Legal Action Worldwide

Roundtable: “Justice and accountability for attacks against humanitarian personnel, premises and assets”
2025-02-03 - 2025-02-04 | King Baudouin Foundation, Brederode Street 21, Brussels, Belgium
With 2024 witnessing unprecedented risks for humanitarian personnel, particularly for nationally recruited staff, and minimal accountability for attacks, urgent action is required to strengthen protections for humanitarian actors in conflict zones.
This gathering of leading experts will explore actionable solutions to improve access to justice and accountability for affected personnel and humanitarian organizations. Your expertise on this critical issue will be invaluable in shaping the next steps to safeguard humanitarian personnel globally.
This is a closed roundtable event.

Lecture: How to achieve justice for victims and survivors of international crimes in today’s global landscape
2025-01-30 16:30 - 18:00 (Europe/London) | Brighton & Sussex Medical School, BN1 9PX, Sussex, United Kingdom
“It’s only when they know what the repercussions might be that we will prevent them from attacking repeatedly.” – Antonia Mulvey
In this discussion with Christian Henderson, Professor of International Law at Sussex Law School and Jeremy Allouche Professorial Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, Antonia Mulvey will address how her career has developed, being part of one of the few female-led teams in international law, the challenges faced by teams on the front lines of conflict, and the fight for the upholding of international law.

Universal Jurisdiction and Complementarity at the ICC: Collaborating to End Impunity
2024-12-06 08:00 - 09:45 (Europe/London) | The Hague, World Forum, The Hague, Netherlands
23rd Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court Side Event

Friday 6 December, 08:30 – 09:45h
Asia Room, World Forum, Den Haag
Sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Facilitated by Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) and the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ)

Overview
During the 23rd session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP23) to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Legal Action Worldwide and the Clooney Foundation for Justice will host a side event exploring how civil society organizations (CSOs) and domestic prosecutors can contribute to international justice efforts in partnership with the ICC. This event will examine how national actors and CSOs are advancing universal jurisdiction (UJ) litigation while simultaneously supporting investigations by the ICC Office of the Prosecutor (OTP). The side event will be sponsored by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
This side event will examine the role of CSOs in proceedings before domestic courts under the principle of UJ and in international proceedings. As case studies, it will examine situations in Myanmar, Ukraine, and Venezuela and extract lessons learned for other situations, such as Sudan. Panelists will discuss how domestic and international criminal investigations can and must complement each other when addressing the same contexts—and how CSOs play a key role in advancing justice for atrocities at both levels.
This dual approach is a key feature of the OTP’s new Policy on Complementarity and Cooperation (“Policy”). The Policy emphasizes the need for the OTP to develop and maintain strong partnerships with State actors and CSOs, to support justice efforts at a national level while still pursuing its own mandate to investigate and prosecute the most serious international crimes.
Panelists will consider how CSOs and prosecutors in Member States can contribute to this dynamic notion of complementarity. They will explore the legal frameworks, practices, and jurisprudence that allow CSOs to play an essential role in UJ cases, creating opportunities for justice and accountability at all levels.
Background
Under its new Policy, the OTP departs from its previously articulated complementarity policy and puts forward a “two-track approach” to complementarity. Its parallel principles — “partnership” and “vigilance” — emphasize the need for ICC and States Parties to coordinate their justice efforts. The Policy frames the OTP’s work as “informing, and as forming part of, a wider array of actions that can be carried out among a plurality of accountability actors.”2 UJ litigation is a key tool by which States can take such action. By reimagining complementarity as a collaborative endeavor, the ICC and State Parties can pursue multiple accountability avenues in one situation at the same time. Considering both the procedural framework and accompanying timelines in national systems versus those of the ICC and the pace of recent UJ case openings, the emerging trend is that UJ cases are being formally initiated at a faster pace than ICC cases, further making the case for the need for increased collaboration between international prosecutors, national authorities, and CSOs.
CSOs play a crucial role in international justice efforts. CSOs were involved in more than half of ongoing UJ cases in 2023.3 Their expertise extends far beyond investigating and filing UJ matters; CSOs are uniquely positioned to facilitate connections between survivors, domestic prosecutors, and ICC or other non-local actors. They may also provide crucial support that enables survivors to participate in proceedings at all levels. Because CSOs typically have existing ties with the communities they serve, they can help facilitate survivor-centered approaches to accountability.
CSOs have long bridged the gap between States Parties and the ICC. However, some commentators have noted that the Policy stops short of specifying how it plans to strengthen its dialogue with CSOs.4 Further clarity is necessary to ensure CSOs and domestic prosecutors are meaningfully included across justice processes, particularly as their roles relate to two-way evidence collection and sharing. The panelists will explore a range of situation countries and discuss lessons learned from supporting and engaging in international justice efforts alongside OTP investigations.
Agenda
00:00 – 00:05 Introduction/Welcoming Remarks(5 min)
00:05 – 00:50 Panel Discussion (60 min)
Panelists:

Yasmine Chubin, Legal Advocacy Director, The Docket, Clooney Foundation for Justice

Nick Leddy, Head of Litigation, Legal Action Worldwide

Antonia David, Senior Program Manager, The Docket, Clooney Foundation for Justice

Pubudu Sachithanandan, Trial Lawyer, ICC Office of the Prosecutor

Anna J. van Dooren, Public Prosecutor International Crimes Unit, National Prosecution Service, The Netherlands

Chantal Daniels, Cooperation Advisor, ICC Office of the Prosecutor (TBC)

Launch of the Gender Justice Practitioner Hub: a better gender justice for survivors of international crimes
2024-12-05 18:15 - 20:00 (Europe/London) | Australian Embassy, Tobias Asserlaan 6, The Hague, Netherlands
Side Event to the 23rd session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute
Location: The Australian Residence, Tobias Asserlaan 6, The Hague (on invitation only)
Time: 6.15 – 8:00 PM
The Gender Justice Practitioners Hub is founded to foster collaboration, strengthen coordination and facilitate experience-sharing amongst practitioners all over the world to ensure better gender justice outcomes for survivors of core international crimes.

Disrupting International Crimes in Sudan: Views from the Front Lines
2024-12-04 13:15 - 14:45 (Europe/London) | The Hague, World Forum, The Hague, Netherlands
Side Event to the 23rd session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute
Location: Oceania Room of the World Forum, The Hague
Time: 1.15 – 2.45 PM

Redeeming the ICC Mandate: Possibility for Referring the Situation in Syria Under Article 14
2024-12-04 08:00 - 09:30 (Europe/London) | The Hague, World Forum, The Hague, Netherlands
Side Event to the 23rd session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute

Date: Wednesday, 4 December 2024
Time: 8:00 AM
Duration: 90 minutes
Location: Antarctica Room, World Forum, The Hague

Objective
This event will explore the critical role the International Criminal Court (ICC) could play in addressing the Syrian crisis. The panel will analyse the institutional risks and credibility challenges the Court faces if it fails to intervene meaningfully. Discussions will focus on how a State Party-led referral under Article 14 can bolster the ICC’s legitimacy and create a pathway for accountability in Syria. The panel will also emphasise the importance of civil society and State Party sponsorship to maximise the impact of accountability efforts.
Panelists

Ambassador Stephen Rapp – Senior Fellow for International Justice at the Center on National Security at Georgetown Law
Haydee Dijkstal – Senior Non-Resident Fellow at the Atlantic Council
Yaser Tabbara – Co-Founder, the Syrian Forum
Nick Leddy – Head of Litigation, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW)
Jörn Eiermann – Special Assistant to the Head of the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism (IIIM)

Moderator: Sally Shobut – Advocacy Officer, SFUSA

Accountability and empowerment: Supporting Survivors of Conflict Related Sexual Violence
2024-10-25 11:30 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Women, Peace and Security Week 2024

Accountability and empowerment: Supporting Survivors of Conflict Related Sexual Violence
25 October 2024, 11:30-13:00, CR 11, New York

Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) remains a grave and pervasive issue in conflict and post- conflict zones worldwide, affecting primarily women and girls, but also men and boys.
In the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, reports of women, girls and children raped remain a painful and appalling testimony of the usage of sexual violence as a weapon of war and its destructive force in the society.
In Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, CAR, DRC, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Somalia, Syria, Libya, and Yemen, women continue to be objects of different forms of conflict-related sexual violence.
Such violence not only inflicts immediate physical and psychological harm, but also perpetuates cycles of trauma and impunity. Despite international legal frameworks and increased awareness, survivors often face significant challenges in accessing justice, comprehensive support services, and opportunities for empowerment. For children born from conflict-related rape, and for their mothers, who both often face additional discrimination, such challenges are even more daunting.
Accountability remains fundamental in responding to, preventing, and ultimately eliminating CRSV. Lack of accountability perpetuates an extremely dangerous cycle of impunity, emboldening those who commit sexual violence to continue their actions without any fear of consequences.
The side event “Accountability and Empowerment: Supporting Survivors of Conflict-Related Sexual Violence” aims to shine a spotlight on the specific challenges faced by survivors and to explore tailored strategies and initiatives that can enhance accountability, support survivors, and empower affected communities by presenting, in particular, the experience of Kosovo1- and Ukraine.
It will serve as a platform to galvanize efforts, and share knowledge, by focusing on best practices, strategies and initiatives that enhance accountability, support survivors, and empower affected communities. By prioritizing accountability, comprehensive support, and empowerment, we aim to create a more inclusive and just post-conflict environment where survivors can rebuild their lives with dignity and in safety.

Panel Discussion

Pramilla Patten, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
Marta Chumalo, Ukrainian human rights defender, co-founder and psychologist at Women’s Perspectives (online)
Mirlinda Sada, CSO activist, Medica Gjakova (online)
H.E. Gesa Braeutigam, Special Envoy for Feminist Foreign Policy and Director for HumanRights at the German Federal Foreign Office
Nick Leddy, Head of Litigation, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW)

Side Event to HRC57: Is There Still a Possibility for the ICC to Investigate Syria?
2024-10-03 15:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | United Nations, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Is There Still a Possibility for the ICC to Investigate Syria?
Side Event to the Human Rights Council 57th Session

Thursday, 03 October 2024
14:00 – 15:00
Room XXIV, Palais des Nations, Geneva

This side event aims to explore the potential for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the situation in Syria, specifically through a state referral based on enforced deportation. This discussion is crucial in light of the numerous obstacles that previous efforts faced, including vetoes at the Security Council and other significant challenges. The event will feature a panel of distinguished speakers who will provide insights into past efforts, recent attempts, and future possibilities for ICC involvement in addressing the grave human rights violations in Syria.
Panelists:

Mazen Darwish, Lawyer, Founder, and Executive Director of Syrian Center for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM)
Michelle Jarvis, Deputy Head of the International, Impartial, Independent Mechanism (IIIM), Syria
Antonia Mulvey, Founder and Executive Director of Legal Action Worldwide (LAW)
Yaser Tabbara, Lawyer, Co-founding Board Member of Syria Forum (SF); Chief Strategist

Roundtable discussion: Paving the way for accountability, truth, and reconciliation: a trust fund for victims of atrocity crimes in Myanmar
2024-09-25 11:00 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | NYC Bar Association, 42 W, 44th St., New York, NY, United States
Paving the way for accountability, truth, and reconciliation: a trust fund for victims of violence in Myanmar
Roundtable Discussion during the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79)
This roundtable discussion aims to initiate a dialogue to identify pathways for securing reparative measures for the victims of grave human rights violations and international crimes in Myanmar whilst the legal proceedings and investigations are underway. The discussion will explore the opportune role of the UNGA in steering the current accountability discourse away from punitive justice towards transformative justice through establishing a trust fund.
Key speakers will include:

Hon’ble Dawda A. Jallow, Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Republic of The Gambia
Ambassador Beth Van Schaack, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice, U.S. Department of State
Aung Kyaw Moe, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Human Rights, National Unity Government

HRC56 Side Event: Russia’s Violation of the Right to Life in Ukraine - An Unprecedented Communication before the UN Human Rights Committee
2024-07-10 12:00 - 13:00 (Europe/London) | United Nations, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Russia’s Violation of the Right to Life in Ukraine: An Unprecedented Communication before the UN Human Rights Committee
56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Side Event
10 July 2024
Palais des Nations, Room XXIV (Building E)

Sponsored by: Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom, Permanent Mission of Ukraine
Facilitated by: Legal Action Worldwide (LAW), the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ), Truth Hounds.

During the 56th Session of the UN Human Rights Council, the Clooney Foundation for Justice (CFJ) and Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) will facilitate a side event to present their recent joint communication to the UN Human Rights Committee and discuss its potential to secure accountability for all victims of aggressive war.
In July 2022, a Russian missile strike on the city of Vinnytsia killed 29 Ukrainian persons and injured over 200 people. Relying on a previously untested interpretation of international human rights law, the communication alleges that Russia violated the right to life of all those killed in the attack. An individual communication was filed jointly by CFJ, leading Ukrainian organization Truth Hounds, and LAW on behalf of the families of Ukrainian civilians and soldiers.
The side event aims to use the individual communication and the novel legal arguments that it puts forward to start a conversation around crucial topics in international justice, such as the norm against aggression, the role of human rights law in conflict situations, and the various accountability options available to victims of international crimes and human rights violations. We hope this conversation will help advance justice for victims and survivors in Ukraine and beyond.
Context
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Russian forces have committed countless war crimes and human rights violations. Due to the unprecedentedly swift response by international and national justice mechanisms, the active involvement and collaborative approach of the Ukrainian authorities and real-time documentation efforts capturing evidence, the situation in Ukraine presents a unique opportunity for international justice and accountability.
National authorities in Ukraine and international mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, have been collecting evidence for future criminal investigations and prosecutions of perpetrators, with civil society organizations actively supporting official processes by documenting crimes and collecting information to help bring perpetrators to account.
A consistent feature of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion has been shelling, bombardment, and missile strikes—like the Vinnytsia attack—against densely populated urban areas. Even now, Russia is intensifying attacks against Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing civilians almost every day.
Yet, given the limitations of international humanitarian law and international criminal law, many of these attacks may not amount to war crimes. Under international humanitarian law, the victims of the Vinnytsia attack—as well as thousands of others killed due to shelling or attacks in densely populated urban—could be treated merely as “collateral damage” to the war under the law, with no options for justice. Similarly, Ukrainian soldiers killed as part of Russia’s attacks would have no opportunity for redress or accountability.
Impact
The joint communication requests that the Human Rights Committee affirm the norm against aggression and bring justice for families of the victims of the Vinnytsia attack by determining that Russia’s actions during this unlawful attack violated the right to life of those killed in the attack. In doing so, as part of its decision, the Committee would be the first international judicial organ to hold that Russia was engaged in an act of aggression.
Additionally, the communication requests that Russia safeguards all information relating to the Vinnytsia missile strike on 14 July 2022 and conducts a prompt, impartial, and independent investigation into the missile strike for the prosecution of those responsible. This request would allow Russia to meet its obligation to pursue criminal liability for those responsible for international crimes and human rights violations.
Objective:
The side event will serve as the initial platform for discussing the role human rights law can play in advancing accountability and international justice efforts. We will hear from international legal experts, practitioners, and survivor advocates on how human rights law and mechanisms can be used to advance justice for victims and survivors in Ukraine and beyond.

Swiss Peace Partners Workshop on Myanmar
2024-06-27 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London)
On 27 June 2024, LAW participated in the Swiss Peace Partners workshop on Myanmar, which took place in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting, arranged by the Swiss Embassy in Yangon and the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform brought together a number of organisations working on a diverse range of issues related to Myanmar.
LAW presented its critical work supporting Rohingya participation in ongoing international justice processes, including the case between The Gambia and Myanmar at the International Court of Justice on the application of the Genocide Convention, and the ongoing investigation of Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in the situation of Bangladesh/ Myanmar.
LAW was also able to discuss its vital work enhancing and supporting the documentation of serious human rights violations and international crimes across post-coup Myanmar, especially conflict-related sexual violence, as well as LAW’s support and empowerment for survivors and grassroots organisations in pursuing justice.

Report Launch and Discussion: "It Is A Forever Stigma" - The Role of Gender Discrimination in the Syrian Government's Detention and Torture System
2024-06-26 10:00 - 11:30 (Europe/Paris)
Report Launch and Discussion
“It Is Forever Stigma”
The Role of Gender Discrimination in the Syrian Government’s Detention and Torture System
This event will bring together a panel of experts to discuss the pioneering report on gender discrimination, arbitrary detention and torture in Syria prepared by Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) and Syrian Centre for Legal Studies and Research (SCLSR), which will be published to mark the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
The report explains the role of gender discrimination in the Syrian government’s detention and torture system by recreating the detention experience through the words of 69 former detainees.
The webinar will serve as an introductory look at the report, its factual findings and legal analysis, and what it contributes to our understanding of violations in the Syrian conflict. In addition, panelists will discuss how reports of this kind can be used to better inform international justice processes and surface the gendered nature and impact of violations in the Syrian conflict.
This is an online event. English and Arabic translation will be available.

Drawing a Red Line to End Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
2024-06-18 15:00 - 18:30 (Europe/London) | Official Residence of Canada, The Hague, Netherlands
Drawing a Line to End Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
The international Court of Justice: An effective avenue for prevention, justice and redress for conflict-related sexual violence?
Expert Panel Discussion and Reception
Organised by the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation, co-sponsored by the Government of Canada, the Government of the Netherlands, the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), the Government of Kosovo, the Government of Colombia, the Government of France, and Legal Action Worldwide (LAW).
The overall objective of this event was to highlight that State obligations relevant to preventing, stopping, and responding to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) derive from international instruments, such as international human rights treaties including the Genocide Convention and the Convention Against Torture, and to explore the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) key role as the body that resolves disputes regarding whether States have violated the obligations laid out in these instruments.
The roundtable focused on the ICJ’s important and potential role as an avenue through which States can be held to account regarding their CRSV obligations, including examining issues relevant to CRSV raised in recent cases. The roundtable also explored how the ICJ’s provisional measures and reparations orders can contribute to preventing CRSV and repairing the harms it causes, as well as how the Court currently monitors and ensures compliance with its orders and judgments.
In 2023, the Mukwege Foundation launched the “Guidebook on State Obligations for Conflict-related Sexual Violence”, which compiles the existing State obligations relevant to CRSV set out in International Humanitarian Law, International Human Rights Law, and under UN Security Council resolutions, as well as the mechanisms for compliance and enforcement. The roundtable also highlighted how the Guidebook can be used as a tool by States, civil society, and CRSV survivor activists to better understand what States are currently obligated to do to prevent, halt, and respond to CRSV.
Antonia Mulvey, participated in the panel discusssion, highlighting the interplay between international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international criminal law in conflict-settings. She underscored the importance of recognising the succesful strategies and developments such as the groundbreaking decision has been made this week by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women to protect the identities of 35 South Sudanese survivors of conflict-related sexual violence who have brought a complaint against their State.
This is the first time that a UN Treaty Body has agreed to transmit a communication to a State without disclosing to it the identities of the #victims. Victims of conflict-related sexual violence rarely make complaints against their States out of fear of reprisals – this decision opens the door for survivors around the world to seek #justice.

Protection of Civilians Week - Advancing the Protection of Aid Workers
2024-05-20 13:00 - 14:30 (America/New_York) | New York, Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the U, New York, United States
Advancing the protection of aid workers
Side event – Protection of Civilians Week
20 May 2024
With the participation of the Permanent Representation of France to the UN in New York, the Permanent Representation of Switzerland to the UN in New York, the Permanent Representation of Canada to the UN in New York, the Permanent Representation of Brazil to the UN in New York, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the United Nations Department for Safety and Security (UNDSS), Legal Action Worldwide, Action Against Hunger International and Nonviolent Peaceforce.
This event will bring together key UN, NGO and Member States’ representatives to discuss key recommendations to enhance the protection of humanitarian workers in armed conflict. The discussion will address the following key issues:

What are the challenges faced by humanitarian organisations and States to improve the protection of aid workers, and the gaps in the current measures?
Why is accountability a key element in the protection of aid workers and the security risk management of organisations, and how can we improve access to justice for aid workers when they are the victims of attacks?
How to reinforce security risk management mechanisms and capacities and ensure they are sustainable, specifically with regards to national and local actors?
How can acceptance strategies be better used to increase the protection of aid workers, including through integrating accountability strategies, and changing approaches to access to communities and armed groups?

Date and location
The event will take place on 20 May 2024 from 1 pm to 2.30 pm, at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN, 633 Third Avenue, 29th floor, New York.
Please click here to register to participate in the event.
Speakers
Opening Remarks:

Ambassador Pascale Baeriswyl, Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the UN in New York
Nathalie Estival-Broadhurst, Deputy Permanent Representative of France to the UN in New York

Panellists:

Hanin Ahmed, Women and youths rights activist and co-founder of Omdurman (Sudan) Emergency Response Room (ERR)
Chibuzo Okonta, Executive Director, Action Against Hunger (AAH/ACF)
Gilles Michaud, Under Secretary General for Safety and Security (UNDSS)
Edem Wosornu, Director, Operations and Advocacy Division (OAD), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Antonia Mulvey, Executive Director, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW)

For additional information concerning this event, please contact: Camille Delbourgo, LAW, Programme Manager, delbourgo@legalactionworldwide.org

Gender Justice Practitioners Hub Roundtable (Bogotà)
2024-05-02 | Bogotà, Colombia, Bogotà, Colombia
On 2 May 2024, Legal Action Worldwide and the Embassy of Australia in Colombia facilitated a Gender Justice Practitioners Hub roundtable in Bogotá, Colombia. More than 30 representatives from civil society, academia, UN agencies and executive and judicial state institutions joined to gather their input and perspectives as experts in gender justice efforts in the region.
Recognising the decades of consolidated expertise in the region in the investigation, prosecution, and punishment of gender-based crimes in contexts of armed conflict, dictatorships, and political repression, participants underscored the need for a space for practitioners to safely come together, coordinate and collaborate. Roundtable participants highlighted the importance that the Hub prioritises access and communication of the vast amount of information, resources, learnings, jurisprudence, and legal frameworks that is already produced and available in the region. Ideas around the functioning of the Hub were also considered. Furthermore, participants supported the idea that the Hub could integrate interdisciplinary tools, as the experience in Latin America has shown that the combination of knowledge and support beyond legal professionals have proved successful in key landmark decisions on gendered crimes.

Gender Justice Practitioners Hub Roundtable (Geneva)
2024-04-24 13:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London) | Geneva, Geneva
On 24 April 2024, LAW and the Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations facilitated a Gender Justice Practitioners Hub roundtable in Geneva, Switzerland. 30 representatives from civil society, member states and key UN mechanisms, commissions of inquiry and fact-finding bodies joined to hear feedback from previous roundtables and provide input on the Hub initiative.
Recognising the growing threat to movements seeking gender justice, participants underscored the need for a space for practitioners to safely come together, coordinate and collaborate, echoing a clear finding fromprevious roundtables. The role of a future Hub as a central repository was also considered. Roundtable participants highlighted the need for precedent, policy and best practice to be curated and made accessible for a wide range of practitioners.

International Conference of Prosecutors on Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
2024-03-26 - 2024-03-27
International Conference of Prosecutors on Accountability for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence
26-28 March
The Hague, The Netherlands

The international conference of prosecutors focusing on accountability for conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is organised to mark the 15-year anniversary of the establishment of the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict and the creation of the UN Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Participants will include national practitioners affiliated with specialized units or prosecutorial services with jurisdiction over international crimes, including CRSV, along with legal practitioners from international tribunals and civil society organisations engaged in the litigation of CRSV cases.

Syria and the International Justice System
2024-01-18 08:00 - 2024-01-19 17:00 (Europe/London) | Hotel Bristol Berlin, Berlin, United States
Syria and the International Justice System
18 January 2024 – 19 January 2024
Hotel Bristol Berlin, Berlin
This workshop supports an in-depth look at the principal organs of the international justice system, avenues that many Syrian legal practitioners and human rights defenders have considered inaccessible until now. It will provide participants with the opportunity to hear from international legal experts and practitioners with first-hand experience representing clients’ interests before the world’s highest courts. They will learn, for example, about LAW’s support to Rohingya survivors, including collecting evidence for use in a memorial to the ICJ and conducting analysis to strengthen the Gambia’s case against Myanmar, as well the yearslong effort by a group of human rights lawyers and organisations to secure an ICC investigation. Equipped with practical knowledge of the functioning of the courts, participants will take the lead in workshopping a Syrian-led agenda for international justice.
A Workshop organized and hosted by Legal Action Worldwide (LAW) with the support of the European Union.
This is a closed workshop, only open to invited participants.

Gender and International Criminal Law Conference
2024-01-16 - 2024-01-17 | Leiden University, the Hague, Leiden University, Schouwburgstraat 2, The Hague, Netherlands
LAW, alongside Women’s Initiatives for Gender Justice and UN Women, is organising a two-day international conference on Gender Justice and International Criminal Law to explore gender dimensions in the practice and legal framework of international criminal justice for the purpose of ensuring stronger accountability. The conference will be an exploration of pivotal issues that push the boundaries of Gender Justice in International Criminal Law. It will convene 100+ key actors in the Gender Justice field to share knowledge, inspire practical solutions, and renew energy to inform the future of a more equitable International Criminal Law field.
The impetus for the conference is the publication of the comprehensive book Gender and International Criminal Law (Oxford University Press 2022), edited by Indira Rosenthal, Valerie Oosterveld, and Susana SáCouto, and a new initiative to establish a Gender Justice Practitioner Hub (GJP Hub) to support and connect practitioners involved in securing gender justice for core international crimes.
The Conference will take place on 16 and 17 January 2024 in The Hague, The Netherlands. Both in-person and online participation in the will be possible. You can register to attend the conference, here.

Conference Nationale Humanitaire, CDCS (France)
2023-12-19 | Paris, France
On 19 December 2023, the Centre de Crise et de Soutien of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs held the 6th Conference Nationale Humanitaire in Paris. The conference was opened by Mrs. Catherine Colonna, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, followed by opening remarks from major humanitarian stakeholders. A first roundtable on “Adapting the humanitarian response to increasing needs” took place.
LAW was invited to participate in the second roundtable of the day, “Protecting humanitarian action in a context where international humanitarian law is threatened”. The panelists discussed a set of issues to answer the question “given the resurgence of crisis and armed conflicts, how can we ensure that aid is delivered to the beneficiaries while guaranteeing their protection and that of humanitarian workers?”.

The high-level panel included Charlotte Schneider, Director of International Operations, Action Against Hunger (ACF), Ghislaine Doucet, Senior Legal Adviser, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Florence Cormon, French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Directorate for the United Nations, International Organisations, Human Rights and the Francophonie and Camille Delbourgo, Programme Manager at LAW. Christina Wille, Director of the NGO Insecurity Insight, opened the questions from the floor.
Florence Daunis, Director of Operations at Handicap International/Humanity and Inclusion, was the rapporteur for this session. During the restitution of the roundtable, she highlighted that it was crucial for states to respect international humanitarian law, and to make every efforts to ensure its armed personnel and representatives implemented it. She concluded that the French Humanitarian Strategy for 2023 to 2027 must be the basis for a concrete plan of action and the strengthening of the dialogue between state institutions and humanitarian actors.

Side Event to ASP22: Accountability for Crimes Against Children
2023-12-07 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London) | UN Offices of the Bahá’í International Community, UN Offices of the Bahá’í International Community, New York, New York, United States
Accountability for Crimes Against Children: Challenges and Opportunities from a Gender Perspective

Date: Thursday, 07 December 2023
Location: UN Offices of the Bahá’í International Community, New York
Time: 09.30 AM – 11.00 AM

This side event to the 22nd Assembly of States Parties to the ICC (ASP22) aims at fostering a discussion around children’s participation in accountability proceedings from a gender-sensitive, trauma-informed and survivor-centred approach, focusing on the often-overlooked experiences of LGBTQI+ children and youth. This will be a practice-oriented conversation around the challenges and needs that children have when accessing accountability avenues for core international crimes at the national and international level, while highlighting with a differential gender approach, the needs of LGBTQI+ child survivors and victims.
Register here (this event is an in-person event).

Side Event to ICC ASP22: SGBV Report Launch and Discussion
2023-12-06 12:00 - 13:00 (Europe/London)
“Every day, i remember they destroyed my life”
Long-Term Physical and Psychosocial Consequences of Genocidal Sexual and Gender-Based Violence the Myanmar Military Committed against the Rohingya in its 2017 ‘Clearance Operations’
On December 6, as a side event to the 22nd International Criminal Court Assembly of State Parties in New York, LAW will launch a groundbreaking report that explores the Long-Term Physical and Psychosocial Consequences of Genocidal Sexual and Gender-Based Violence the Myanmar Military Committed against the Rohingya in its 2017 ‘Clearance Operations’.
LAW’s multidisciplinary research, the first of its kind, sought to understand the continuing impact(s) of SGBV that was committed by the Myanmar military against Rohingya survivors – men, women, and hijra – with a view to determining whether such SGBV can constitute genocide in and of itself.
Based on findings of LAW’s report, the event will bring together legal experts and will seek to advance the following objectives:

Acknowledging that SGBV must be investigated and prosecuted as a genocidal act in the ongoing international legal proceedings before domestic and international courts.
Enhancing political and security measures necessary to ensure SGBV survivors’ continuous engagement in international justice proceedings and initiating timely action to provide reparations to survivors.
Funding quality and long-term specialised medical and psychosocial support for SGBV survivors across genders.

Register here (this is an in-person event).

Gender Justice Practitioners Hub (GJP Hub) Roundtable in New York
2023-12-05 11:00 - 13:00 (Europe/London) | UN Women HQ, New York, United States
Side events to the 22nd International Criminal Court Assembly of State Parties in New York
Supporting Practitioners in Securing Gender Justice for Core International Crimes

On 05 December 2023, coinciding with the Assembly of State Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), LAW, UN Women and UN Team of Experts on Rule of Law/ Sexual Violence in Conflict convened a side event in New York, on the possible establishment of a Gender Justice Practitioner Hub (GJP Hub). More than 30 practitioners and international legal experts from around the world attended the discussion.
Participants agreed on the importance of collaboration, networking and the need for a knowledge sharing platform or repository that collates the significant experiences established over decades. Participants outlined how the Hub could be a centralised safe space for feminist thinking and solidarity.
Opening remarks were provided by Ambassador Rebecca Bryant (Deputy permanent representative of Australia to the United Nations in New York), Pramila Patten (Special Representative of the UN Secretary General on Sexual Violence in Conflict) and Paivi Kannisto (UN Women).

Gender Justice Practitioner Hub (GJP Hub) Roundtable in Bangkok
2023-11-22 09:30 - 17:00 (Europe/London) | Australian Embassy Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
On 22 November 2023, LAW chaired the Asia Pacific Gender Justice Practitioner Hub (GJP Hub) Roundtable in Bangkok, the second of six regional events to gather feedback and input on the GJP Hub initiative.

This new initiative explores the establishment of a GJP Hub – a centre mandated to support and connect practitioners involved in securing gender justice for core international crimes. Through collaboration, coordination and by leveraging decades of experience at national and international levels, the GJP Hub would provide practical tools and assistance to practitioners to help strengthen efforts in pursuit of gender justice. The initiative is supported by the Government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through its commitments to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
Australian Assistant Secretary and Principal Specialist Gender Equality, Sarah Goulding, opened the roundtable and highlighted the critical nature of the conversation to bring together gender equality and the women, peace and security agenda. Participants working on a variety of contexts across the Asia Pacific region, including Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand and Sri Lanka, underscored a range of challenges for those working towards gender justice throughout the Asia-Pacific region –and provided ideas and thinking about how a GJP Hub could support their work.

Roundtable: “Justice has been very difficult "
2023-11-08 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London)
Roundtable: “Justice has been very difficult”: Overcoming the barriers to accountability for attacks on aid workers to improve their protection worldwide.
With the participation of the French ministère de l’Europe et des affaires étrangères,
Hosted by Legal Action Worldwide
The French Embassy in Nairobi and Legal Action Worldwide will bring together key actors of the international humanitarian community in a high-level roundtable. This is the next step of the consultations undertaken by LAW with staff members of national and international NGOs, donors and UN Agencies working in South Sudan, Somalia, Ethiopia and Central African Republic.
Find the summary of the roundtable here.

Panel: Gender-Based Violence at the Intersection of War and Mass Atrocities
2023-11-02 00:00 (Europe/London)
Canadian Council of International Law (CCIL)
Panel Discussion: Gender-Based Violence at the Intersection of War and Mass Atrocities

On Thursday, 2 November 2023, Nick Leddy, LAW’s Head of Litigation, had the opportunity to be part of a great panel on Gender-Based Violence at the Intersection of War and Mass Atrocities at the Canadian Council of International Law (CCIL) in Ottawa.
Nick talked about how universal jurisdiction is a pathway to justice for survivors at the crossroads of domestic and international law; why investigations of mass atrocity merit an intersectional lens; and how gender persecution can be a tool for accountability for LGBTIQ+ survivors.
More details about the conference here.

Experts Roundtable: Protection of Victims and Witnesses in Accountability and Truth-seeking Processes
2023-10-09 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London)
Expert Roundtable
Human Rights Council 54th session
If they know, we will not be safe, they will look for us, they will follow us until they find us
Protection of Victims and Witnesses in Accountability and Truth-seeking Processes
Date: 9 October 2023 – 1300-1500 (CET) – Lunch will be provided
Location: Geneva Academy
Moderated by: Jelena Aparac, Head of Policy, Advocacy, and Research, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW)
For the first time, LAW will bring together victims and witnesses of crimes committed during the conflicts and international experts on human rights and the protection of witnesses. They will share their experience of trying to seek justice, and of the very real risks of stigma and reprisals that they face. Together with international experts, with concrete experience in victim and witness protection, the roundtable will establish (1) a set of recommendations for courts, tribunals and treaty bodies, and (2) concrete actions that can be undertaken immediately and with limited funding by organisations working with victims and witnesses, to improve the experience of those who wish to seek justice.

Experts Roundtable: Survivors’ solutions to improving victim and witness protection in accountability and truth-seeking processes
2023-10-09 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London)
Expert Roundtable
Human Rights Council 54th session
If they know, we will not be safe, they will look for us, they will follow us until they find us
Survivors’ solutions to improving victim and witness protection in accountability and truth-seeking processes
Date: 9 October 2023 – 1300-1500 (CET) – Lunch will be provided
Location: Geneva Academy
Moderated by: Jelena Aparac, Head of Policy, Advocacy, and Research, Legal Action Worldwide (LAW)
For the first time, LAW will bring together victims and witnesses of crimes committed during the conflicts and international experts on human rights and the protection of witnesses. They will share their experience of trying to seek justice, and of the very real risks of stigma and reprisals that they face. Together with international experts, with concrete experience in victim and witness protection, the roundtable will establish (1) a set of recommendations for courts, tribunals and treaty bodies, and (2) concrete actions that can be undertaken immediately and with limited funding by organisations working with victims and witnesses, to improve the experience of those who wish to seek justice.
Sponsored by the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, and the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.

War Criminals for Hire: The Role and Accountability of Mercenaries in Modern Armed Conflicts
2023-09-20 10:00 - 11:00 (Europe/London)
War Criminals for Hire: The Role and Accountability of Mercenaries in Modern Armed Conflicts
20 September 2023
10-11 am
Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland
Room: XXV
The panelists will discuss the role played by mercenary groups in international and non-international armed conflicts in recent years. The event will seek to highlight the gaps in holding these actors and their backers to account, and the challenges that practitioners have encountered in curbing mercenary activities and responding to the suffering they have caused. Finally, the panelists will recommend ways forward to operationalize and/or strengthen the framework for responding to mercenary activities, including options for combatting the impunity that mercenary forces have enjoyed through the pursuit of accountability. The focus of discussions will be on various regions including Syria, Central African Republic, Mali, and Ukraine.
Agenda
Opening Remarks:
Mr. Chris Kwaja, Member of the UN Working Group on the use of Mercenaries
Moderator:
Antonia Mulvey, Executive Director, Legal Action Worldwide
Panelists:

Mohammad Al Abdallah, Executive Director, Syria Justice and Accountability Centre
Dmitry Gurin, Legal Advisor, European Prison Litigation Network
Jelena Aparac, Head of Advocacy, Policy, and Research, Legal Action Worldwide, Former member and Chair-Rapporteur of the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries
Yousuf Syed Khan, Senior Lawyer, Global Rights Compliance
Mikiko Otani, Member, UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

Closing Remarks:
Mr. Chris Kwaja, Member of the UN Working Group on the use of Mercenaries

Gender Justice Practitioners Hub (GJPH) Roundtable in Beirut
2023-06-01 08:00 - 17:00 (Europe/London) | Beirut, Lebanon
On 1 June 2023, LAW facilitated a roundtable in Beirut, Lebanon, on the Gender Justice Practitioners Hub (the Hub) initiative. The roundtable was the first of multiple meetings which will take place around the world to gather feedback, input, criticism on the initiative itself and the wider needs of practitioners. 34 practitioners, including representatives of civil society, academics and survivor groups, and representatives from UN bodies based across the Middle East and North Africa (including Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Libya) attended the discussion. Participants included men, women and those of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity. Welcoming remarks were provided by Mrs Claire Murray, Deputy Head of Mission from the Australian Embassy.
Despite initial caution about having the kick-off roundtable about the Hub in the Middle East, the response could not have been more positive. There was concern that difficulties in discussing the issue of gender justice, and even confusion around what gender justice is, that this could be a barrier to the discussion. In some contexts, even talking about gender remains taboo. However, participants emphasised that this made this conversation even more urgent and important.

Participants were resoundingly in favour of the Hub initiative. There was a clear outcry for coordination, training and the development of tools to support the work of those striving for gender justice within the region. There was recognition that, despite operating in a range of different contexts across the MENA region, that many of the obstacles faced were the same and that collaboration and coordination were key to addressing these challenges. Participants underscored the need for a ‘safe space’ for practitioners regularly working for gender justice to come together, discuss common issues and to receive advice from experts and from each other. Throughout the roundtable, participants emphasised that the Hub must bridge the global and the regional. Participants suggested having regional units which could contribute to and be represented in the global strategy/ coordination of the Hub .

Legal Action Worldwide’s Executive Director, Antonia Mulvey, who facilitated the roundtable said: “This was the perfect location to kick-off this discussion! The participants have set out a clear need for an initiative like the Hub to support those working on the front-lines and have provided a clear direction forward.” The next roundtable will take place in Bangkok in Autumn 2023.
About the Hub Initiative: This initiative explores the establishment of a Gender Justice Practitioner Hub – a centre mandated to support and connect practitioners involved in securing gender justice for core international crimes. Through collaboration, coordination and by leveraging decades of experience at national and international levels, the GJP Hub would provide practical tools and assistance to practitioners to help strengthen efforts in pursuit of gender justice. The initiative is supported by the Government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through its commitments to the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
