Shaping the Future of International Law: Global Challenges, Human Rights, Peoples and Nature
82nd ILA Biennial Conference · Vienna · 17–21 August 2026 – Contours of International Law: Encounters and Evolutions –
Looking forward to being in Vienna next week for the 82nd Biennial Conference of the International Law Association (ILA), “Contours of International Law: Encounters and Evolutions,” bringing together colleagues from around the world for an exceptionally rich program of committee and study group meetings, plenary panels, and conversations about some of the most pressing challenges facing international law.
I will begin the conference on Monday, August 17, at 12:00 noon, just before the formal opening of the Conference, with an informal gathering of colleagues interested in the newly established ILA Study Group on “International Law, Global Challenges, and the Impact of Emerging Powers on Global Governance,” which I have the privilege of chairing. I am very much looking forward to meeting in person many colleagues who have expressed interest in contributing to this new initiative and to beginning the conversation about its future work.
The Vienna program also illustrates the extraordinary breadth of the ILA. Across the week, open and closed working sessions will address subjects ranging from business and human rights, rights of nature artificial intelligence and technology law, international tax law, global health law, migration, the law of the sea, space law and space debris, submarine cables and pipelines, diplomatic and consular immunities, cultural heritage, international securities regulation, the rights of children in migration, the use of force, international law and the Sustainable Development Goals, and sexual and reproductive violence in conflict and post-conflict settings, among many others.
I am particularly looking forward to engaging with colleagues working on Business and Human Rights and Rights of Nature, as well as participating in as many of the other open sessions and discussions as the very full program permits.
It is also especially fitting that the Conference’s first major plenary discussion turns to Indigenous Peoples and the Rights of Nature. Beginning a gathering devoted to the future of international law with questions concerning Indigenous Peoples, nature, legal personhood, and our changing understanding of rights and responsibilities seems both timely and important.
Beyond the formal sessions, I am equally looking forward to reconnecting with friends and colleagues from across the international legal community and meeting many others for the first time. Biennial conferences such as this are valuable not only for the work accomplished within committees and study groups, but also for the conversations and collaborations that develop between sessions.
See you in Vienna!
#InternationalLaw #ILA2026 #InternationalLawAssociation #GlobalGovernance #BusinessAndHumanRights #RightsOfNature #IndigenousPeoples #ArtificialIntelligence #GlobalChallenges #Vienna
Paolo Farah, Paolo Davide Farah
