First Time in Lithuania – Conference of the European Society of International Law
On 5-6 September, for the very first time, Vilnius will host the annual conference of the European Society of International Law (ESIL), held in a different European city each year. The theme of this year's conference, organized by Vilnius University (VU) and the VU Law Faculty, is “Technological Change and International Law”.
The conference will discuss the impact of technology on international law and the role of international law in the context of rapid technological developments, global challenges, and changes. The event will focus on international law experts from Europe, but will also feature presentations and discussions by lawyers worldwide.
Assoc. Prof. Haroldas Šinkūnas, Dean of the Law Faculty, is delighted that the conference is taking place in Vilnius: “This is not only an appreciation of the work of the Vilnius University Law Faculty in the field of technology law, but also a recognition of Lithuania's international standing as an innovative and dynamic technology jurisdiction”.
Inga Martinkutė, Senior Lecturer at the Law Faculty and organizer of the conference, says that we live in a world where technological miracles surround us: smartphones, watches, Chat-GPT, GPS, and satellites enabling autonomous cars, and increasing speeds of information transmission and processing.
“It is clear that technology is just a tool for people to achieve their goals. Technology not only multiplies human powers, but also pushes the boundaries of human possibilities. Should we have limits? Should we set those limits for ourselves and where might they be? What regulatory mechanisms are appropriate for such tasks? This is what we invite lawyers from all over the world to think, reflect and discuss”, says I. Martinkutė.
Several of the conference's parallel themes will focus on the regulation of war technology and humanitarian innovation in conflict zones. Ukrainian lawyers from top-ranked universities and academic institutions such as the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law, University College London, the Graduate Institute of Geneva, etc. will also give the presentations.
At the event, experts will present their research on the use of technology in the prosecution of international criminal proceedings for international crimes. Participants will hear about shared archives of evidence of international crimes and the use of such evidence in international prosecutions, the recording of mass graves in war zones, and the use of digital evidence in criminological forensics.
The conference brings together judges, professors, academics, lawyers from international organizations, and government officials specializing in international law. The event will feature a presentation by Simon Chesterman, Vice Provost of the National University of Singapore, on the international regulation of artificial intelligence. Hebrew University scholar Yuval Shany will speak on contemporary challenges in justifying, interpreting, and applying digital rights as human rights. Participants will also hear from Benedict Kingsbury, Vice-Dean of the New York University School of Law, on technological infrastructure as a basis for the regulation of artificial intelligence, as well as many other cutting-edge topics and debates.
More details of the conference: https://www.esil2024vilnius.lt/