Summer Course on International Law
25th May to 05th June 2009

The Indian Society of International Law (ISIL) was founded in 1959 at the initiative of Shri V. K. Krishna Menon and inaugurated the same year by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of independent India, with the objective to “foster nation wide, the study and development of International Law and to encourage the comparative study of the application of International Law in other States”. The ISIL has been publishing the Indian Journal of International Law since its inception, which has attained a high standard and is held in high esteem the world over. The ISIL has also a good library, which is used by scholars from all over India. The ISIL organizes annual conferences and seminars on international issues of contemporary interest. Finally, and equally important, it conducts and promotes independent research on issues of International Law. The teaching wing of the ISIL- the Indian Academy of International Law & Diplomacy, runs post-graduate diploma courses in various branches of international law.

The ISIL organises every year a Summer Course in international law to bring to you the current developments and their importance.

We are pleased to announce that the Summer Course will commence from Monday, the 25th May to 05th June 2009. The topics would include: Public International Law, Private International Law, International Institutions, International Trade and Business Law, International Environmental Law, Intellectual Property Rights, International Human Rights Law, International Humanitarian Law, Refugee Law and International Criminal Law with special reference to International Criminal Court.

The Society will endeavour to make available the best expertise available in the respective fields as course instructors, which would include noted academicians, governmental, non-governmental and UN officials etc.

The course will comprise classroom lectures, discussion, counseling and library consultation, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. everyday except Sunday. The course fee would be Rs. 1,000/- for students and Rs. 1,500/- for teachers and lawyers. Demand drafts shall be drawn in favour of the Indian Society of International Law. At the end of the course a certificate of participation will be given to all the participants. Last date for application is 15 May 2009.

We hope you /your institution makes use of this rare opportunity of attending the summer course.

Click for registration form

International Law Conference

International Law Conference is an important triennial event of the ISIL. It is organised to provide a forum for in-depth discussion on the emerging trends in various branches of international law among the practitioners, teachers and scholars of international law from different nationalities.

ISIL held its First International Conference on “International Law in the New Millennium: Problems and Challenges Ahead” in New Delhi from 4 to 7 October 2001. The Conference was inaugurated by the then President Shri K. R. Narayanan and attended by nearly 350 participants, including 25 foreign delegates such as H.E. Hisashi Owada, currently Judge, International Court of Justice, The Hague; Prof. Frits Kalshoven, International Fact Finding Commission, & Mr. Jean-Philippe Lavoyer, International Committee of the Red Cross; Prof. Jon Van Dyke, Hawaii University Law School; Dr. Edward Kwakwa, WIPO; Mr. Daniel McGraw, U.S. Environmental Protection Office; Mr. Gilbert M. Bankobeza, United Nations Environment Programme; Dr. Abdul Haseeb Ansari & Mr. Haniff Ahamat, International Islamic University, Kuala Lumpur; and Penigram Kashmirahan bin Penigram Haji Mohammed Tahir, Brunei Darusallam. In the conference nearly 80 scientific papers were presented. The proceedings of the conference have been published..

ISIL held its Second International Law Conference from 14 to 17 November 2004 in New Delhi. About 550 delegates participated in this Conference, including about 60 delegates from abroad, including H.E. Philippe Kirsch, President, ICC; Mr. Hans van Loon, Secretary General, Hague Conference on Private International Law; Mr. Tjaco van den Hout, Secretary General, Permanent Court of Arbitration, The Hague; Dr. Olivier Ribbelink, Director, TMC Asser Institute, The Hague; Dr. Edward Kwakwa, Legal Counsel, WIPO; Prof. Ved. P. Nanda, University of Denver; Prof. Sergio Marchisio, Secretary General, Italian Society of International Law; Mr. James Carter, President, American Society of International Law; Prof. Jean Marc Thouvenin, Secretary General, French Society of International Law; Dr. Kamal Hossain, Vice President, International Law Association; Prof. Yoshiro Matsui, Professor of International Law, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan; Prof. Ximena Fuentes, University of Santiago, Chile, Prof. Antony Carty, University of Westminster; Prof. Raj Bhala, University of Kansas; Prof. Surya P. Subedi, University of Leeds; Prof. Hans Koechler, International Progress Organization; Prof. Sornarajah, Singapore University; Prof. Susan L.Karamanian, George Washington University; Dr. Alexander Betalov, Moscow University, Russian Federation; Mr. Stephen York and Mr. Devashish Krishan, Vinson & Elkins, London; Mr. Audley Sheppard, Clifford Chance, London; Mr. Toby Landau, Barrister, Essex Court Chambers, London and Ms. Shahnaz Malik, Simmons & Simmons, London.

Shri K. Natwar Singh, then Minister of External Affairs, Government of India inaugurated the Conference. Hon’ble Vice President of India Shri Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, delivered a special address during the Conference. About 100 papers were presented during the four-day conference touching as many as 14 themes/areas of international law. Some of the sessions were organized in collaboration with UNESCO and ICRC.

Third International Conference on The Emerging Trends in International Criminal Jurisprudence was organized by the ISIL on 10-11 December 2005 at the Society’s premises. Shri Shivaraj Patil, Home Minister of India inaugurated the Conference on 10th December 2005. H.E. Philippe Kirsch, President, International Criminal Court, The Hague, also addressed the session. Shri Prithviraj Chavan, Minister of State, Prime Minister’s Office, Government of India gave a special address on 11th December 2005.

More than 250 delegates of whom 32 from abroad participated in the Conference. Former Judge of the ICJ, President and Chef-de-Cabinet of ICC, Commissioner for the International Criminal Court, German Foreign Office, Appeals Chamber Judge of Special Court of Sierra Leone and Legal Advisors from International Committee of the Red Cross participated in the Conference.

Fourth International Conference on Private International Law was organised by ISIL on 2 & 3 December 2006, at ISIL premises. Shri Vyalar Ravi, Hon’ble Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government of India, inaugurated the conference on 2 December 2006 at ISIL Auditorium. Dr. Hans van Loon, Secretary – General, Hague Conference on Private International Law, The Hague, The Netherlands, Ms. dr Vesna Lazic, Senior Researcher, TMC Asser Institute, The Hague, The Netherlands and Smt. Girija Vyas, Chairperson, National Commission for Women also addressed the session. Shri Ram Niwas Mirdha, President, ISIL welcomed the guests and the delegates and Prof. Rahmatullah Khan, Secretary General, ISIL, proposed a vote of thanks. In the evening a colourful cultural programme was performed by the artistes of Sahitya Kala Parishad, New Delhi.

Nearly 300 delegates of whom 35 from abroad participated. The delegates had come from various backgrounds such as International Institutions, Government Ministries, Universities, Law College, Government Ministries and Non-Governmental Organisations. Dr. Hans Van Loon, Secretary General, Hague Conference of Private International Law, Prof. R. P. Anand, Lord Justice Thorpe, Head of International Family Law for England and Wales, Shri R. K. P. Shankar Dass, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, Mr. William Duncan, Deputy Secretary General, Hague Conference of Private International Law, Prof. Ved P. Nanda, Vice-Provost, Director, International Legal Studies Programme, University of Denver, USA, Mr. Narinder Singh, Joint Secretary, Legal and Treaties Division, MEA, Government of India, Dr. R. K. Dixit, Treasurer, ISIL, Mr. Ben Reuben Angwe, Head of Department, University of Jos, Nigeria chaired and co-chaired the sessions. The presentations were made by the following delegates: Prof. V. C. Govindaraj, Vice-President, ISIL, Dr. Christophe Bernasconi, First Secretary, Hague Conference on Private International Law, Prof. Mrs. Lakshmi Jambholkar, Former Professor, University of Delhi, Prof. B. C. Nirmal, BHU, Varanasi, Ms. dr Vsna Lazic, Senior Researcher, TMC, Asser Institute, Shri A. K. Ganguli, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, Mr. Adewole Adedeji Adisa, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, Mr. Oylade Oluntunji Sunday, Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria, Shri C. Jayaraj, Advocate, Supreme Court of India and former Secretary-General of ISIL, Ms. Jane Sleetwood, Member of the Commonwealth, Australia, Mr. Thomas Olatunji Sunday, Director, Mediation Centre, Ministry of Justice, Oye State, Nigeria, Dr. J. C. Batra, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India, Dr. Luther Rangreji, Legal Officer, L&T Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, Mr. Henery Setright QC, Renaissance Chambers, Gray’s Inn, England, Mr. Teertha Gupta, Renaissance Chambers, Gray’s Inn, England, Ms. Anne Marie Hutichinson, O. B. E., The Chair of International Bar Association, UK, Shri Anil Malhotra, Advocate, Chandigarh High Court, Shri Ranjit Malhotra, Advocate, Chandigarh High Court and Smt. Versha Sharma, Reader, D. C. College, Kanpur.Fifth International Conference
ISIL organized its Fifth International Conference on “International Environmental Law” on 8-9 December 2007.

Themes
The following themes were discussed:

Annual Conference

The Annual Conference is an important event in the activities of the ISIL. It is usually held in the month of March-April of every year. It attracts participation from the academic and legal communities from all over the country. It provides an opportunity for international law teachers, international law practitioners and people working in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to exchange views and acquaint themselves with the latest developments of international law. The objective behind this exercise is to widen the perspectives of the participants to cope with the ever-expanding horizons of the discipline.

Thus, over the years, the Annual Conference of the ISIL has become a distinct platform for the Indian international law community to discuss and deliberate upon issues of international law. Increasing participation of international law teachers, students, lawyers and others in the Annual Conference from across the country has made the ISIL a national venue for international law discussion.

Golden Jubilee 37th Annual Conference of the Indian Society of
International Law was organised on 29-30 March 2008

REGULAR ACTIVITIES

V.K. Krishna Menon Memorial Lecture

The ISIL organises, in the memory of its founder President Late Shri V.K. Krishna Menon, an annual V.K. Krishna Menon Memorial Lecture. The Ministry of Human Resources Development of the Government of India has provided financial assistance for this purpose.

Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition

tenth Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court Competition will be organized from 9-12 September 2010 at ISIL premises. This Competition is open for all recognized Indian colleges and universities.  A running trophy will be awarded to the winning team. In addition, a permanent trophy will be presented to winners and runners-up team. The best advocate and the best memorial prizes will also be awarded.

Annual Regional Round -4th South Asian Henry Dunant Moot Court Competition, October 2008

The ISIL in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) organising an annual regional round Moot Court Competition in memory of the founder of the ICRC - Henry Dunant, to be held on October 2008 at Society's premises.

UGC Refresher Course in International Law

The ISIL organises a Refresher Course in International Law for college and university teachers for three weeks annually on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The topics for refresher programme are namely, Principles of Public International Law, Private International Law, International Institutions, International Trade and Business Law, International Environmental Law, International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law with special reference to International Criminal Law. Experts of the eminence in the field of international law delivered the lectures to the participants. The course comprised of classroom lectures, discussions, counselling and library consultation. This programme has also become a regular activity of the ISIL.

9-28 February 2009 UGC Refresher Course

>> Invitation Letter || Application Form

A Refresher Course in International Law for college and university teachers will be organized by the ISIL from 8th- 27th September, on behalf of the University Grants Commission (UGC). The topics for refresher programme are namely, Principles of Public International Law, Private International Law, International Institutions, International Trade and Business Law, International Environmental Law, International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law with special reference to International Criminal Law. Experts of the eminence in the field of international law delivered the lectures to the participants. The course comprised of classroom lectures, discussions, counseling and library consultation. This programme has also become a regular activity of the ISIL.

Special Course for Indian Economic Service, Indian Foreign Service  and Indian Forest Probationers

The ISIL, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, conducting special course on International and Indian Environmental Law for Indian Forest Probationers to be held on 6th - 10th August 2007. It also, conducts special course on International Law for the Indian Foreign Service Probationers and International Economic Service Probationers.

OTHER ACTIVITIES

Seminars, Workshops, Conferences, Panel Discussions and Special lectures

The ISIL organizes on regular basis seminars, panel discussions, workshops, National Conferences and Special lectures on contemporary topics of international law.

Projects

The research team of Indian Society of International Law conducts research works includes collection of materials, collation, research, reporting, review and formatting on various topics pertaining to International Criminal Law, International Trade Law, International Human Rights, International Environmental Law etc. in regular basis. The ISIL has successfully undertaken several projects allotted by the various Ministries of the Government of India and other academic and research institutions. The ISIL completed a prestigious project allotted by the Ministry of External Affairs on Issues relating to Private International Law as affecting the non-resident Indians. Presently ISIL undertakes a project allotted by the Ministry of External Affairs on International Conventions on Human Rights.