Conference: Post the UN Summit of the Future
18. Sep - 19. Sep
‘POST THE UN SUMMIT OF THE FUTURE’:
TOWARDS A (RE-)CONSIDERATION OF THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION, SOVEREIGN EQUALITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN A DIVIDED AND TRANSFORMING GLOBAL LEGAL ORDER
18-19 SEPTEMBER 2025 IN WINDHOEK, NAMIBIA
The Joachim-Herz-Doctoral School of Law is organising the conference in cooperation with the University of Namibia (UNAM) and the Namibia Office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation. The conference will take place in Windhoek, Namibia, from 18 to 19 September 2025.
Background
Since the adoption of the UN Charter in 1945, the world and international relations have been in a state of constant flux. Decolonisation, the Cold War and its end, the war on terror, and now the struggle for global action on climate change, the fight against poverty and hunger, and the pursuit of sustainable development have fundamentally changed the face of global realities, but more recently there have also been significant erosions and attacks on multilateralism and the rule of law.
In the wake of these changes and events, it is only logical to pause for a moment and look at the international legal system as a whole to assess its need for adaptation and reorganisation; a step that was taken in 2024 at the UN Summit of the Future. As a result, heads of state and government not only (re-)affirmed their commitment to “international cooperation based on respect for international law.” They also recognized that “the multilateral system and its institutions, with the United Nations and its Charter at the centre, must be strengthened to keep pace with a changing world.” The Pact for the Future, the agreement they signed on this occasion, therefore addresses the major challenges of our time, which the world can only meet through international cooperation (for the sake of present and future generations).
Namibia and Germany, the two co-facilitators and architects of the summit, have played a prominent role in developing this new (or: renewed) vision of a multilateral system that can deliver on its promises, provide solutions to the pressing challenges of today and tomorrow, and be governed by the rule of law. Moreover, the two countries are directly affected by some of the most important issues addressed in the Pact for the Future because of their (shared) history. The year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the UN Charter, as well as the 35th anniversary of Namibia's independence and the reunification of Germany. Both are powerful examples of the practical application of international law and, in particular, the right to self-determination. At the same time, Namibia and Germany are currently working on their shared (colonial) past in order to come to terms with it, to base their future relationship on the rule of law and sovereign equality, and to offer redress for past wrongs (see Action 7 of the Pact). Their common history is overshadowed by German colonial atrocities, injustices, and the genocide against the Herero and Nama (1904-08). However, the objectives of the Pact for the Future can only be truly realised if the colonial past (and the historical guilt of the global North), the hitherto unequal and hierarchical (not to say neo-colonial) nature of international law, the restrictions on the full exercise of the right to self-determination and the subordination of the global South are addressed (and redressed), and if the adaptation of international law takes full account of these aspects.
Conference Venue
Casa Blanca Boutique Hotel (Link)
Address: c/o Gous & Fritsche St, Pioneerspark, Windhoek, Namibia (google maps)