We welcome back University of Alberta Faculty of Law professors Cameron Jefferies and Joanna Harrington, who were recently in Canberra, Australia to present their research.
Every two years, the international law societies of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States, known collectively as the "Four Societies", hold a two-day workshop for the purpose of bringing together a maximum of 16 selected early career scholars from each of the five countries involved, along with more senior scholars of international law. The Four Societies workshops provide an opportunity for early career academics to present papers on current topics of international law, with a view to stimulating discussion and further feedback for the improvement of the papers for publication, and to encourage the development of a transnational scholarly network for future collaborations. This year's Four Societies workshop, held at the Australian National University (ANU) in Australia's capital city, Canberra, focused on the role of experts and networks in international law.
Dr Cameron Jefferies, an Assistant Professor with the Faculty of Law, was one of three early career scholars selected from Canada to participate in the fifth round of the Four Societies workshop in Australia, with Jefferies presenting on "The role of experts and the use of networks in oceans law." His paper investigates the potential for scientific and judicial expertise and a coordinated network of marine protected areas to enhance international marine mammal conservation and management. Speaking about his experience at the Four Societies workshop, Professor Jefferies notes that "the conference was rewarding, offering an opportunity to engage in a discussion with an exciting group of scholars and to make wonderful connections in the field of international law."
Also in attendance at the Four Societies workshop was Dr Joanna Harrington, a Professor with the Faculty of Law, and herself a former selected scholar in 2006, and the co-organizer of the second round of the Four Societies workshops, held at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Law in 2008. Professor Harrington attended the workshop as a senior scholar and representative of the Canadian Council on International Law (CCIL). She was also in Australia to participate as a selected speaker in the 22nd Annual Conference of the Australia and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL), co-hosted with the Centre for International and Public Law (CIPL) at the ANU College of Law.
The ANZSIL conference was organized around a theme of working towards international peace through international law in light of the commemorations taking place around the world to commemorate the centenary of the beginning of World War I. Harrington was a selected speaker for a panel on "The UN Security Council and Institutional Innovation" with her paper focusing on the evolution of the Council's working methods, starting the discussion with reference to the procedures of the League of Nations Council. Harrington was also an invited member of the President's closing panel on "International Peace Through International Law: Past, Present, and Future", joining Professor Anne Orford of the University of Melbourne, Professor Yuji Iwasawa of the University of Tokyo, Professor Fleur Johns of the University of New South Wales, and H.E. Sir Kenneth Keith of the International Court of Justice in a wide-ranging discussion of the impact of World War I on international law. Harrington spoke about the forging of an independent nation after battles such as Vimy Ridge and the role for middle powers in international affairs today.