Call for Paper Proposals! SYMPOSIUM: PROVISIONAL MEASURES IN INTERNATIONAL LAW! HAGUE YEARBOOK OF INTERNATIONAL LAW! VOLUME 38!

Provisional (or interim) measures have long served as indispensable tools aimed at preserving the rights and interests of parties involved in disputes before international judicial bodies. These measures are designed to address urgent situations where irreparable harm may occur. Provisional measures proceedings play a crucial role in ensuring the effectiveness of international legal mechanisms by offering timely interventions to maintain the status quo or prevent further deterioration pending the final resolution of the underlying dispute.

Overall, provisional (or interim) measures proceedings, their potential, and the challenges they pose, remain under explored in international law, particularly given their increasing popularity among states. For these reasons, the Hague Yearbook of International Law invites contributions for a symposium on the topic of “Provisional and interim measures in international law”, to be published in Volume 38 (2025).

Sub- Themes

We welcome contributions on the following (or other) topics related to provisional measures:

• the role of provisional measures proceedings from the perspective of strategic litigation;

• comparative studies of different international adjudicative bodies and their approach to or framework for provisional measures;

• the nature of the obligations which stem from an order of provisional or interim measures;

• the nature of the rights protected by provisional measures, particularly where these go beyond the direct rights of states parties (e.g, protection of individuals);

• the nature of the standards applied in provisional measures proceedings, e.g. ‘prima facie jurisdiction’ and ‘plausibility’ of rights;

• the concepts of ‘urgency’ and ‘irreparability’ of harm, particularly in the context of individual rights and/or environmental harm;

• the link between the rights claimed by the parties and the provisional measures requested;

• the interaction between provisional measures proceedings and later stages of the case, and the impact of the former on the latter;

• critical studies of the role and effectiveness of provisional measures, including TWAIL and feminist and legal approaches;

• procedural issues relating to procedural measures proceedings;

• the role and approach of the judiciary in the context of provisional measures, particularly in contrast with later stages of a case.

Submisison Details

Paper proposals should be 600 words in length, and we ask authors to provide a brief biography (max 150 words) indicating their expertise on the topic proposed. Proposals should be submitted to [email protected] by 30 June 2024. We aim to contact authors with a decision by the end of July 2024. The predicted timetable of publication can be found below. Inclusion in the Yearbook is subject to the outcome of the peer review process. Final articles should be between 10,000 and 15,000 words in length.