This year’s theme for the Conference was “Inertia or Innovation? Reshaping International Law for a Complex Future”.

How can we reshape international law in order to respond to and engage with our complex future? Recent developments have presented distinct challenges to the effectiveness and legitimacy of international law in the form of populism, polarisation and pandemics.  More systemically, the architecture of international law – its processes, institutions and values – is being challenged by environmental change on a scale that has precipitated the beginning of a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene. Our future is increasingly complex, and that complexity is found in every area of international law.  The response of institutions and processes to recent and current challenges has been characterised at times by inertia or innovation or, in the case of the WTO, for example, both.  At the 28th ANZSIL Conference participants were encouraged to reflect on whether, and if so, how, international law has been, is currently being and could be reshaped for our complex future.

The Conference was held fully online from 30 June – 6 July 2021.

Dr Nilüfer Oral chaired the session titled “Binding advisory opinions? Re-shaping procedure and substance in inter-state dispute settlement” and the speakers included:

Massimo Lando

Deciding disputes by way of advisory opinions? Eastern Carelia after Mauritius/Maldives

Rowan Nicholson

Making sense of the distinction between ‘binding’ and ‘authoritative’ in Mauritius/ Maldives

Tara Davenport

The Role of Advisory Opinions in Climate Change and Environmental Law Litigation: Problems and Prospects after Mauritius/ Maldives

More info on the conference programme can be found at: https://anzsilconference.org/program