2026
ESIL
Research Forum
9-10 April 2026Hosted by the Jagiellonian University in Kraków
About
The 2026 ESIL Research Forum will take place on April 9-10, 2026, and will be hosted by the Centre for Advanced Sustainability Studies, Faculty of Law and Administration at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków.
The ESIL Research Forum is a scholarly conference that promotes engagement with research in progress by members of the Society in the early stages of their careers. It has a small and intensive format: no more than 25-30 paper submissions will be selected. During the Forum, selected speakers will receive comments on their presentations from members of the ESIL Board and invited experts. The call for papers is now open.
Theme
Sustainable International Law. Reconciling Stability and Change.
Is international law able to retain stability in an increasingly volatile world? Could such stability be still reconciled with effective regulation of the social, economic, and environmental changes? How to address international consequences of domestic policies? Do we need a legal revolution, or should we instead place a stronger emphasis on the tried-and-tested?
Sustainability is about ensuring continuity in the face of change. To continue, one must not only withstand difficulties but also seize opportunities and uphold the foundations of their existence. This is why sustainability extends beyond environmental protection – it requires a thoughtful balance of interwoven environmental, economic, and social considerations, as exemplified, for instance, by the breadth of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (A/RES/70/1). The reality of international law is heavily shaped by the very issues it is supposed to regulate.
Thus, sustainability and international law must be examined from two perspectives: the sustainability of international law and the international law of sustainability. The sustainability of international law requires maintaining legal certainty and ensuring the perseverance of the international community; this temporal dimension is particularly visible in the etymology of its French equivalent, la durabilité.
The international law of sustainability, in turn, must provide a framework for balancing competing needs – protecting human rights while safeguarding ecosystems, managing shared concerns while respecting differences in capabilities, and securing prosperity today without compromising the security of tomorrow.
The sheer complexity of these tasks provides fertile ground for diverging views on the best path forward. Some suggest that law should be softer to be flexible – and that commitments which do not bite are good companions of far-reaching goals. At the other side of the spectrum, there are proposals focused on the language of enforceable rights, including a wider catalogue of human rights, animal rights, rights of various living and non-living elements of nature, or even rights of nature as a whole. Debates on the possible evolution of international law resemble a melting pot of various worries and perceptions of injustice, many of which are inherently contradictory.
The aim of the Research Forum is to present and critically evaluate a broad spectrum of approaches to this topic. Beyond identifying synergies and trade-offs in sustaining international law, we also seek to deepen awareness of the origins and implications of competing legal concepts. We aim to classify proposed changes as indispensable, beneficial, requiring further scrutiny, or potentially detrimental to the functions of international law. The Forum’s outcomes will help guide a prudent approach to resolving the increasingly urgent, complex, and emotionally charged dilemmas of sustainability.
Call for papers
The 2026 ESIL Research Forum invites early-career scholars to explore how international law can adapt to rapid global changes while maintaining legal stability. The event will focus on two key dimensions: the sustainability of international law itself – its resilience, coherence, and flexibility – as well as the role international law plays in promoting environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Discussions will cover evolving legal principles, emerging rights, and practical approaches to global challenges such as climate change, inequality, and resource governance.
Important dates
September 30, 2025 (12:00 CEST)
November 15, 2025
February 28, 2026
ESIL Travel and Carer Grant application deadline:
January 20, 2026
April 9-10, 2026
How to submit
To apply, please submit an abstract of no more than 650 words to esil-rf@uj.edu.pl by September 30, 2025 (12.00 CEST).
The following information should be included with your abstract – your name, affiliation, email address, whether you are an ESIL member, plus a one-page curriculum vitae. The organisers also welcome proposals for poster presentations.
Successful applicants will be notified by email by November 15, 2025. The deadline for submission of the complete drafts to be discussed at the Research Forum is February 28, 2026.
To ensure a broad range of speakers at ESIL events, and to provide the opportunity for new participants to present for the first time, as a general rule, submissions from applicants who have not spoken at the most recent Annual Conference or Research Forum will be given priority.
Programme
08.04, Wednesday
09.04, Thursday
Michał Kowalski on behalf of the Faculty authorities, Piotr Szwedo on behalf of the Organizing Committee, Christian Tams on behalf of ESIL
Petra Minnerop
10:00 – 11:30
12:00 – 13:30
15:00 – 16:30
17:00 – 18:30
10.04, Friday
09:00 – 10:30
11:00 – 12:30
Elisa Baroncini, Jennifer Hillman, Piotr Szwedo, Patrycja Grzebyk
Online Interest Group workshops
The Forum will be preceded by Interest Group online workshops.
Practical information
