March

Human Rights Defenders and National Human Rights Institutions: Legislative, State and Non-State Aspects
March 30 – March 31, 2006
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
Vienna, Austria

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April

American Bar Association Section of International Law 2006 Spring Meeting
April 5 - April 8, 2006
American Bar Association
New York, NY, USA
Co-sponsored by ASIL. Join the ABA Section of International Law in New York and enjoy unsurpassed international networking opportunities with lawyers from around the globe – exchange ideas and learn more about emerging international cutting-edge legal policy and practice issues. There will be seven major tracks, including Public Law, Trade, Litigation/Dispute Resolution, Regulatory, Transaction, Corporate Counsel, and Law Practice. ASIL members can receive the member discount by logging on to the Spring Meeting website at http://www.abanet.org/intlaw/spring06/promo.html and, under Registration, clicking on the link to “Cooperating Entity Registration.”

The World Trade Organization at 10: Governance, Dispute Settlement and Developing Countries
April 6 - April 7, 2006
Columbia University
New York, NY, USA
Sponsored by Columbia University. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the WTO and its dispute settlement system and featuring: Trade and Foreign Ministers from Brazil, the EU, Indonesia, Nigeria, South Korea and the US; former Directors-General of the WTO; senior business leaders, politicians and policy makers, including former Presidents of Mexico and Ireland, a former US Treasury Secretary, several members of the US Congress and the current and former US Trade Representatives; leading academics, legal experts and journalists; and all current and former Members of the WTO Appellate Body. The speakers will explore topics such as: The achievements of the Uruguay Round and the WTO; Decision Making at the WTO; The Performance of the Dispute Settlement System; The WTO and Developing Countries; The Operation of the Panel Process and Appellate Review; WTO Case Law in an International Law Context; Managing the Challenges Ahead and Considering Remedies; The Dispute Settlement System in the Next Ten Years; Expanding Public Awareness of the WTO and Its Work; Implementation of WTO Rulings and The Role of Courts and Legislatures in the US and Other Jurisdictions; and Reflections on the WTO in the Context of Economic Globalization.

Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) 2006 Australasian Law Reform Agencies Conference
April 10-12, 2006
Australian Law Reform Commission
Sydney, Austrailia
ALRAC 2006 will bring together representatives of law reform agencies from across the world for a program of dynamic speakers, engaging workshops and important networking opportunities. In a departure from past ALRAC programs, the Australian Law Reform Commission is dividing ALRAC 2006 into two distinct sections for a conference program that will provide delegates with valuable tools for tackling law reform in the 21st century.

14th Annual Conference on International Intellectual Property Law and Policy
April 20 - 21, 2006, 8:30 am - 6:00 pm
Fordham University School of Law
New York, NY, USA
This conference will analyze developments in copyright, patent, trademark, design and antitrust/competition law with regard to the United States, European Union, European Patent Office, Asia, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), World Trade Organization (WTO), and digital and information technology. The faculty will include speakers from the U.S. government, European Commission, Community Trademark and Designs Office (OHIM), European Court of Justice, European Court of First Instance, House of Lords, U.K Court of Appeal, U.K. Royal Courts of Justice, Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, academics and members of the bar from Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, Australia and the United States.

International Commercial Arbitration: Study of a Mock Case Under the International Chamber of Commerce Rules of Arbitration (PIDA Seminar)
April 24 - April 27, 2006
International Chamber of Commerce
Paris, France
This highly interactive seminar focuses on the study of a mock case under the ICC Rules of Arbitration, giving participants an unparalleled opportunity to work in small groups in a constant debate with international experts – including key persons involved in the drafting and implementation of the ICC Rules of Arbitration. Amidst the latest developments at the ICC International Court of Arbitration, participants will develop first-hand experience and knowledge of the ICC Rules and practice of International Commercial Arbitration, essential in international business today. Drawn upon the experience of renowned arbitrators in a multicultural and international environment, the seminar will meet the practical needs of those involved in international trade and will simulate an ICC arbitration, highlighting differences in cultures and legal practices.

Expanding the Toolbox: Using International Treaty Norms in Domestic Social Justice Advocacy in the US
April 27, 2006, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
American University Washington College of Law's Center for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
Washington, DC, USA
Co-sponsored by the ACLU, Global Rights, Penal Reform International, the US Human Rights Network, and the Bringing Human Rights Home Lawyer’s Network. This training will expose US lawyers, NGOs and social justice advocates to the international human rights framework and explore how the mechanisms, treaties and procedures of the international system may be relevant to their work. Leading experts from the US and abroad will act as trainers and speakers. This seminar is targeted for practitioners, activists and students interested in using international human rights norms in their domestic work.

16th Inter-Pacific Bar Association Conference
April 30 - May 3, 2006
Sydney, Austrailia
The Inter-Pacific Bar Association ("IPBA") is an international association of business and commercial lawyers with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region. Members are either Asia-Pacific residents or have a strong interest in this part of the world. The IPBA was founded in April 1991 at an organizing conference held in Tokyo attended by more than 500 lawyers from throughout Asia and the Pacific. Since then it has grown to become a pre-eminent organization in the area of Asia law and business with a membership of over 2,000 lawyers from 75 jurisdictions around the world. The IPBA aims to provide an opportunity for business and commercial lawyers to network with lawyers of similar interests and fields of practice, and also to stay abreast with latest development in the areas of practice. Supported by major Bar Associations, Law Societies and other Organizations, the IPBA is playing a significant role in fostering ties among members of the professions.

Arbitration and Mediation
April 24-May 5, 2006
International Law Institute
Washington, DC
This course familiarizes participants with alternative methods of dispute resolution (ADR). The first part of the course examines the legal issues involved in international commercial arbitration; the second part introduces to the goals and techniques of mediation. The emphasis throughout is on the development of practical skills.

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May

Biennial Conference of the European Society of International Law: International Law: Do We Need It?
May 18 - 20, 2006
European Society of International Law
Paris, France
In addition to four plenary sessions with invited speakers, held at the opening and closing sessions of the Conference, and to six Fora with invited speakers, 10 thematic Agorae will be organized focusing on a key sector or branch which poses challenges to contemporary international law. The main purpose of the Agorae is to encourage the presentation of ongoing research by scholars of international law, to stimulate the exchange of views on specific areas of international law and to establish connections between the participants in accordance with the ESIL goals. To that end, the Agorae will be essentially based on workshops enabling the sharing of new ideas with groups of colleagues specialized or particularly interested in a specific workshop theme.  Call for Papers deadline is January 15.

The Rule (and Roles) of Law in the International Community
May 5, 2006
International Law Association
Toronto, Canada
ILA 2006 will provide a forum for the consideration and adoption of reports and recommendations of the ILA Committees and Study Groups, and for an exciting series of complementary lectures and panel presentations by leading international academics, judges and practitioners on a wide range of matters of concern.  Many prominent international law organizations and leading law firms are joining to develop the complementary program, which will highlight key issues in areas related to the work of the committees.

Human Dimension Seminar on Upholding the Rule of Law and Due Process in Criminal Justice Systems
Warsaw, Poland
Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
10 May 2006–12 May 2006

Terrorism and the Rule of Law
May 22-24, 2006
World Jurist Association
Edinburgh, Scotland

This conference will examine topics such as the history and evolution of terrorism, the definition of terrorism, including acts which constitute terrorism; the impact of terrorism on social order and government decision making; fighting terrorism and preserving civil liberties, and making terrorism insurance viable.