The Executive Council of the International Law Association HQ has established a new Committee entitled ‘Human Rights in Times of Emergency’. The purpose of the Committee is systematically to assess normative developments against the background of institutional changes at the regional and international level, and to propose a set of recommendations aimed at mitigating the tension between a State’s sovereign right to defend its institutions and people in situations of emergency and the imperative of respecting, protecting and ensuring the human rights of individuals and groups in such times.
A copy of the mandate and work plan of the new Committee is available here. The Committee is co-chaired by Professors Christina Cerna (American Branch) and Stefan Kadelbach (German Branch).
According to ILA rules (available here), it is for each branch of the ILA to nominate its members for membership of the Committee. The Australian Branch of the ILA therefore calls on its members to express their interest in being nominated. Only members of the Australian Branch are eligible for nomination (click here for information on how to become a member). Expressions of interest should be sent by email to the secretary (secretary@ila.org.au), accompanied by a CV and any other documentation demonstrating expertise in the subject-matter of the Committee.
Further information about the Committee is available on the Committee page of the ILA HQ website, www.ila-hq.org.