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Apr 11, 2022
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shone a light on the challenges of prosecuting war criminals. Global Insight interviewed Professor Philip Leach earlier this year, as he was stepping down from his role as director of the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre. Leach, a professor of human rights law at Middlesex University, spoke to us again a month after the conflict began.
The War Crimes Committee works to promote justice around the world and uphold the principle of accountability. We focus on atrocity crimes, international criminal law, and practice. We provide a forum for practitioners and scholars, offering reliable resources and a network of contacts in this field. The committee supports international, ad hoc, and domestic war crimes tribunals and collaborates with the IBA Human Rights Institute to promote justice and accountability. We also have a working relationship with the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Committee aims include being a leading professional body for international criminal law, providing valuable resources, and inspiring young lawyers in this area.
Feb 05, 2021
The international community has been failing in its obligations to protect global populations from atrocities. Global Insight assesses what intervention and accountability need to look like going forward.
Accountability for Nagorno-Karabakh
The Class Actions Committee serves as a platform for lawyers to discuss differing class action and collective redress regimes, monitor international developments, and debate key policy and rule of law issues. Class actions are becoming increasingly common, providing access to justice and holding corporations and authorities accountable.
Jurisdictions vary widely in their approaches, with some countries facing fundamental challenges. Global coordination in prosecuting and defending major cases is growing, with fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing being vital. The Committee provides a forum for international lawyers to come together and discuss these differences, as well as network with other professionals within this space.
Low prosecution and conviction rates have driven a number of jurisdictions to debate reforms to their corporate liability and accountability laws. Neil Hodge examines what’s going wrong and what shape changes could take.
Aug 04, 2022
In this Global Insight podcast, we examine how both the corporate world and the international justice system can hold perpetrators of war crimes and the crime of aggression to account, and assess the failures of international systems to provide security to date.
The escalation of Russia's war in Ukraine has united many actors in the international community in seeking a path to criminal accountability for the crimes being committed– including through supporting prosecutions in Ukrainian courts; prosecutions in third states, including under universal jurisdiction; and an ongoing investigation by the International Criminal Court.
IBA Annual Conference Paris 2023
May 24, 2022
As horrendous acts are perpetrated daily in Ukraine, Global Insight examines the ways of holding those responsible to account, the limits of existing mechanisms and where there’s potential for new ways of achieving justice.
Such sites may be actively managed by social media accounts who may block access based on their own internal policies, i.e. in respect of hate speech, fraud or user complaints, or such web sites may be passively managed internet service provides where protection against infringement must be enforced by private action.
IBA Annual Conference Paris 2023
Nov 22, 2021
Crimes against humanity were first prosecuted at Nuremberg in 1945 but have never been codified in a dedicated global treaty. Global Insight reports on efforts to fill this long-standing gap in international law.
Justice and accountability are a critical component of lasting peace and of dealing with the legacy of gross human rights abuses. Yet, from Ukraine to Syria, from South Sudan to Yemen and Myanmar, to many corners of the world where such abuses occur, pathways to justice and accountability often seem inadequate or out of reach.
IBA Annual Conference Paris 2023
In 2024, the world will mark the 10th anniversary of the genocide perpetrated against the Yazidis by Daesh, a terror organisation, which began on 3 August 2014 with the Daesh attack on Sinjar. However, at the time of the attack, the genocidal campaign was long underway and the early warning signs and risk factors were already visible in 2013 and before.
Civil society has long been a key actor in the pursuit of accountability. Moreover, civil society has often helped define what accountability is and how to achieve it.
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
Whilst judges should be accountable, should they serve at the whim of the executive?
IBA Annual Conference Mexico City 2024
Nov 22, 2023
Recent years have seen a significant effort to encourage companies to take greater responsibility for the actions of their subsidiaries and suppliers in developing countries, where labour protection and corporate accountability may be weak. In-House Perspective assesses the developments and the resulting requirements for companies and their legal teams.
Over the last decade, efforts to clear paths to justice have resulted in what have been described as innovations in the field of international criminal accountability. This has included the establishment of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism for Syria in 2016, the establishment of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar in 2018, and the national efforts of support for case-building in Ukraine.
IBA War Crimes Committee Conference 2023: Pursuing justice in a world on fire
Nov 08, 2023
Justice and accountability are essential for lasting peace and addressing the legacy of human rights abuses. However, in many conflict-ridden regions, achieving justice is challenging and may even seem counterproductive to peace. This panel will discuss the role of international justice organizations in facilitating accountability and promoting sustainable peace.
This session will address the issue as to whether regional human rights mechanisms can play a role in eliminating impunity for atrocity crimes and other serious crimes. The focus will be on the Malabo Protocol and African Court of Justice.
IBA Annual Conference Paris 2023
Mar 08, 2023
After billionaire advocate of radical free speech Elon Musk purchased Twitter, dozens of suspended accounts were restored and hundreds of jobs in content moderation and data security axed
Oct 13, 2022
Despite the ongoing hostilities, time has not stood still for Ukraine’s legal profession. As a recent trip to Kyiv by the IBA Executive Director revealed, the country’s legal community continues to advocate for citizens’ rights as troops fight Russian aggression on the frontline.
Tools for justice and accountability: universal criminal jurisdiction over enforced disappearances
Mar 14, 2022
The Ukraine conflict has already caused over 1,000 civilian casualties and the worst refugee crisis since the second World War, urging calls for those responsible to be held to account in international courts.
The session will analyse how organisations assess the real impact of diversity and inclusion initiatives through data, KPIs, reporting tools and qualitative indicators. It will discuss the opportunities and limitations of measurement, ethical and privacy considerations, and how evidence-based approaches can strengthen informed decision-making, culture and long-term strategy. The session will also reflect on recent and ongoing initiatives to assess inclusion within professional associations.
IBA Annual Conference Copenhagen 2026
Aug 29, 2025
In July, a UK High Court judge lifted the super-injunction that had prevented information about a leak of highly sensitive data by a Ministry of Defence employee being made public for almost two years
Regulators are increasingly focussing on individual accountability of directors and managers as a way to prevent misconduct by financial institutions. Some jurisdictions such as Ireland have introduced specific regulatory regimes to enhance individual accountability. Directors and managers can face potentially serious consequences if there is a failure in their area of responsibility, including loss of employment or a fine.
39th IBA International Financial Law Conference
Aug 20, 2025
The retrial of Harvey Weinstein in New York, which ended in June after the judge declared a mistrial, has highlighted the power imbalance in many sexual harassment and misconduct cases.
The discussion will focus on the mechanisms regulators use to drive accountability—whether through guidance, thematic reviews or enforcement—and how these approaches influence corporate culture and inclusion efforts.
40th IBA International Financial Law Conference
Apr 08, 2022
The ongoing trials in Germany of a former Nazi concentration camp guard and secretary demonstrate a path to individual accountability for past, present and future war crimes worldwide. ‘There is no statute of limitations for international criminal law,’ says TJ Adhihetty, Co-Chair of the IBA War Crimes Committee and Adjunct Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School within York University. ‘These cases […] demonstrate that it doesn’t matter if an arrest warrant is issued tomorrow against you. It can be issued against you in 15 years [or beyond].’
Feb 22, 2021
Early on 1 February, hours before the first session of the newly elected parliament, Myanmar’s military arrested government officials and lawmakers, and seized control of the country. Citing election fraud, the generals ended the country’s experiment with democracy and declared a year-long state of emergency.
Focus on the arms trade: state responsibility, accountability and private actor compliance
Apr 21, 2020
In February, the Court of Appeal in England and Wales found plans for a third runway at Heathrow Airport unlawful, as they were incompatible with commitments the UK government made in line with the United Nation’s Paris Agreement on climate change. The Court effectively determined that the Paris Agreement constitutes government policy that must be taken into account in accordance with national law, setting a precedent for accountability regarding international climate commitments.
Following on from discussions held at the 5th Annual Conference of the IBA War Crimes Committee, we will hold a conversation with the Heads of the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM), Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), and United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh (UNITAD), to track progress in their operations, and to identify challenges and opportunities for this new generation of accountability mechanisms.
When international accountability mechanisms fail: options to address impunity in Africa and the Middle East
Sep 25, 2025
In summer 2025, child safety rules introduced as part of the UK’s Online Safety Act 2023 came into force. To comply, online platforms, including social media companies and search services, must implement age verification checks to block people under 18 from accessing ‘harmful content’ including pornography and material that might promote eating disorders, self-harm and suicide.
Aug 30, 2023
The US Supreme Court recently ruled on two high-profile cases brought by family members of terrorist attack victims, who alleged that social media algorithms stoked violence.
This panel will address the pending issues of alleged violations of international humanitarian law and war crimes in the conflicts, the impact on peace negotiations, and what accountability will look like in these countries.
Moderator
Dr.
Yemen, Syria & Afghanistan: Case Studies in International Law, Peace, Justice, and Sanctions in Armed Conflict
Jul 19, 2023
In early July, Sarah Lacoche, President of the DGCCRF, highlighted during an interview about the new law the €3.3m fine imposed on Amazon in December for alleged delays in reviewing unbalanced contractual conditions imposed on professionals selling products through its platform. A statement by Amazon released at the time said that the company disputed the findings and would appeal.
Fifteen years after the launch of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), corporate abuses persist across all sectors and borders. So where do we stand—and where do we go from here? Join leading legal counsel and human rights experts for a dynamic, cross-sector conversation on why strong human rights practices aren’t just ethical—they’re essential for business resilience, reputation, and long-term value.
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
The Diversity and Inclusion Council along with [x] call for a special panel discussion to consider the implications of wrong judicial decisions what mechanisms can be employed to mitigate against such eventualities (e.g. such as not representing governments that wish to perpetuate errors of law) and if there are means to hold the judiciary to account for clearly erroneous decisions.
IBA Annual Conference Miami 2022
The proposed EU Directive on Corporate Due Diligence and Corporate Accountability is a step in the right direction, but its strengths need to be emphasised and there are some issues that have to be resolved, in the view of this article’s author.
Can new legislation around the globe assist to prevent the spread of information intended to deceive, or will traditional enforcement mechanisms hold sway in preventing dissemination of hate speech, fake news and propaganda, facilitation of counterfeit and stolen goods and objects of art, as well as infringement of Internet Protocol (IP) through the use of Artificial intelligence (AI).
This panel will look at the following issues:
- Does regulation combat misinformation, or encourage censorship;
- What mechanisms are in place to prevent altered or falsified satellite images;
- How can actors and artists prevent infringement of their images and IP rights through the use of AI?
- And what can be done to prevent the infringement of trademark rights or unfair competition through false association between brands and entities?
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
The emergence of a highly active pro bono sector is among the most notable - and edifying - developments in legal practice over the last two decades. Increasing numbers of commercial lawyers, it appears, are seeking ways to apply their skills to the provision of life-changing support for those most in need. Within the last year, the international refugee crisis has provided significant additional impetus for pro bono work.
The project, funded by the IBA and carried out jointly with the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law, has brought together the relevant professionals from divergent geographic regions and legal systems in order to analyse how judicial selection processes can be reviewed in order to improve outcomes and accountability, thereby strengthening the rule of law.
IBA Annual Conference Toronto 2025
Dec 26, 2025
As carbon markets evolve into being a cornerstone of climate policy, lawyers are being expected to transform technical mechanisms into enforceable legal realities.
The impact of the Digital Services Act (on intellectual property rights and technology)
The DSA will seek to set standards for accountability in the digital marketplace. Much uncertainty remains about what the practical consequences of the DSA are for e-commerce, and how the balance of interests will play out IP owners see the DSA as a step forward, that gives e-commerce platforms greater responsibility.
IBA Annual Conference Miami 2022
Jun 16, 2025
The Council of Europe and Ukraine formally endorsed the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against the latter
Panellists will discuss war crimes enforcement/accountability, de-escalation/conflict resolution, the role of sanctions and the role of private business.
IBA Annual Conference Miami 2022
Nov 22, 2024
This panel session on individual accountability for directors and managers in banks and other financial institutions explored the benefits and drawbacks in terms of individual accountability laws and regulations, which aim to prevent misconduct by financial institutions by holding directors and managers responsible for failures in their area of responsibility. The speakers discussed the different approaches and challenges in their respective jurisdictions, as well as the best practices to minimise liability.
Next Gen Legal Summit: Oral advocacy and cross-examination
Mar 02, 2021
A new report, Are Whistleblowing Laws Working? A Global Study of Whistleblower Protection Litigation, tracks the records of whistleblower laws in 37 countries and provides an unprecedented effort to understand the successes and shortcomings of whistleblower protection legislation worldwide, following a proliferation of laws in recent decades.
This session will delve into the legacy and vision of the International Bar Association, providing a brief overview of the Young Lawyers’ Committee and its role in supporting young legal professionals. The panellists will discuss the various opportunities that the Young Lawyers’ Committee offers for career development, presenting a strategic roadmap for young lawyers to meaningfully leverage their IBA membership to accelerate their careers.
Next Gen Legal Summit: Oral advocacy and cross-examination
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