3-4 July, 2024 - Queen’s University Belfast, School of Law

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

Facing a global population that is expected to grow more than nine billion by 2050, agricultural pesticides (ag-pests) are increasingly used throughout the world to enhance agricultural yield. Nevertheless, the intensification of agriculture, through the high application of pesticides, also intensifies the loss of biodiversity and the production of unsustainable food as to harm the ecosystems, jeopardise human health, and undermine the enjoyment of fundamental human rights.

At the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15), numerous states negotiated to, among others, eliminate environmentally harmful subsidies by 2030 and made strong commitments towards sustainable food systems, including requirements and strategies for a reduction in the use of pesticide by 2050. And yet, both production and trade of agricultural products are escalating globally.

Against this background, our international conference on “Agricultural Pesticides Vs Food Sustainability: A Need to Produce Ground-Breaking Knowledge from an Interdisciplinary and Dialoguing Perspective” will explore the complexity surrounding the regulation of ag-pests.

We invite submissions on all aspects concerning the regulation of ag-pests, but preference will be given to contributions casting light on the following topics:

(i) “Victims” of ag-pests

(ii) Ag-pests and Target 7

(iii) International trade of ag-pests

(iv) Impact of ag-pests on human rights

(v) Ag-pests and environmental crimes

Submission Guidelines

We welcome submissions of abstracts (max 300 words) for individual and panel presentations. Please include the following information:

• The author’s name and affiliation

• The author’s CV, including a list of relevant publications, if applicable

• The author’s e-mail

• Whether the author is an ESIL member and if not, whether (s)he would be willing to commit to becoming an ESIL member

All submissions must be sent to Alessandra Guida (A.Guida@qub.ac.uk) and Paolo Farah(paolo.farah@glawcal.org.uk) no later than May 15, 2024. Please indicate “ABSTRACT FOR THE 2024 CONFERENCE ON AG-PESTS” as the subject line. Applications will be reviewed, and all applicants will be informed of the decision of the selection committee soon after the deadline

Venue and Dates

The international conference will take place in person, on the premises of Queen’s University Belfast – School of Law, Northern Ireland, UK, on 3-4 July 2024. Please let us know if you require an accommodation to attend the conference virtually. We will have some limited capacity to host hybrid panels and will try our best to accommodate you.

Publication Opportunities

The conference organiser, Dr Alessandra Guida, has publication plans for the presented papers. The precise nature and format of publication will be discussed in more detail during the conference; however, the organiser preliminary vision is to publish an edited book with an international publisher or a special section or special issue of a Journal.

Organising Institutions

The conference has been jointly organised by Queen’s University Belfast and the European Society of International Law (ESIL) Interest Group on International Environmental Law. At almost 200 years old, Queen’s University Belfast is one of the oldest Universities in the UK. Queen’s is ranked in the Top 200 in the world in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2024 and 4th in the world for international outlook (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2024). Our researchers use world-class facilities to tackle Global Challenges such as health, food, conflict and technology. In REF 2021, 99% of Queen’s research environment was assessed as world-leading or internationally excellent, and we were ranked 8th in the UK for Law (REF 2021/ Times Higher Education).

The European Society of International Law (ESIL) is a dynamic network of researchers, scholars and practitioners in the field of international law. The Society’s goals are to encourage the study of international law, to foster inquiry, discussion and innovation in international law, and to promote a greater understanding of the role of international law in the world today. The Society has provided a forum for the exchange and promotion of new ideas ever since the inaugural meeting in 2004 in Florence, and ESIL events and publications continue to illustrate the breadth and range of members’ interests and activities.