- When
- 2 to 4 July 2025
- Where
- Australian National University, Canberra
- Theme
- Silence, forgetting and remembrance
The call for papers described international law as often caught in the present, treating current priorities as inevitable and ruling some subjects and experiences "out of bounds" as non-legal. It asked what international law does not know or has excluded, which fields and actors it risks forgetting, and what forgotten histories, such as previous ambitions for universal disarmament, can teach about today.
On silence, it asked who is given a voice in international law and why some subjects are easier to speak about than others, including the perception of the Global South finding its voice in international courts on matters from climate change to genocide. Contemporary topics invited included conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, climate change and refugee movements, strategic competition and economic decoupling, the role of international courts in ongoing conflicts, and failures to protect the natural environment.
How proposals were invited
- Papers and panels on any area of public or private international law connected to the theme, and, as in previous years, proposals on other topics.
- An abstract of up to 250 words and a biographical note of up to 200 words; the closing date for proposals was 10 February 2025.
- Interest groups were welcome to propose panels, and non-traditional formats such as round-tables were encouraged.
- The call encouraged submissions from Māori, Indigenous Australians and other groups under-represented in the forum.