Forum - Sustainable International Law

The Research Center for International Legal Studies of National Chengchi University and the Chinese (Taiwan) Society of International Law will hold the 2025 ILA-ASIL Asia-Pacific Research Forum at Howard Civil Service International House in Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. The theme of the Research Forum is “Sustainable International Law.” ​​

Webinar: Climate, SDGs, Debt and the International Responsibility of the IFIs: Does the ARIO need to be updated?

Join us for a roundtable discussion on the unique status of international financial institutions (IFIs) in international law. This conversation will focus on whether, in international legal terms, international financial institutions (IFIs) should be treated like any other international organization or if their specialized mission necessitates granting them a special status. It will assess the validity of the IFIs concerns that the Articles on Responsibility of International Organisations (ARIO) are not easily applied to their operations and what changes may be needed to address these concerns.

Call for Papers: How and Why Do Double Standards Matter for International Law? Geneva, Switzerland, 15-17 May 2025

This workshop aims to produce an edited volume that will build upon the past contributions from the first Berlin event to address the main themes and conclusions from academic exchanges continued in Geneva. Participants will be asked to circulate draft papers of between 5000-7000 words before the workshop so that these can be shared among the participants to inform discussions at the workshop and ensure that you receive substantive feedback. Subject to peer review, a selection of presented papers will be considered for publication in the edited volume.