International Law Talks

We are pleased to announce the fifth session of International Law Talks with the topic: 'Private Law and the Making of Human Rights' presented by León Castellanos-Jankiewicz, Ph.D.

Regarding the topic of the presentation, we often forget that individuals held transnational rights by virtue of private law long before international human rights skyrocketed to global prominence. But inalienable freedoms — traditionally comprising life, liberty and property as articulated by
Locke — have been historically protected within the private sphere in order to encompass nationals and non-nationals alike, whereas their development in the political realm has been more limited. Drawing from recent work by Samuel Moyn and others on the history of human rights, this paper takes a genealogical approach to show that cosmopolitan fundamental rights originate in private law.

Regarding the speaker, León Castellanos-Jankiewicz is Researcher in International Law at the Asser Institute and Academic Coordinator of the Netherlands Network for Human Rights Research. His work focuses on international human rights law, the history of international law, and minority protection. In 2019 his paper ‘Nationality, Alienage and Early International Rights' was awarded the inaugural David D. Caron Prize by the American Society of International Law. Previously, he worked as Postdoctoral Researcher for the Dutch team in the Project on Memory Laws in European and Comparative Perspective.

Prior to taking up his position at the Asser Institute, Castellanos-Jankiewicz was Max Weber Postdoctoral Fellow at the European University Institute, Florence. He has also been Visiting Research Fellow at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge (2017), Vienna's Institute for Human Sciences (2016) and Harvard Law School's Graduate Program (2015-16). From 2017 to 2018 he was Postdoctoral Mobility Fellow of the Swiss National Science Foundation. He holds a PhD in International Law from Geneva's Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (summa cm laude), an MA in International Law from the Graduate Institute and a law degree from Anahuac Mayab University.

Castellanos-Jankiewicz has extensive teaching experience, having delivered courses on various aspects of public international law at Bocconi University School of Law (Milan), the Riga Graduate School of Law, the University of Amsterdam and Leiden University. He has conducted Masters thesis supervisions at the University of Amsterdam, has been daily PhD supervisor at the Asser Institute and holds the Teaching Certificate issued by the European University Insitute's Max Weber Programme for Postdoctoral Studies. In addition to his academic work, he has delivered expert legal opinions and workshops at the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, the Mexican Foreign Ministry and the Centre for Constitutional Studies of the Mexican Supreme Court.

A couple of minutes ago, Professor Harold Hongju Koh (from Yale), addressing the ICJ on behalf of Ukraine delivered a great oral argument. Just a small quote:
"Within its own legal mandate, each of these bodies [UNGA, ICC, UNHCR, ECHR] must do its job. So if you [the ICJ] speak clearly and decisively now, you will not act alone. [...] But amid this broad network of legal activity, your order is the essential spark that will inspire other competent international organs and agencies to take the further steps necessary to protect peace, security, accountability and human rights in the rapidly deepening crisis."

The hearings in the dispute between Ukraine and Russia have begun. Russia's counsel table is empty.

UN Web TV

We are pleased to announce the fourth session of International Law Talks with the topic: 'Every Advisory Opinion Has A Romanian Footnote: Reflections on Third States and International Courts' presented by Brian McGarry.

Brian McGarry is Assistant Professor of Public International Law at the Grotius Centre for International Legal Studies (Leiden University), and Visiting Professor at Sciences Po Law School in Paris. Dr. McGarry was previously Lecturer at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, and Visiting Scholar at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law (Cambridge University).

He serves as Principal Investigator for Leiden Law School’s Tracing Inherent Powers project, which reflects his research interests in dispute settlement and institutional reform.

A member of the New York bar, Dr. McGarry's experience includes advising governments and international organizations in matters involving the law of the sea, international environmental law, and international economic law.

We are pleased to announce the third session of International Law Talks with the topic 'International Responsibility of Corporations and Climate Change' presented by Monika Feigerlová.

JUDr. Monika Feigerlová, LL.M., PhD. works as a research fellow at the Institute of State and Law of the Czech Academy of Sciences and is a member of the climate law research team. She obtained a Ph.D. at the Law Faculty of Charles University in Prague in 2009 and completed the Master in International Dispute Settlement programme (MIDS) at the Graduate Institute and University of Geneva in 2012.

Monika was admitted to the Czech Bar Association in 2007 and practiced law with leading lawfirms in Prague. Her research focuses on investment arbitration and private and public international law. She is also member of the Committee for doctoral theses at the Charles University in Prague and the Executive Member of the Czech Society of International Law.