A Very Encouraging Beginning — ILA Study Group on International Law, Global Challenges, and Emerging Powers
I was delighted today to chair the Introductory and Consultative Webinar of the newly established International Law Association (ILA) Study Group on “International Law, Global Challenges, and the Impact of Emerging Powers on Global Governance.”
More information about the Study Group can be found here: https://paolofarah.wordpress.com/2026/06/03/new-ila-study-group-approved-international-law-global-challenges-and-the-impact-of-emerging-powers-on-global-governance/
The response has been truly encouraging, with approximately 250 colleagues registering for the webinar from different regions, institutions, professional backgrounds, and fields of international law.
Today’s meeting was deliberately conceived not as the presentation of a finished research programme, but as the beginning of a collective conversation about how the Study Group’s mandate should be developed and operationalized.
I introduced several possible thematic and cross-cutting streams, including sustainability, climate change and energy transitions; the global economy, trade, investment and development; technology, AI and data governance; transformations in global governance, institutions and normative processes; and the evolving role of emerging powers, the Global South and regional actors.
At the heart of the discussion was a broader question: what happens to international law when profound global challenges coincide with transformations in the distribution of international influence and in the actors participating in the creation, interpretation and implementation of international norms?
I was particularly grateful for the many thoughtful questions, comments and suggestions received during the webinar. The richness of the questions—and the perspectives that participants are continuing to share through our consultation process—will be extremely valuable as we decide the Study Group’s research questions, methodology, membership and future work programme.
Questions and comments can be also submitted online here: https://lnkd.in/gXwrvdF9
Many thanks to everyone who registered, participated, intervened, and contributed ideas today, as well as to the International Law Association for supporting this new initiative. This was only the beginning. I very much look forward to continuing this dialogue and to building the next stages of the Study Group’s work together.
The photograph accompanying the webinar cover was taken during the 82nd Biennial Conference of the International Law Association in Vienna, where the first in-person discussions concerning the new Study Group took place.
For additional background on the establishment and development of the new ILA Study Group, please see the following posts and announcements:
New ILA Study Group Approved – International Law, Global Challenges, and the Impact of Emerging Powers on Global Governance
June 3, 2026
https://paolofarah.wordpress.com/2026/06/03/new-ila-study-group-approved-international-law-global-challenges-and-the-impact-of-emerging-powers-on-global-governance/
From Dialogue to Action: Chairing the New ILA Study Group on International Law, Global Challenges, and the Impact of Emerging Powers on Global Governance
June 13, 2026
https://paolofarah.wordpress.com/2026/06/13/from-dialogue-to-action-chairing-the-new-ila-study-group-on-international-law-global-challenges-and-the-impact-of-emerging-powers-on-global-governance/
Featured in the ABILA Newsletter: New ILA Study Group on International Law, Global Challenges, and Emerging Powers
June 20, 2026
https://paolofarah.wordpress.com/2026/06/20/featured-in-the-abila-newsletter-new-ila-study-group-on-international-law-global-challenges-and-emerging-powers/
Call for Members: New ILA Study Group on International Law, Global Challenges, and the Impact of Emerging Powers on Global Governance
July 14, 2026
https://paolofarah.wordpress.com/2026/07/14/call-for-members-new-ila-study-group-on-international-law-global-challenges-and-the-impact-of-emerging-powers-on-global-governance/
OPEN WEBINAR | ILA Study Group on International Law, Global Challenges & Emerging Powers
September 23, 2026
https://paolofarah.wordpress.com/2026/09/23/%f0%9f%8c%90-open-webinar-international-law-global-challenges-emerging-powers/
#InternationalLaw#GlobalGovernance#ILA#EmergingPowers#GlobalChallenges#GlobalSouth#ClimateChange#EnergyTransition#ArtificialIntelligence#TechnologyLaw#TradeLaw#InvestmentLaw#SustainableDevelopment#LegalPluralism#InternationalOrganizations#InternationalCooperationAmerican Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA)ILA Italy
Paolo Davide Farah, Paolo Farah