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Professor Sir Malcolm Evans to give prestigious Annual Grotius Lecture 2021

24 September 2021

Sir Malcolm Evans, Professor of Public International Law and Deputy Director of the Human Rights Implementation Centre (HRIC) at the University of Bristol Law School, will be speaking at the Annual Grotius Lecture 2021 on 28 September 2021 on the topic ‘What is to become of the UN Human Rights Treaty Body system?’

The Annual Grotius Lecture is hosted by the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), and will include a conversation between Professor Sir Malcolm Evans and Kristin Hausler, the Dorset Senior Research Fellow in Public International Law and Director of the Centre for International Law, BIICL.

Sir Malcolm is a renowned authority in the field of international law of the sea and international human rights protection, particularly torture and torture prevention and freedom of religion or belief. From 2009 - 2020 he was a member, and from 2011- 2020 Chair, of the UN Subcommittee for Prevention of Torture (the SPT).

In his lecture ‘What is to become of the UN Human Rights Treaty Body system?’, Sir Malcolm will reflect on how the UN human rights treaty system has for over 20 years been the focus of many reform processes, yet fundamental problems besetting the system remain unaddressed. His lecture will address the need for reform, the attempts that have been made at reform and the current prospects of effective reform taking place.

Sir Malcom said: “Human Rights protection is more important than ever, yet the UN's system for doing so is increasingly under pressure: how can it cope? What does the future for it hold? These are vital issues to reflect on.”

Event details and Registration

The Annual Grotius Lecture 2021 will take place online on 28 September 2021, 18.00 - 19.30 (UK Time).

The event is free to attend but pre-registration is required. Register via the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) website.

Further information

Sir Malcolm Evans is Professor of Public International Law at the University of Bristol. He served as Head of the School of Law (2003-2005) and Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law (2005-2009). Sir Malcolm is a renowned authority in the field of international law of the sea and international human rights protection, particularly torture and torture prevention and freedom of religion or belief. From 2009 - 2020 he was a member, and from 2011- 2020 Chair, of the UN Subcommittee for Prevention of Torture (the SPT). He is also a member of the UK Foreign Secretary’s Human Rights Advisory Group.

The British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL) is a leading independent legal research organisation with charitable status, unaffiliated to any university. It was established in 1958 by the merging of the Society of Comparative Legislation (founded in 1894) and the Grotius Society (founded in 1915). Its research projects, seminars and publications encompass almost all areas of public and private international law, comparative law and European law, are at the forefront of discussions on the many contemporary issues of international and comparative law. 

The Human Rights Implementation Centre (HRIC) at the University of Bristol Law School is a leading institution for the implementation of human rights, that works in collaboration with a number of organisations and bodies, including those in the United Nations, the African Union, the Council of Europe, as well as with governments and organisations at the national level.

 

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