[Online summer workshop] International public interest advocacy

From 5-7 July 2021, T.M.C. Asser Instituut is organising and hosting a three-day online workshop on international public interest advocacy.

Advocating for public interests involves many challenges in the field of international law, from developing strategic litigation, to choosing and identifying funding opportunities, to taking on a cause. Taking on this work also means taking on risk, and calls for critical reflection. Working as a lawyer on behalf of public interests in the international arena is a developing field, and sustaining that work requires skills, knowledge, and a good network.

Learn the latest practices from leading practitioners and experts. Get exposed to new actions and ways of advocating for public interests internationally, including strategic litigation. Be introduced to the latest innovations in law and technology for public interests around the world. Learn about successful initiatives – and about unsuccessful ones. Develop your network in a three-day workshop that will challenge you to think differently about the issues of the day and what we can do about them. With leading figures in the world of international public interest advocacy - from the Public Interest Litigation Project, Greenpeace, SOMO, Human Rights in Practice, the Global Legal Action Network, and more – explore the possibilities with pioneers in the field.

Read the programme here.

Background
Practices for public interest advocacy face many challenges in the field of international law, from developing strategic litigation to choosing and identifying funding opportunities to taking on a cause. Working as a lawyer on behalf of public interests in international context is a developing field, and sustaining that work requires skills, knowledge, and a good network.

Explore the challenges of public interest advocacy in international law and rethink what it means to be a lawyer working on behalf of public interests in the international system. What tactics and methods can be used to advocate for a public interest? How can practitioners find the right cause and identify funding opportunities to support effective action? But also, what are the risks, trade-offs and compromises that come with international public interest advocacy?

At the “International public interest advocacy” workshop we bring together leaders in practice, including advocates, activists, academics and members of international NGOs, to discuss questions of legal techniques, different approaches to handling a cause, and practical issues like how to sustain a firm or a start-up.

Confirmed lecturers

• Jelle Klaas, NJCM, Public Interest Litigation Project (PILP)
• Louise Fournier, Greenpeace International
  
• Zeenat Sujee, Initiative for Strategic Litigation in Africa
  
• Robert Okello, Barefoot Law
• Valentina Azarova, GLAN, Manchester International Law Centre
• Itamar Mann, University of Haifa
• Charles Heller, Forensic Architecture
• Gearóid Ó'Cuinn, Global Legal Action Network
• Ioannis Kalpouzos, Global Legal Action Network
• Thandiwe Matthews, University of Witswatersrand, ISS/Erasmus
• Rob van Riet, independent public interest advocate
• Helen Duffy, Human Rights in Practice, Leiden University
  
• Joseph Wilde and/or Marian Ingrams, SOMO & OECD Watch (respectively)

Key topics

•         Strategic litigation
•         Creative lawyering
•         Identifying issues in the public interest
•         Finding resources for public interest work
•         New technologies and public interest innovation
•         The challenges to public interest work internationally
•         Networking
•         Critical reflection

Eligible participants
Masters students; interns; NGO workers interested in cutting edge practices and innovations; young professionals; public interest lawyers interested in new possibilities and critical reflection on the field; PhDs; academics looking to apply their knowledge for public advocacy; seasoned professionals looking to develop a public advocacy practice; diplomats interested in public interest pursuits.

Application process
To register for this online course, please click here or on the register button above to fill out an application. Please read the terms and conditions carefully before registering. Kindly note that your place in the workshop is confirmed only when the online registration form has been submitted and the payment has been received.

After the successful completion of this workshop, you will receive a professional certificate from the T.M.C. Asser Instituut.