Joint ESIL-Leuphana Early Career Workshop International Courts and Tribunals: Interactions and Challenges!
Date: 19/20 June 2025
Location: Leuphana University Lüneburg, Germany
Aims
Leuphana University is inviting ‘mini papers’ for a joint ESIL-Leuphana early career workshop on ‘International Courts and Tribunals: Interactions and Challenges’, to be held on 19/20 June 2025 in Lüneburg.
The workshop is aimed at early career researchers (ECRs), with a focus on PhD candidates. It will offer ECRs a platform to present their work, to test arguments, and to benefit from constructive feedback in a supportive environment. To achieve these aims, the workshop will take the form of a small-group discussion focused on ECR work in a particular thematic area. Workshop sessions will be organised around the work of selected participants, which will be commented upon by more established academics and discussed with all workshop participants. All workshop participants are expected to participate actively in these discussions.
The workshop is organised by Leuphana University Lüneburg, with support by the European Society of International Law (ESIL) and input by members of ESIL’s early career network coordinating committee.
The theme: International Courts and Tribunals – Interactions and Challenges
International courts and tribunal have long been at the heart of scholarly and practitioner discourses on international law. Over the past few years, their role and involvement appears to have has changed. Increasingly, International Courts and Tribunals have to address major global challenges (from wars to climate change) in high-profile proceedings. This has increased their prominence and resulted in heightened scrutiny. Recent decades have seen much debate about themes such ‘judicialisation/legalisation, ‘rule of law/lawfare’, ‘backlash/pushback’, or ‘fragmentation/cross-fertilisation’.
The workshop provides an opportunity to assess the current role of international courts and tribunals. While the theme is purposefully broad, the workshop organisers are particularly interested in inquiries that consider:
(a) challenges arising from the recent surge in high-profile proceedings; and
(b) interactions between different international courts and tribunals.
By way of illustration (and without wanting to exclude other angles), the proposed mini papers might e.g. consider questions such as the following:
- How do international courts and tribunals seek to cope with growing caseloads and increased public scrutiny? Are their procedures (including provisional measures, intervention, advisory proceedings) in need of reform?
- Are international courts and tribunals able to assess complex fact-patterns? If not, how could their fact-finding capacity be improved?
- Are the methods for selecting judges and arbitrators appropriate?
- Do different international courts and tribunals interact with each other, and if so how? Should they collaborate more, and if so, how?
- How can we assess the impact of international courts and tribunals on international disputes? Does resort to binding dispute settlement affect conduct on the ground? What is the role of concepts such as bindingness, compliance and/or authority?
- Have recent cases ushered in a golden age of international courts and tribunals?
We encourage a variety of perspectives and approaches to the above theme, including legal analysis, case studies, empirical research and interdisciplinary methodologies.
Eligibility and submission guidelines
This call is addressed to early career researchers (as understood in ESIL practice), with a focus on PhD candidates.
We invite early career researchers to submit papers that align with the broader theme of International Courts and Tribunals. Submissions should adhere to the following guidelines:
Format: A single word document.
Word Count: Around 2,000 words, including footnotes.
Content: The document must include:
- A mini paper that
(i) identifies the central argument and highlights its significance, and
(ii) summarises the main sections envisaged to form part of the final paper. (It is expected that the mini paper goes some way towards developing the analysis and is more than simply a skeleton or chapter plan.)
- A brief author bio (200 words).
- Expression of interest in receiving support towards travel/ accommodation, where applicable.
Submission Deadline: January 30, 2025.
Please submit your application by email to [email protected].
Submissions will be assessed by the organising committee consisting of Matina Papadaki, Jelena Bäumler and Christian J. Tams.
Successful applicants will be notified by 28 February 2025. They are expected to attend the workshop in its entirety (and not just the session at which their paper will be discussed), to read other outline papers ahead of the workshop and actively participate in discussions.
Scholarships
A limited number of scholarships are available for participants who have no access to institutional funding.
Contact Information
If you are uncertain whether you meet the eligibility criteria or have questions regarding the mini papers, please contact [email protected].
We look forward to receiving your submissions and to a fruitful and engaging event in 2025!
For more details, refer here
