The Society devoted its Spring Meeting of 7 June 2023 to the theme: ‘The Role of the UN in the Conflict in Ukraine: Attempts to Bypass the UN Charter in the Spirit of the Charter Itself?’. The recording of the meeting, which was hosted by Leiden University, can be viewed here. Speakers were: Dr. Alanna O’Malley, Associate Professor at the Leiden University Institute for History, Prof. Niels Blokker, Professor of International Institutional Law at Leiden University, and Mr. Karel van Oosterom, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The meeting was introduced and moderated by Prof. Willem van Genugten (President KNVIR).

KNVIR Spring meeting 7 June 2023
KNVIR Spring meeting 7 June 2023

On 4 November 2022, the Society held its Annual General Meeting, which explored the theme ‘Shaping International Accountability around Mega-Sporting Events’. A video recording of the speakers’ presentations and the discussion of the Collected Papers can be viewed here.

KNVIR - Annual General Meeting 2022

At the Annual General Meeting of 4 November 2022, held in The Hague, the J.P.A François Prize was awarded to:

Emma R. van den Boogaard

Ms Emma R. van den Boogaard

Click here for the jury report

Click here for the prize winning paper

Ms Ingeborg H. de Koningh (Leiden University) received an honourable mention for her paper entitled “Consolidating International Humanitarian Law and International Human Rights Law: the Protection from Gender-Based Violence against Women in Non-International Armed Conflict”.

The Board of the Society is delighted at the news that Prof. Yvonne Donders has been elected as a member of the UN Human Rights Committee for 2023-2026. Prof. Donders was a member of the Board of the Society from 2012-2021. The Board congratulates her on this achievement.

The Society devoted its Spring Meeting of 24 May 2022, which was held in hybrid format, to the theme: ‘Sanctions as the go-to tool: Do they work and what role for international law?’. The recording of the meeting, which was hosted by The Hague Humanity Hub, can be viewed here. Speakers were: Prof. Peter van Bergeijk (Erasmus University) and Prof. Larissa van den Herik (Leiden University). The meeting was introduced and moderated by Prof. Willem van Genugten (President KNVIR).

Like so many around the world, the Executive Board of the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law is shocked about the situation currently unfolding in Ukraine. The purpose of our Society is, among other things, to promote public international law. Promotion includes an explicit condemnation of the blatant violations of the international legal order that we are witnessing these days. This is why we fully endorse the statement of Prof. Chinkin, Executive Chair of the International Law Association (ILA), as well as similar statements issued by other national branches of the ILA.

Update 4 March 2022: the Executive Board further fully endorses the statement by the International Law Association, available here.

The Executive Board of the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law

On 5 November 2021, the Society held its Annual General Meeting which explored the theme ‘Global Health Law Disrupted: COVID-19 and the Climate Change Crisis’. A video recording of the speakers’ presentations and the discussion of the Collected Papers can be viewed here.

KNVIR - Annual General Meeting 2021