Contributing to the global dialogue on minority rights in Scotland
Slava Balan, Ph.D. candidate in law, recently participated in the international conference Challenges and the Future of Minority and Indigenous Rights Protection, which took place at the University of Stirling in Scotland from March 5 to 7, 2025.
He presented a paper co-authored with Neuberger-Jesin Professor John Packer, that advocated for a more effective minority rights framework through a human rights-based approach (HRBA). The presentation focused on the 2023 proposal for a global convention on minority rights, sparking debate about its potential impact and development process.
The conference offered valuable insights for Slava鈥檚 doctoral research on HRBA and featured notable contributions from scholars on Indigenous and minority rights across different regions. He also engaged in meaningful discussions with Scottish experts leading national human rights initiatives.
Slava鈥檚 participation was also supported by Neuberger-Jesin Professorship.
Dialogue on African heritage and human rights at CAAS 2025
鈥楧amola Adediji participated in the 2025 Canadian Association of African Studies (CAAS) Conference, held from June 3 to 6, 2025, at the University of Toronto.
鈥楧amola chaired a session on Traditional Knowledge and African Heritage: Past, Present & Future and presented a co-authored working paper with Professor Damilola Adebayo (York University) titled Indigenous Knowledge and Intellectual Property in Africa: Reflections on the Utility of a Critical Law and History Approach. The paper examines the intersections of intellectual property law, traditional knowledge systems, and African legal history, highlighting their implications for equitable access to science and culture under international human rights conventions, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Participation in the conference provided 鈥楧amola with valuable interdisciplinary feedback and fostered connections with scholars that may lead to future research collaborations.
2025 Arbitration Academy in Paris
Bahar Jafarian recently completed the 2025 Arbitration Academy in Paris, an intensive three-week program that brought together graduate students, practitioners, and experts in international arbitration. She participated as a Delos Dispute Resolution fellow, a leading Paris-based arbitration firm, which further deepened her engagement with contemporary arbitral practice.
The Academy鈥檚 programming took place at prestigious venues including Sciences Po, ICC International Court of Arbitration Headquarters, and Universit茅 Paris I Panth茅on-Sorbonne. It combined foundational courses on commercial and investment arbitration with advanced modules on enforcement regimes, procedural innovation, sector-specific disputes, and environmental counterclaims. Strategic workshops with ICC and International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) experts, high-level debates, and networking events provided a rigorous environment to explore arbitration鈥檚 evolving role in addressing public interest issues, including sustainability and human rights.
Bahar's participation directly contributes to her doctoral research on corporate accountability and access to remedy in the business and human rights field.
