Welcome message — Build Tomorrow – ILA 2023

October 13, 1873 saw the birth of the International Law Association (ILA). It is with great pleasure that, on behalf of the French Branch and all ILA partner branches, throughout the year 2023, we invite you to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the organization, guided by the idea of “Building Tomorrow” (the motto associated with the anniversary).

• The year will begin with an inaugural conference (in webinar format) on January 12 on the role of parliaments as a factor to increase the legitimacy of international law. The debates, moderated by Philippe Sands and Michael Hahn, will bring together parliamentarians from all continents.

• Twenty or so webinars are planned throughout 2023, which will be an opportunity to discuss each of the white papers prepared to guide our collective reflection, on subjects as diverse as the Anthropocene, Food and Agriculture, the SDGs, Human Rights, Energy, Investments, etc.

• On June 18, 19 and 20, we will welcome you in Paris, in a hybrid format, for a symposium that will allow us to reflect on cross-cutting topics such as cooperation, due diligence, sanctions, the rights of future generations and more. The opening ceremony will give a festive twist to this anniversary. The 150th anniversary book, entitled The International Law Association – 150 Years in Support of International Law, will be unveiled on this occasion. For this symposium, we have chosen the magnificent setting of the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris, whose DNA is perfectly in line with that of the ILA: to support peace and harmony within international society.

• In December, we will draw the conclusions of two and a half years of work (the drafting of white papers began in 2021) and propose recommendations for future work. These recommendations will be published in 2024 as the 150th anniversary legacy and the contribution of the Association to the construction of tomorrow’s international law.

 We look forward to seeing you at these various events.  

Franck Latty

President,
ILA/ADI French Branch