The WTO Before, During and After Corona

SPRING MEETING

of the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law

to be held online on

Wednesday 24 JUNE 2020 16.00 – 17.00 Hrs (cet)

The WTO, established on 1 January 1995, has for a long time been one of the success stories of international law. This is largely due to its track record in the settlement of disputes: since 1995, 595 disputes have been brought to the WTO, while over 350 rulings have been issued. However, in recent times, the Organization has been challenged by, inter alia, inconclusive discussions on multilateral trade, a growing emphasis on nationalism and protectionism, at least in some states, the lack of attention to the position of developing states (despite the 2013 ‘Bali Package’), the blocking of the appointment of judges in the Dispute Settlement Body, and, in recent times, the nearly unforeseeable trade consequences of COVID-19.

For obvious reasons, the Society’s traditional ‘Voorjaarsvergadering’ (Spring Meeting) cannot take its usual shape this year. The Board of the Society therefore invites its Members and others who are interested to attend this online meeting. The event will have an informative as well as forward-looking character, and will be introduced by Prof. Peter Van den Bossche, judge in the WTO Appellate Body from 2009 to 2019, Professor of International Economic Law, University of Bern, and Director of Studies, World Trade Institute, Bern. Prof. Van den Bossche is an honorary professor at Maastricht University, the Netherlands (since 2018), and a visiting professor at the LUISS Guido Carli University, Rome, Italy (since 2016), at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Ecuador (since 2016), and at the College of Europe, Bruges, Belgium (since 2010).

The event will run for one hour, with half an hour being reserved for the introductory lecture by Prof. Van den Bossche and half an hour for Q&A and some discussion, depending on the time available.

Date and Time:            Wednesday 24 June 2020, 16.00-17.00 hrs (CET), via Zoom.

Registration:                Members and non-members are welcome to attend. Registration is required. Please register for free by Monday 22 June 2020 by sending an email to .gro.1750120963rivnk1750120963@ofni1750120963

Spring Meeting 2019

The UN In Times of Global Challenges

Insights from The Security Council

This year, the KNVIR devoted its Spring Meeting to the role the UN, and more particularly the UN Security Council, are playing in a world full of challenges, including attacks on multilateralism and, linked to that, fickle leadership in a broader sense. The meeting was jointly organised with the Netherlands United Nations Association (NVVN) (represented by dr. Otto Spijkers), the The Hague University of Applied Sciences (HHS) and Leiden University (both represented by prof. Alanna O’Malley).

Kingdom of the Netherlands
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The UN in times of Global challenges

Spring Meeting 2019 on 18 April

the Netherlands United Nations Association (NVVN)
KNVIR Logo
Leiden University Governance and Global Affairs
The Hague University of Applied Sciences (HHS)

The UN in times of Global challenges

Insights from the Security Council

Keynote Speakers

Ambassador Karel van Oosterom
Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of The Netherlands to the United Nations

Ambassador Peter Wilson
British Ambassador to the Netherlands and UK Permanent Representative to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)

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Spring Meeting 2019 on 18 April

The UN In Times of Global Challenges

Insights from The Security Council

Spring Meeting of The

Royal Netherlands Society of International Law

On Thursday 18 April 2019 At 17:30 hrs.

Room 2.02 (klein auditorium), wijnhavengebouw,
Campus The Hague, Leiden University
Turfmarkt 99, 2511 DP The Hague

Speaker

Ambassador Karel van Oosterom
Permanent Representative of The Kingdom of The Netherlands to The United Nations

Meeting jointly organised by

The Netherlands United Nations Association (Nvvn), The Royal Netherlands Society Of International Law and The Hague University of Applied Sciences (Hhs) Leiden University

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Minutes of The Spring Meeting 2018

The Children of the Caliphate and International Law

Speakers

  • dr. Bibi van Ginkel, LLM
    Senior research fellow, Netherlands Institute for International Relations ‘Clingendael’ and research fellow, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, The Hague (ICCT)
  • drs. Mattie van der Molen
    Behaviourist, Dutch Council for Child Protection

Thursday 13 June 2019 at 19:00 hrs.
Room 3.60, wijnhavengebouw,
Campus The Hague, Leiden University
Turfmarkt 99, 2511 DP The Hague

Minutes of The Spring Meeting 2018

On 13 June, the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law (KNVIR) organised its Spring Meeting on the topic of ‘The Children of the Caliphate and International Law’. This event examined state responses regarding the children of parents who joined the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria from the perspectives of states’ obligations under international law and child protection. Particular attention was paid to the policy in the Netherlands, which – like several other states –does not actively repatriate Dutch children back to the Netherlands.

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Spring Meeting 2018

The Children of the Caliphate and International Law

Speakers

  • dr. Bibi van Ginkel, LLM
    Senior research fellow, Netherlands Institute for International Relations ‘Clingendael’ and research fellow, International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, The Hague (ICCT)
  • drs. Mattie van der Molen
    Behaviourist, Dutch Council for Child Protection

Thursday 13 June 2019 at 19:00 hrs.
Room 3.60, wijnhavengebouw,
Campus The Hague, Leiden University
Turfmarkt 99, 2511 DP The Hague

With the crumbling of IS’ Caliphate new challenges have come to the surface. One such challenge that has been discussed vigorously over the past weeks and months, is what to do with the ‘Children of the Caliphate’, that is to say: the children of parents who joined IS in Iraq and Syria. What does international law say about the obligations of states in this matter and how should we assess certain governmental practices, such as those of the Netherlands, which currently does not actively repatriate Dutch children back to the Netherlands, taking into account international law, as well as other perspectives?

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Proceedings of The Spring Meeting 2017

Fake News and National Sovereignty

The dangers of politically and militarily motivated fake news and its impace on national interests

Speakers

  • mr. Jan Kleijssen
    Director of Information Society and Action against Crime, Council of Europe
  • Rosa S.E.V. Toxopeus, M.A.
    Analyst National Security, National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism, Analysis and Strategy Department (DAS)
  • drs. Carmen Gonsalves
    Head International Cyber Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Tuesday 13 june 2017 at 19:00 Hrs.
The Hague Institute for Global Justice
Sophialaan 10, The Hague

Proceedings of The Spring Meeting 2017

The annual Spring Meeting of the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law is attended by more than 50 members and non-members. The Chairman, prof. Willem van Genugten, opens the meeting by announcing the unexpected absence of the special guest dr. K.H.D.M. Dijkhoff, Minister for Migration (Staatssecretaris Veiligheid en Justitie), who was invited for the book presentation at the beginning of the meeting. The collapse, yesterday, of the negotiations for a new government, means that dr. Dijkhoff has to attend a meeting in parliament tonight. Under the circumstances the presentation is replaced by a brief introduction of the two books.

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Spring Meeting 2017 on 13 June

Fake News and National Sovereignty

The dangers of politically and militarily motivated fake news and its impace on national interests

Spring Meeting of The

Royal Netherlands Society of International Law

Tuesday 13 june 2017 at 19:00 Hrs.

The Hague Institute for Global Justice
Sophialaan 10, The Hague

Speakers

mr. Jan Kleijssen
Director of Information Society and Action against Crime, Council of Europe

Rosa S.E.V. Toxopeus, M.A.
Analyst National Security, National Coordinator for Security and Counterterrorism, Analysis and Strategy Department (DAS)

drs. Carmen Gonsalves
Head International Cyber Policy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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Minutes of The Spring Meeting 2016

Migration, Refugees and International Law

Speakers

  • drs. Bram van Ojik
    Special Envoy for Migration, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • prof. dr. Ashley B. Terlouw
    Professor of Sociology, Radboud University, Nijmegen
    Board Member Centre of Migration Law, Nijmegen
  • dr. Hans van Loon
    Former Secretary General of the Hague Conference onPrivate International Law

The Spring Meeting was held on Wednesday 25 May 2016 in The Hague

Minutes of The Spring Meeting 2016

The Chairman, prof.dr. Willem J.M. van Genugten, opens the Annual Spring Meeting of the Royal Netherlands Society of International Law at 7:05 P.M. and welcomes the approximately 40 persons present. The meeting is also intended to commemorate the late KNVIR Treasurer dr. Peter J. van Krieken, who passed away last year and was a specialist in the field of refugees and migrant law. He was a member of the Board from 2008-2015. An In Memoriam can be found on the website of the KNVIR. The Chair subsequently introduces the three speakers: mr. Bram van Ojik (Special Envoy for Migration, Ministry of Foreign Affairs), mr. Flip Schüller (lawyer at Prakken d’Oliveira, Amsterdam), and dr. Hans van Loon (former Secretary-General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law).

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Spring Meeting 2016

Migration, Refugees and International Law

Speakers

  • drs. Bram van Ojik
    Special Envoy for Migration, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  • prof. dr. Ashley B. Terlouw
    Professor of Sociology, Radboud University, Nijmegen
    Board Member Centre of Migration Law, Nijmegen
  • dr. Hans van Loon
    Former Secretary General of the Hague Conference onPrivate International Law

The Spring Meeting was held on Wednesday 25 May 2016 in The Hague

Asylum, migration and refugee issues dominate the news, and confront the community of international lawyers with pertinent questions as to clashes between political pragmatism, required given the magnitude of the problems at hand, and the obligation to live up to international law.  The KNVIR devoted its annual Spring Meeting to this particular topic by organising a discussion among the Special Envoy for Migration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and two legal specialists, together representing the two ‘branches’ of the KNVIR:  Public and Private International Law.  The meeting also commemorated the late KNVIR Treasurer dr. Peter J. van Krieken, who was a specialist in this field as well.