Call for Papers: Nottingham International Criminal Justice Conference, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, 13–14 July 2026
International criminal justice and its international institutions are in a truly agenda-shaping moment. Simultaneously, the number of states exercising their jurisdiction to pursue domestic prosecutions of individuals responsible for international crimes grows by the day, and new hybrid criminal justice institutions are being pursued and announced for situations around the world. Yet, this moment exposes – perhaps most starkly than ever – the politics of international criminal justice, the fragility of its institutions and its norms, and their vulnerability to realpolitik and the interests of the powerful. It might be argued that a marker of the success of international criminal justice’s norms and institutions is its ability to pose a credible threat to the interests of those actors who, until recently, enjoyed the assumption of impunity. However, it is equally true that international criminal justice’s temerity to pursue accountability for the powerful and their allies places international criminal justice and its institutions in an existentially dangerous place.
Following hugely successful conferences in 2024 and 2025, in 2026 the University of Nottingham School of Law in partnership with the International Criminal Justice Unit of the University of Nottingham Human Rights Law Centre is once again organising a two day conference to bring together people working across the diverse field of international criminal justice. At this interdisciplinary conference, we are aiming to foster connections between academics, practitioners and policymakers, as we hear about recent developments in research and practice, and explore, discuss and debate current issues in the field.
We invite submissions from academics and practitioners at all stages of their professional career that tackle the following themes:
- International criminal justice and its crises
- New developments in international criminal law Politics or pragmatism?
- Reflecting on the work of the ICC
- Beyond the ICC: International criminal justice within domestic jurisdictions
- International criminal justice’s blindspots
- An international criminal justice for the present and for the future?
- Teaching international criminal law
Those interested in presenting should submit a 300 word abstract on their proposed presentation by 22 April 2026. Applicants whose abstracts have been accepted will be notified by 8 May 2026.
For more details, refer here
