Launch of Conceptual and Contextual Perspectives on the Modern Law of Treaties at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London

Last week, Michael J. Bowman (Director of the Treaty Centre) and Dino Kritsiotis (Professor of Public International Law) launched their edited collection Conceptual and Contextual Perspectives on the Modern Law of Treaties, which was published by Cambridge University Press in October 2018.

This major work was celebrated and discussed in the Locarno Suite at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London on Friday 14 June 2019, with Sir Iain Macleod KCMG (Legal Adviser, Foreign and Commonwealth Office) opening deliberations and describing the volume as "a real work of excellence".

The purpose of the event was to highlight the main themes and lessons of the volume as a whole and to try to explore the key policy implications for a "modern" law of treaties. There were two substantive sessions of discussions: the first panel on "conceptual and contextual perspectives" comprised Sir Franklyn Berman KCMG QC (Essex Court Chambers), Jill Barrett (Visiting Reader of International Law, Queen Mary University of London; 6 Pump Court), Dr Edward Kwakwa (World Intellectual Property Organization) and Sarah J. Williams (Professor of International Law, University of New South Wales).

The second panel, on "where the modern law of treaties goes from here", included presentations from Francoise J. Hampson (Professor Emerita, University of Essex); Marko Milanovic (Professor of Public International Law, University of Nottingham) and Stephen J. Toope (Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge).

In their remarks, the editors emphasised the importance of this project as a collaborative research venture and presented the axis of "conceptual" and "contextual" perspectives as offering a new modality for thinking and undertaking research in the law of treaties. Its full table of contents is available here. The editors also expressed their profound appreciations to Sir Iain for hosting the event, as well as his colleagues Helen McDermott and Christopher Hilton, for all of the preparations they had made to ensure its success.

The event was generously sponsored by the Institute for Policy and Engagement at the University of Nottingham, by the Treaty Centre and the University of Nottingham School of Law, as well as by Cambridge University Press.