International Law at Westminster (ILaW) shares some of the most recent research news, events and achievements of its members in their October newsletter, also inviting further colleagues news, events and achievements with any relevant photos to be sent to Dr Elizabeth Mavropoulou. Going forward, the ILaW newsletter aims to be monthly or bi-monthly depending on activities.

Professor Daniel Joyner and Professor Marco Roscini at public lecture on nuclear arms control law
Professor Daniel Joyner and Professor Marco Roscini at the lecture on nuclear arms control law

Dr Nicolette Busuttil presented a paper on 'Unrealised Obligations? The Implications of the UN Disability Rights Convention for the Common European Asylum System' at the Society for Legal Scholars Migration and Asylum Stream in September 2022. 

She published an article with the International Community Law Review in August 2022, 'The UN Disability Rights Convention and EU Fundamental Rights: What Role for the Convention in the Protection of "Unwanted Migrants"?' (2022) 24(4) International Community Law Review 397. 

Dr Busuttil also published an article co-authored with Kathryn Allinson from the University of Bristol titled 'Translating the Global Compact for Migration for Implementation by Practitioners' (2022) 36(2) Journal of Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Law 117. 

Dr  Marco Longobardo, along with the interest group in International Law and Armed Conflicts of the Italian Society of International Law, organised an online conference on ‘Enhancing Environmental Protection in Armed Conflicts’ on 19 September. 

He gave a public lecture on Wednesday 28 September invited by the Tbilisi State University in Georgia on ‘The International Court of Justice and the Protection of Community Interests’. 

Dr Longobardo participated in the European Society of International Law (ESIL) conference on Emerging Issues of Relationship between International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law’, and the panel on ‘Contributions to IHL by international organizations and tribunals’ that took place in Tbilisi Georgia on 29-30 September.  

Dr Elizabeth Mavropoulou recently wrote an analysis entitled 'Pushbacks and Offshoring Asylum: Is Externalisation Becoming the Default Response to Refugee Situations?' for the Australian Outlook of International Affairs. 

She co-authored a Chapter with Dr. Lilian Tsourdi from the University of Maastricht titled ‘Solidarity as Normative Rationale for Differential Treatment: Common but Differentiated Responsibilities from International Environmental to EU Asylum Law?’ in Maarten den Heijer & Harmen van der Wilt (eds) The Netherlands Yearbook of International Law - Global Solidarity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (2020) 51, 311 -342.

Elizabeth alongside research colleagues from the Refugee Law Initiative submitted written evidence on the UK-Rwanda Memorandum of Understanding to an Inquiry launched by the House of Lords International Agreements Committee. The Inquiry has now closed.

Professor Marco Roscini spoke on the contribution of socialist states to the codification of the principle of non-intervention during the Cold War at the Socialisms and International Law in the Contemporary World conference in Bucharest on 15-16 September.

He contributed a chapter on ‘Animals as Property and as Objects’, in Anne Peters, Robert Kolb, Jérôme de Hemptinne (eds), Animals in the International Law of Armed Conflict (Cambridge University Press 2022), 73-91.

He has also written another chapter on ‘The Impact of the 2003 Iraq War on the International Law of Weapons of Mass Destruction’ in Liber Amicorum Sergio Marchisio. Il diritto della comunità internazionale tra caratteristiche strutturali e tendenze innovative, vol. I (Editoriale Scientifica 2022) 293-304.

Past Events 

On September 12 ILaW held its first public lecture of the academic year. Professor Daniel Joyner from University of Alabama gave a talk on the history of nuclear arms control law and made the case for a new generation of treaties between the three superpowers. The lecture was recorded and will be available to watch on ILAW Website soon. 

Dr Emma McClean, Daniela Muth and Ruth Mackenzie participated in an internal one-day workshop of the CLAS Research Group on Climate Change, Energy Policy and Sustainability on 13 September.

Daniela Muth and Ruth MacKenzie participated in the symposium on the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty held at the University on 29 and 30 Sept, organised by the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, the Rapid Transition Alliance, University of Sussex, and the Westminster Law and Theory Lab. 

Upcoming Events  

The University of Westminster Research Group on Climate Change, Energy Policy and Sustainability and the Climate and Energy Policy Lab will hold an online discussion on 'Energy and the Russia-Ukraine War: Sanctions, Markets and Infrastructure’ from 1700-1830 on 18 October 2022. Tickets can be booked on the event’s Eventbrite page

ILaW is also encouraging colleagues to let Dr Elizabeth Mavropoulou know if a PhD student researching International Law needs to be added to the distribution list.

Follow the research cluster on Twitter at @ILAWWestminster

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