ABILA International Law Weekend 2026
[R]evolution in the International Legal Order

 Emerging Voices Panel – Call for Abstracts

Deadline: July 6, 2026

The American Branch of the International Law Association will present International Law Weekend (ILW) 2026 in New York City from October 22-24, 2026. This two-and-a-half-day conference features over 30 panels, and many of the world’s leading international lawyers and diplomats participate. Recent ILWs have attracted an audience of over 1,200 practitioners, academics, U.N. diplomats, business leaders, federal and state government officials, NGO leaders, journalists, students, and interested citizens. ILW makes particular efforts to include emerging scholars and practitioners, including through the Emerging Voices panel.

ILW 2026 Theme: [R]evolution in the International Legal Order

This conference will examine the re-ordering of the international legal order at a pivotal moment of transition. Shifts in global power, challenges to bedrock legal principles, including the prohibition on the use of force, and retreat from long-standing international commitments pose challenges to the status quo, creating both uncertainty and opportunities for renewal. As some traditionally dominant states scale back their engagement with international law and institutions, space opens to reconsider the global distribution and exercise of authority and responsibility.

This interdisciplinary conference will explore how states and regional groupings can step forward to uphold, reinterpret, and strengthen international law through cooperation, innovation, and leadership. It situates these developments within longer trajectories of change in geopolitics and international governance, including those driven by states that gained independence after the United Nations’ founding. It will also highlight the constructive roles of international institutions, non-state actors, and civil society in sustaining, contesting, and advancing legal norms. Rather than signaling decline, these changes invite reflection on what international law might become: more inclusive, more resilient, and better equipped to address contemporary global challenges through diversified sources of legitimacy, power, and collective responsibility.

Call for Abstracts

The ILW Organizing Committee invites the submission of abstracts relating to the theme of “[R]evolution in the International Legal Order.”  We will select several abstracts for presentation at ILW 2026 as part of a panel of new and emerging professionals. The abstracts may be based upon ongoing work. While all submissions are welcome, preference will be given to papers not already published. Accepted applicants will be invited to present their papers at the Emerging Voices Panel, which a scholar or practitioner will chair. Participation must be in-person, other than in exceptional circumstances.

Eligibility is restricted to applicants who are current graduate students (master’s, PhD, JD, etc.) or junior scholars or professionals who have been working in the field of international law for five years or fewer. Accepted applicants are required to join ABILA and register for ILW 2026. Panelists are encouraged to attend other panels, plenary sessions, and to take part in the Members Meeting and networking events.

Application & Funding

The submission deadline is July 6, 2026. Submissions should be sent to [email protected] with the subject line “Emerging Voices – ILW 2026.” Applicants must submit all the following in a single PDF document:

-A 500-word abstract of their paper;

-A cover letter (max 2 pgs.): describing their professional development and explaining how their submission fits with the conference theme; and

-A curriculum vitae (max 3 pgs.)

Submissions will be competitively selected in a peer review process. Applicants will be notified by July 27, 2026.

If accepted, paper drafts from all panelists will be due for review by panel discussants no later than September 21, 2026.

ABILA has secured funding to provide need-based reimbursement of Emerging Voices panelists’ travel and hotel costs, insofar as those costs are not covered by their institutions. The reimbursement limit is $1,500 for panelists traveling from within North America, and $2,500 for those traveling from elsewhere. Panelists seeking reimbursement will be asked to submit their receipts.

Travel

ABILA is not able to provide general immigration support but is available to provide letters of support as needed for visa applications.

Questions may also be submitted to: [email protected].