September

OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting
September 24 to October 5, 2008
Warsaw, Poland

The Human Dimension Implementation Meeting is the largest human rights conference in Europe. It is also the only such event where representatives of civil society sit with governments on an equal footing. For two weeks, OSCE delegations, intergovernmental agencies, and NGOs come together to discuss the implementation of OSCE commitments on the protection of human rights, the rule of law, and democracy.

October

International Law Weekend
October 16-18, 2008
New York, New York

The American Branch of the International Law Association will hold its annual International Law Weekend in New York, featuring numerous panels, receptions, and the Branch's annual meeting. International Law Weekend 2008 will take place on October 16-18, 2008, at the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, 42 West 44th Street, New York City. The Weekend's overall theme is "The United States and International Law: Legal Traditions and Future Possibilities."

CCIL 36^th Annual Conference
October 16-18, 2008
Ottawa, Canada

The Canadian Council on International Law's 36th Annual Conference will be held on October 16-18. The theme of this year's conference is "International Law in the 21st Century: Responding to Changes in the Global Landscape". Leaders from academia, law, policy and business will address key issues that highlight the changing landscape of international relations and will discuss what this means for public international law. Speakers invited to date include Professor Georges Abi-Saab (current WTO Appellate Body Member and former judge ad hoc on the ICJ),  Stephen Toope (President and Vice Chancellor of the University of British Columbia). Daniel Bellemare, MSM, QC, (Commissioner UNIIIC and Prosecutor Designate, Special Tribunal for Lebanon) and Professor Philip Alston, (Professor of Law, New York University).

The Changing Role of Highest Courts in an Internationalising World
October 23-24, 2008
The Hague

On October 23 and 24, the Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law (HiiL) will bring together some of the world’s most preeminent scholars and judges at the Peace Palace to exchange views on how the internationalisation of law is affecting the work of highest courts at the national level. The conference will be opened by the Dutch Minister of Justice, H.E. Dr. Ernst Hirsch-Ballin. After a general plenary session which will include a key-note address, the conference will branch out into three parallel workshops which will explore the notion of legal unity and coherency, the notion of legitimacy and separation of powers, and the nature of the judicial dialogue.

LAWASIA 21st Annual Conference
October 29 – November 01, 2008
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Conference will showcase over 30 sessions including 4 plenaries, featuring 90 speakers from over the region. Representatives from some of the region's most respected law firms are serving as moderators and panelists. The 21st LawAsia conference in Kuala Lumpur is also the inaugural annual LawAsia conference and it represents a permanent shift from the traditional biennial conferences. The conference therefore enjoys great historical significance.

November

The Rise of Transnational Networks
November 7, 2008
Dallas, Texas

This conference at the SMU Dedman School of Law will review the record of transnational networks and the promise they hold for deeper and more effective international cooperation. Under what conditions are transnational networks likely to arise and how do they function? What are their advantages over traditional diplomacy and international organizations, and in what circumstances are networks most likely to be successful? What are some of the main obstacles to their legitimacy and effectiveness, and how can these obstacles be overcome?

Law as a Cause of Economic Development
November 17-19, 2008
Lome, Togo

Can the law in itself generate new markets and thereby produce economic development?  This will be the central question discussed at the 31st IDEF symposium, which will be held in Lomé, Togo, on November 17-19. The symposium’s participants will examine whether the European example of integrated treaties, regulations, directives and court decisions confirms that a certain type of legal regime contributes to economic development. If so, can this axiom be verified by counter-examples of societies which demonstrate that a lack of, or contempt for, the rule of law actually hampers economic development?

The participants will also debate whether a legal regime in which different legal traditions coexist can meet the conditions of economic competitiveness required by the global economy.  In this respect, they will analyze the examples of Canada, Mauritius and Cameroon.

Finally, the participants will debate how best to promote African development through the rule of law by exploring these questions: Can efficient legal and social institutions alone foster economic development in Africa? Can a system of governance based on the rule of law transform the important informal sector into a flourishing economy? Is the existing formal law in Africa a factor that could contribute to economic prosperity? Does the uniform business law of the OHADA regime provide an effective set of rules capable of generating concrete results? If so, does it deserve reinforcement, and what are the appropriate means to reinforce it?