ILW-South 2017 was hosted by Texas A&M University School of Law, in cooperation with the American Branch and co-sponsored by the American Society of International Law (ASIL), on March 2-3, 2017. ILW-South 2017 was entitled The Global Future of International Trade, Human Rights, and Development.

The conference focused on a trio of areas that were the hallmarks and guiding principles of the international order created following the Second World War. That order is now undergoing change, with worldwide debate on what the future global order should look like. Leading scholars, practitioners, and government officials spoke to such issues as how the emerging order will operate, who might gain, and how existing institutions including governments should respond.

The program for ILW South included panels on “New Developments in Resource Management and Trade: The Internationalization of the Local,” “Making Trade Work for Sustainable Development: Possibilities and Challenges,” “International Corruption and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” “Intellectual Property and Regional Trade Agreements,” “The Role of Judges in Enforcing International and Regional Agreements,” and a career panel on Practice Tracks in the International Arena.

The event also included two plenary addresses. Edward Kwakwa, Senior Director of the Department for Traditional Knowledge and Global Challenges (and former Legal Counsel) at the World Intellectual Property Organization spoke on Renegotiating NAFTA Without Tears: Risks and Rewards of Modifying the North American Free Trade Relationships. Professor David Gantz, Samuel M. Fegtly Professor of Law and Director Emeritus of the International Economic Law and Policy Program at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law, delivered an address on Intellectual Property and Global Challenges.

Special thanks to ABILA Board Member Charlotte Ku and ABILA Vice-President and Co-Director of Studies Peter Yu for their leadership in organizing this wonderful event.