Download the electronic Call for Papers (PDF version) 

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE CONFERENCE

In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 2013:

• the African Foundation of International Law (AFIL)
• the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria, South Africa
• the Institute for International and Comparative Law in Africa (ICLA), University of Pretoria, South Africa
• Faculdade de Direito, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Mozambique
  are pleased to announce a two-day conference on international law in Africa and invite proposals for papers.

This conference aims to provide a forum for reflection on the pan-African organisation in the specific context of human security, peace and development in Africa, and how the OAU/AU has responded to challenges in these areas.

THEMES OF THE CONFERENCE

Presentations at the conference will fall under one of the following four general themes, and may include the following topics:

Day 1 Friday 5 October 2012

Threats to Human Security by State and Non-State Actors

• Judicial responses to Mass Violations of Human Rights: the Role of Regional and International Judicial Bodies (ICC, African Commission and Court of Human and Peoples’ Rights)
• Judicial Response to Massive Violations of Human Rights: the Role of Domestic Courts and Universal Jurisdiction Development and Human Rights
• Theory and Practice of the Right to Development in Africa
• Doha Development Agenda: What is in it for Africa?
• Regional Integration and the African Economic Community, NEPAD and its Peer-Review Mechanism: What Contribution to African Development?

Peace and Good Governance

• The Responsibility to Protect: the Role of the African Union and the United Nations
• Consolidating Rule of Law and Good Governance through African Instruments
• Strengthening State Institutions as a Response to Internal Conflicts

Day 2 Saturday 6 October 2012

Towards 50 Years of African Unity (Morning)

• Panafricanism and International Law
• From OAU to AU

Institutional matters (Late morning)

• Meeting of the African Foundation for International Law (AFIL), with a view to reactivating the African Association of International Law (AAIL) 

On the afternoon of 6 October 2012, conference participants are invited to attend the final round of the 21st African Human Rights Moot Court Competition, in the main auditorium of the Joachim Chissano Conference Centre in Maputo. The Moot Competition, which is the leading human rights education initiative at university level in Africa, brings together students and academics from over 60 African universities each year to argue and debate contemporary human rights issues. The final round opposes the best teams and is presided over by leading international jurists including judges from the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the International Court of Justice, the International Criminal Court, the Constitutional Court of South Africa and the Chief Justice of
Mozambique; as well as other experts from academia and civil society.

• Those interested in presenting a paper must submit an abstract containing their name, the proposed title and a brief summary of the argument / contribution of the paper (no more than 500 words).
• Abstracts should be sent to [email protected] before 1 May 2012.
• Authors of abstracts selected for presentation will be informed by 1 June 2012.
• A full paper (5,000 to 10,000 words) must be submitted before 1 August 2012 to be translated for the conference file. Inclusion in the conference programme is conditional on the submission of the actual paper before 1 August 2012.
• Each presenter will have 15 – 20 minutes to present their paper. Discussion is encouraged. Papers will be made available to all participants beforehand.
• Presenters may be required to rework their papers after the conference, if necessary, and resubmit final versions for inclusion in a commemorative publication.

For further information, please contact Roland Adjovi at [email protected] or see www.chr.up.ac.za