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Book Review III: Sustainable Development, International Law, and a Turn to African Legal Cosmologies (Godwin Eli Kwadzo Dzah) (CUP, 2024)

International law applies to the interchanging relationships and rules between states, including the establishment of norms and standards which govern their activities. This changing landscape of international law is recognised in one of the introductory paragraphs of this book: ‘international law possess an inherent transformative power to renew and remake itself if we are committed to reimagining the discipline and its fundamental characteristics, including the concept of sustainable development’ (pg 2). Sustainable development (SD) has been an integral part of international law discourse before the 1972 United Nations Conference on the Human Environment (UNCHE) and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Hence, this book focuses on the ahistoricism and influence of international law on the environment and sustainable development in African legal systems through a Third World Approaches to International Law (TWAIL) lens.

Book Review II: Reimagining sustainable development by centring African customary law: A TWAIL analysis

This book is about reimagining sustainable development. At a time when many scholars have become disillusioned with the concept and calls for abandoning sustainable development in favour of new concepts abound, Dzah makes an impassioned call for us to retain the idea, whose ancient roots predate its co-optation by Western (legal) hegemony, while think about it in a radically different way. The way in which he suggests we do this, is by turning to African relational ontologies and environmental ethics that (re)conceptualise humans “as mere co-occupants of nature with other species”.

IBA Webinar Invitation: The role of international law and institutions in attaining Goal 1 of the SDGs

A webinar presented by the IBA Poverty and Social Development Committee, supported by the IBA Academic and Professional Development, the IBA Access to Legal Aid Committee and the Human Rights Research and Education Center, University of Ottawa, Canada.

Book Review I: Towards Worldview Interactions: A Review of Godwin Eli Kwadzo Dzah, Sustainable Development, International Law and African Legal Cosmologies (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2024)

Dr. Godwin Dzah’s thought-provoking book investigates the actual and potential contributions of Africa and its peoples, including through their rich worldviews, to the making and doing of international law, treating sustainable development as a microcosm. At its core is a vision to deploy Africa’s Indigenous worldviews to reimagine sustainable development, advance thinking on how it should be applied in international law going forward.

Call for Papers: Workshop for Early Career Scholars to Prepare a Manuscript Submission to the Journal of World Investment and Trade (JWIT)

Embarking on an academic career is both exciting and challenging, particularly for legal researchers in the early stages; however, navigating the complexities of academic publishing can be daunting. This workshop is tailored to support early career scholars by providing a comprehensive overview of the publication process in JWIT. Participants will gain valuable insights into crafting a scientifically rigorous article with guidance on every phase from the initial draft to the final peer review.

The African International Economic Law Network (AfIELN) announces New President and Chairperson, Advisory Board

Following a unanimous ratification by its Advisory Board, the African International Economic Law Network (AfIELN) is pleased to announce two important changes and updates relating to its leadership.

Book Review Symposium Introduction: Sustainable Development, International Law, and a Turn to African Legal Cosmologies, Godwin Dzah (CUP, 2024)

I am very happy to introduce the symposium on my book, Sustainable Development, International Law, and a Turn to African Legal Cosmologies, by Cambridge University Press in May 2024. This symposium features four very thoughtful and critical reviews. These four reflections should be read as companion pieces together with my introduction. They address different aspects of the book, provide points of convergence and divergence, and foreshadow future research. I am grateful to these reviewers for their kind engagement with my book, for their constructive criticisms and positive feedback. I am equally grateful to the editors of AfronomicsLaw.org for curating this symposium.

Call for Papers: ILA Committee on ADR in International Law - Shaping Appropriate ADR in International Law (7 April 2025, Florence, Italy)

The International Law Association (ILA) Committee on Alternative Dispute Resolution in International Law is delighted to announce a conference on Shaping Appropriate ADR in International Law on 7 April 2025, in collaboration with the ILA Italian Branch and with the Department of Law of the University of Florence. The conference will focus on a series of presentations based on papers collected through this Call.