The Canadian Council on International Law will hold its Annual Conference in Ottawa (CA) on 29 – 30 October 2026. The theme of the conference is “Bend, Not Break: Resilience and Evolution of International Law”. The conference seeks to challenge both the supposed post-mortem of the international legal order since 1945 and the notion that it no longer resonates with certain states and peoples worldwide. The conference will test the extent to which the international legal order can adapt to new challenges without sacrificing its foundations.
The seriousness of the moment we find ourselves in has been precipitated by a series of crises that demand greater international, regional, and bilateral collaboration and cooperation, including the proliferation of armed conflicts, climate emergency, trade wars, cyber-attacks, and AI regulation. Whether this moment is an opportunity, an obituary, or a mixture of both remains to be seen.
The Organizing Committee welcomes proposals in relation to a range of fields of international law, including (but not limited to) health, human rights, trade and investment, environment, climate justice, sustainable development, Indigenous rights, security, humanitarian law, criminal justice, accountability and dispute resolution.
Submissions are due by 1130 PM ET on 18 May 2026. See the complete Call for Proposals for more details.