Public International Law Programme

Overview

The British Institute of International and Comparative Law has a vibrant and extensive programme of activities in the field of public international law, including research, events and publications.

Over the years, the research projects relating to public international law have been extremely varied. Past projects have considered human rights, international humanitarian law and evidence before the International Court of Justice. The research project may be defined by a geographical context, such as the Council of Europe or the Commonwealth, or by a specific subject matter, such as international disaster relief. Research has been commissioned or funded by a number of institutions, including the European Commission, the Ministry of Justice, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Leverhulme Trust and the British Red Cross. An example of research currently being undertaken at the Institute is the ATLAS project, which examines armed conflicts, peacekeeping and transitional justice. For more details on our current research programme, please consult our research page.

The Institute organises conferences, seminars, workshops and other events on topics of interest in public international law, providing a forum for a wide range of individuals, including practitioners, academics and government officials. In addition to numerous single events, the Institute also offers lecture series, such as the recent lecture and seminar series celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions. From time to time the Institute arranges rapid response events to allow discussion of recent developments in public international law. Information on upcoming and past events can be accessed on our events page.

The Institute benefits from an in-house publications department which welcomes book proposals in the field of public international law. For more information, please visit our publications page. Besides books, the Institute produces the International and Comparative Law Quarterly (ICLQ), a leading journal which regularly devotes space to public international law matters.

People

Director: Prof. Robert McCorquodale
Senior Research Fellow: Sarah Williams (the Dorset Fellow)
Research Fellows: Dr. Nisrine Abiad, Kristin Hausler, Dr. Farkhanda Zia Mansoor, Faria Medjouba and Justine Stefanelli.

For more information, please consult our staff page.

The public international law programme is guided by the Public International Law Advisory Panel, comprising prominent academics, practitioners and government officials.

Chair: Sam Wordsworth.

Members: Dapo Akande, David Anderson QC, Anthony Aust CMG, Sir Frank Berman KCMG QC, Daniel Bethlehem QC, Alan Boyle QC, James Crawford SC, Malcolm Forster, Vaughan Lowe QC, Paul McKell, Maurice Mendelson QC, Catherine Redgwell, Philippe Sands QC, Audley Sheppard, Robert Volterra, Ralph Wilde, Elizabeth Wilmshurst CMG and Sir Michael Wood KCMG.

For any further information regarding our advisory board, please contact either Sarah Williams (s.williams@biicl.org) or Kristin Hausler (k.hausler@biicl.org).

Our team is also supported by a pool of enthusiastic and dedicated interns from all around the world. If you are interested in an internship, please see our opportunities page.

Sponsorship

The Institute is very grateful for the generous assistance of the Dorset Foundation for its continued support of the Dorset Fellow.
The programme often seeks sponsorship for research projects and events. If you are interested in sponsorship opportunities, please contact either Sarah Williams (s.williams@biicl.org) or Kristin Hausler (k.hausler@biicl.org).