Past Events
2012
Francis K. Abiew on “Intervention in Syria”, contributing to "The Great Debate", a roundup of opinions from experts, officials, professors, and students on key developments in international affairs, a feature of “The Morningside Post (TMP)”, the premier student-run news and opinion site of Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs’ new feature, available at: http://www.themorningsidepost.com/2012/11/21/great-debate-intervention-in-syria/
Religion in a Multicultural Society. Annual conference of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, October 30 – November 4, 2012, Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Noemi Gal-Or presented a paper on “State and Religion in Canada: Multiculturalism Meets Conflicting Rights”, information available at: http://www.intjewishlawyers.org/main/files/Lausanne_brochure_web.pdf
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BEYOND THE BORDER: Making the Action Plan work for you Wed Oct 24, 2012 07:15 AM
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Speaker(s):
Breakfast Keynote: Chris Sands, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute and Visiting Ross Professor of Canada-US Business and Economic Relations, Western Washington University
Lunch Keynote: John Manley, CEO, Canadian Council of Chief Executives
Ambassador Gary Doer, Canada's Ambassador to the United States
Jim Nealon, Deputy Chief of Mission, United States Embassy
Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama recently announced that Canada and the United States have agreed to implement two action plans designed to speed up legitimate trade and travel, improve security in North America, and align regulatory approaches between the two countries.
Join us at this special forum to find out more about how this initiative can benefit you, your business and the local economy.
This Forum qualifies for 4 LSBC Continuing Legal Education credits through Kwantlen Polytechnic University Institute for Transborder Studies.
“The Formation of a Customary International Crime: Global Terrorism and Human (In)Security”, paper presented by Prof. Noemi Gal-Or at Law for a Peaceful World, the 75th Biennial Conference of the International Law Association, August 2012, Sofia, Bulgaria (www.ila2012sofia.org)
Protecting Civilians in Libya: Humanitarian Intervention or Responsibility to Protect? Open lecture by Noemi Gal-Or, Instituto Suprtior de Ciências, Sociais e Politicas, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa, May 3, 2012 (www.iscsp.utl.pt)
Twenty Years Of Western Military Intervention: Protecting Whose Right(s)? 28th Political Studies Students’ Conference, Centre for Defence and Security Studies, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg MA, February 1-3, 2012
Noemi Gal-Or and Francis Abiew presented their paper “Protecting Civilians in Libya: Endgame?” 
SYMPOSIUM: Protecting Civilians in Libya
Dr. Francis Abiew and Dr. Noemi-Gal-Or, of the Department of Political Science, hosted a symposium entitled “Protecting Civilians in Libya – Endgame?”. Drs. Abiew and Gal-Or discussed research that they presented at the Hague Academic Coalition’s 8th Annual Conference in November 2011.
When and where: Jan 26, 2012, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey, BC
2011
Professors Noemi Gal-Or and Francis Abiew with Mr. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Prosecutor of the International Criminal court, in the Peace Palace, International Court of Justice, The Hague, NL.
more...
International Justice, Peace and Crisis Management. Experiences and Reflections from Africa, Middle east and EU 50 Years after Dag Hammarskjold . High-Level Seminar, Embassy of Sweden, and Peace Diplomacy, Global Justice and International Agency: Rethinking Human Security and Ethics in the Spirit of Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961), Hague Academic Coalition (HAC) 8th Annual Conference from Peace to Justice, The Hague, The Netherlands, November 9-10, 2011
Professors Noemi Gal-Or and Francis Abiew presented their paper "Libya, Intervention, and Responsibility: The Dawn of a New Era?" forthcoming in a special issue.
Professors Noemi Gal-Or and Francis Abiew with the Hon. Madame Louise Arbour, President & CEO, International Crisis Group in the Peace Palace, International Court of Justice, The Hague, NL.
Professors Noemi Gal-Or and Francis Abiew presenting their paper, in the Peace Palace, International Court of Justice, The Hague, NL
Intervention by Prof. Abiew
Intervention by Prof. Gal-Or
Professors Francis Abiew and Noemi Gal-Or in front of the Peace Palace, International Court of Justice, The Hague, NL.
Border Regions in Transition (Brit) XI. Mobile borders/Les frontieres mobiles
The Shab’a Farms: A Geopolitical ‘Who’s on First’” co-authored by Noemi Gal-Or and Michael J. Strauss, presented by Noemi Gal-Or at the international inter-disciplinary conference Border Regions in Transition (Brit) XI. Mobile borders/Les frontieres mobiles, http://www.unige.ch/ses/geo/britXI/index.html
When and where: Sept 6-9, 2011, University of Geneva, Switzerland / University Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France
Non-State Actors and Human Security: Revolt, Relief and Recontruction
Terrorism and Humanitarian Governance: The Dictum of the Appeals Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in its 2011 Interlocutory Decision”, presented by Noemi Gal-Or at an international research seminar, Non-State Actors and Human Security: Revolt, Relief and Reconstruction.
When and where: Sept 1-2, 2011, Brookes University, Oxford, UK
4th Annual Workshop for Women in International Security (WIIS)
The 4th Annual Workshop for Women in International Security–Canada was hosted by the Gregg Centre for the Study of War & Society at the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, on May 5-7, 2011.
Noemi Gal-Or was both simulation judge and panelist at the 4th annual workshop, held this year at The Gregg Centre for the Study of War, University of New Brunswick.
The 15 graduate and law student presenters came from 12 different schools across Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
"The Influence of Transnational Armed Groups on the Development of Humanitarian and Security Law"
Paper presented at The Participation of Non-State Actors in International Law, Workshop of the International Law Association’s Committee on Non-State Actors, in conjunction with the Research Community on Non-State Actors sponsored by the Flemish Fund for Scientific Research, hosted by the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies at Leuven University.
When and where: February 2-3, 2011, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
2010
"The International Responsibility of the WTO"
Paper presented at Works-in-Progress Workshop, American Society of International Law, International Organizations Interest Group.
When and where: October 29, 2010, American Society of International Law, Washington DC
International Law School 2010 FDI Moot Competition
The FDI Moot competition involves a hypothetical case in connection with an investment by a private investor in a foreign host state. These investment disputes involve not only vast sums, but also probe the panoply of rights, duties, and shifting objectives at the juncture of national and international law and policy.
Through the FDI Moot, law students -- future practitioners, academics and policy makers -- may attain a practical understanding of these issues. At the same time, the case and the hearings offer a forum of different dynamics for current academics and practitioners from the around the world to discuss the latest developments - and assess emerging talents - in these fields.
Noemi Gal-Or was an arbitrator and judge during the 2010 competition, which was held at the Pepperdine University School of Law in Malibu, California.
More information is available on the 2010 FDI Moot website.
When and where: October 22-24, 2010, Pepperdine University School of Law, Malibu, California
"Continuity in Rupture: The International Organisation in the 21st Century"
Presented by co-author Cedric Ryngaert at Ruptures in International Law, A Workshop of the European Society of International Law, Interest Group on Legal Theory.
When and where: September 1-2, 2010, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Kwame Nkrumah International Conference
Kwame Nkrumah International Conference, From Colonization to Globalization: The Intellectual and Political Legacies of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Africa’s Future, took place at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, August 19-21, 2010, Richmond, BC. This event was co-sponsored by the Institute for Transborder Studies.
The Conference commemorated the centenary of the birthday of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, Africa's Man of the Millennium, and brought scholars and students from Canada and from around the world to share research and ideas on Africa's place in the global community, and to discuss the life, achievements and shortcomings of Africa's foremost Pan-Africanist.
For more information, please click here .
When and where: August 19-21, 2010, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Richmond, BC
Book Launch Announcement
The anthology on Non-State Actor Dynamics in International Law (Math Noortmann, and Cedric. Ryngaert (eds.) Aldershot, Ashgate - Non-State Actors in International Law, Politics and Governance Series, 2010) was launched at the occasion of the 74th Conference of the International Law Association, De Iure Humanitatis, Peace, Justice and International Law, The Hague, NL, August 15-20, 2010.
The anthology includes a chapter (no. 6) by Noemi Gal-Or entitled “Observations on the Desirability of an Enhanced International Legal Status of the Non-State Actor”. The author delivered a brief presentation of the chapter at the book launch event.
More information is available on the ILA conference website .
When and where: August 18, 2010, 74th Annual Conference of the International Law Association, The Hague, Netherlands
The Hague Working Sessions
Noemi Gal-Or participated in the working sessions of the Non State Actor and Feminism and International Law Committees, and participated in the book launch of Non-State Actor Dynamics in International Law, Math Noortmann, and Cedric. Ryngaert (eds.) Aldershot, Ashgate - Non-State Actors in International Law, Politics and Governance Series, 2010 at the occasion of the 74th Conference of the International Law Association, De Iure Humanitatis, Peace, Justice and International Law, The Hague, NL, August 15-20, 2010.
When and where: August 15-20, 2010, 74th Annual Conference of the International Law Association, The Hague, Netherlands
International Conference: Beyond Crisis - The Future of Global Order(s). Section on the Future of Global Order(s) Changing Normative Orders and Institutional Structures in Security Governance.
Noemi Gal-Or submitted a paper on "What is Right about the UN Trusteeship System and How to Improve It? Suspended Sovereignty and Enforcement of Membership Duties". A summary of the paper will shortly be posted here .
When and where: July 1-2, 2010, United Nations Association of Germany, Bonn, Germany
2010 International Law Conference: The Future of Canada-US Cross-border Relations
May 6, 2010, from left: Prof. Noemi Gal-Or, Kwantlen Polytechnic University; The Honourable Justice Ian Binnie, Supreme Court of Canada; Paul Lalonde, Heenan Blaikie LLP.
The ITS organized a two-day conference in May for the Canadian Bar Association International Law Conference. The conference brought together leading international law experts to give practitioners insight into the most current developments in international law.
Conference topics included:
- Legal lessons in inter-jurisdictional relations from the 2010 Olympics Games
- Trade issues -"buy American", border congestion, and "cap & trade"
- Canadian and American cross-border concerns and opportunities: a dialogue between the legal profession, stakeholders, and government
- Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement, Agreement on Internal Trade, North American Free
- Trade and the World Trade Organization: integration or fragmentation of inter-jurisdictional law?
- Labour movement and human trafficking into the Pacific Northwest
- Year in review: report on significant cases
The conference dinner featured a keynote address by Justice Ian Binnie, Supreme Court of Canada on "Corporate Complicity in International Human Rights Abuse - The Search for Effective Remedies." This was certainly a unique opportunity.
An electronic version of the agenda is also available online.
When and where: May 6-7, 2010, The Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Vancouver
Immigrant Women and the Law: Presentations on legal issues of importance to immigrant women in Canada and France
The Richmond campus Conference Centre was the location for the presentation of two papers on legal issues of importance to immigrant women in Canada and France. These papers were originally presented at the 2009 Annual International Conference on Gender Studies in Shanghai, China.
Event Agenda:
- Introduction and Chair - Frances Chiang, Department of Sociology
- "Is the Law Empowering or Patronizing Women? The Dilemma in the French Burqa Decision" - presented by Noemi Gal-Or, Department of Political Science. Director of Institute for Transborder Studies
- "In the Shadow of Citizenship: The Elusive Promise Made to Foreign Domestic Workers" - presented by Jessie Horner, Department of Criminology
- Question & Answer opportunity
At the Shanghai conference, both presentations were highly praised by Peggy McIntosh, an acclaimed feminist, anti-racism activist and associate director for the Wellesly Centres for Women. Dr. McIntosh is the renowned author of the ground-breaking paper, "White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences through Work in Women's Studies" (1988)
When and where: April 6, 2010, Conference Centre 2550 A, Richmond Campus, 7-10pm
2009
Responsibility to Protect: A Canadian Heritage. Peacekeeping, Diplomacy, Media, and Literature Responding to Humanitarian Challenges
Noemi Gal-Or presented a paper entitled "The Responsibility to Protect (R2P): Do the Good Intentions Pave the Road to Hell or to Heaven?", forthcoming 2010 as “The Responsibility to Protect (R2p) and International Trusteeship: Plus ça change plus ça reste la même chose?” Canadiana Oenipontana Series , The University of Innsbruck
When and where: November 11-14th, 2009, University of Innsbruck, Austria
"Challenges to Transnational Governance” International Law Weekend, American Branch of the International Law Association (ABILA)
Noemi Gal-Or organised and chaired the panel on “Non-State Actors in an Interstate Environment: Transcending the International, Mainstreaming the Transnational or Bringing the “Participants” Back In?” and presented a paper on "Observations on the Desirability of an Enhanced International Legal Status of the Non-State Actor".
When and where: October 22-24, 2009, ABILA, New York
First International Conference on Gender Studies. University of Michigan-Fudan University.
The conference took place at the Institute for Gender Studies, Fudan University, Shanghai. Noemi Gal-Or organised the session on the Legal Status of Women, and presented a paper entitled, "Is the Law Empowering or Patronizing Women? The Dilemma in the French Burqa Decision". To read the "Burqa Decision" working paper, click here.
When and where: June 26-29, 2009, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
2008
ITS Lecture Series - Point of View: "60th Anniversary Celebration of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights"
Distinguished guest speaker, Prof. Maurice Copithorne, Q.C. (Prof. UBC, former Canadian Ambassador and Commissioner, and United Nations Special Representative on the Human Rights Situation in Iran) spoke about his own experience as a United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran; shared with us his views on the UN Human Rights Council (formery Committee); and drew lessons from its past experience regarding future realistic expectations of compliance with the UDHR regime.
When and where: November 27, 2008, Conference Centre 2550 A, Richmond Campus, 12-2pm
ITS Lecture Series - Point of View: "International Efforts in Securities Regulation - Lessons from Recent Crises"
From left to right: Students - Cameron Godfrey & Chelsea Sauve and Ms. Sandy Jakab
We heard from the expert, Sandy Jakab, Director, Capital Markets Regulation, BC Securities Commission, about domestic and international securities regulation:
- The players, the functions of the various players, the structure that allows them to function
- Rulemaking - in this case, what were the rules, who made them, how is it that with all this structure the rules proved inadequate, and what steps could the regulators take next
- Compliance monitoring - who does it, why are they doing it, what happens if compliance is "off-side"
- Enforcement action - how is it approached domestically and how is it coordinated overall
- Sandy Jakab's Presentation
When and where: November 18, 2008, Conference Centre 2550 A, Richmond Campus, 6-7pm
ITS Lecture Series - Point of View: “Post-American Election Prospects for the NAFTA"
Are you concerned about the future of the NAFTA following the upcoming American elections?
Distinguished speaker: Professor Stephen Blank is Professor of International Business Administration and Director of the Center for International Business Development, Lubin School of Business, Pace University, New York; member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Executive Committee of the North-American Committee; and a frequent visiting professor at Canadian universities.
When and where: September 25, 2008, Conference Centre A, Kwantlen Richmond Campus
ITS Lecture Series - Point of View: Voter-Funded Media - How Kwantlen Can Change the World
Mark Latham joined us to explore a new form of political participation. Dr. Latham is offering to sponsor "voter-funded media" (VFM) for the Kwantlen Student Association. This democratic reform creates news media loyal to voters, and we are able to join forces with UBC and SFU to demonstrate how VFM can make democracies and corporations better serve the public interest. For more program information, please click here.
Mark Latham received his Ph.D. in Finance from MIT in 1984, supervised by Fischer Black and Robert C. Merton. He was Assistant Professor of Finance at the University of California, Berkeley, until 1989. From 1989 to 1995 he worked for the New York investment banks Salomon Brothers and Merrill Lynch, mainly on derivatives arbitrage trading in Tokyo equity markets. Funded with his Wall Street earnings, he has dedicated himself since 1996 to improving the political structure of corporations and democracies.
Where and when: February 20, 2008, Conference Centre A, Kwantlen Richmond Campus
"Development in Africa: Experiences in 3 Countries Emerging from Conflict”: Rwanda, D.R. Congo, Ivory Coast
There is hope in the aftermath of conflict in Africa. Historian and NGO official, Daniel Cohn (B.A UBC, M.A. IUHEI & U. of Chicago), on visit from Africa, shared with us his experience in his talk on “Development in Africa: Experiences in 3 Countries Emerging from Conflict”.
Sub-Saharan Africa is commonly portrayed as engulfed by poverty, disease, conflict, and corruption. But there is much good news: sustained economic growth rates high enough to help reduce poverty and attract investment, and an increasing number of peaceful and democratic transfers of power. However, many countries are failing to benefit from these gains, and even moving backwards – often because of violent internal conflict.
Mr. Cohn's presentation addressed assistance to countries emerging from conflict, drawing on the speaker’s experience as an NGO worker in Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Côte d’Ivoire. An overview of these critical and complex situations was provided, and as well as examples of aid that benefits those who are most in need.
Please click herefor the presentation slides.
The guest speaker, Daniel Cohn, has managed development programs in sub-Saharan Africa over the past four years, first with Right To Play, an international NGO based in Toronto, and since September 2005 with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), an international NGO headquartered in New York and London. He has worked as Project Coordinator in Rwanda, setting up a project to train teachers to sensitize their students against HIV/AIDS, and as Grants Manager in the Democratic Republic of Congo, coordinating the review and submission of reports and proposals to bilateral and multilateral donor agencies including USAID, the UK Department for International Development, UNICEF, and CIDA. Since July 2007 he has served as Field Coordinator in Côte d’Ivoire, managing a field office and programs in maternal health, protection of internally displaced people, and prevention of gender-based violence.
Daniel is from Burnaby, BC and holds a BA in History from UBC, a DES in International Relations from the Graduate Institute of International Studies (Geneva), and a MA in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago.
The opinions he expresses are his own.
Where and When: January 30, 2008, Conference Centre A, Kwantlen Richmond campus
2007
Celebrating 100 years of the Hague Conventions
The Institute for Transborder Studies collaborated with the Department of Political Science to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the 1907 Hague Rules.
The Second International Peace Conference in 1907, resulted in the Hague Conventions of October 18, 1907. Currently most prominent are Convention (III) Relative to the Opening of Hostilities, which concerns the ius ad bellum and represents part of the international effort to outlaw war. Convention (IV) Respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land and Its Annex: Regulations Concerning the Laws and Customs of War on Land is the flag ship convention, and concerns (similar to the other October 18, 1907, Hague Conventions) the ius in bello, namely the law governing warfare. It is considered as embodying rules of customary international law, and consequently, is binding on states which are not formally parties to it. (Source: http://www.icrc.org/).
Speakers:
Dr. Francis Abiew, Chair, Dept. of Political Science, Kwantlen: "The Hague Conventions and Role of NGOs".
Robert J. Lesperance, LL.B., Lesperance & Mendes, Adjunct Professor, UBC Law Faculty, & Lieutenant-Colonel, reserve legal officer, Office of the Judge Advocate General: “The Hague Conventions in Military Practise Today”.
Where and When: November 6, 2007, Conference Centre A, Kwantlen Richmond campus
