Cork Views: How law can help us build a better world

Is international law working in today’s world? That was the theme of a conference I attended recently in UCC’s Council Room organised by FLAC (Free Legal Advice Centres), a non-profit human rights body.

The conference was entitled ‘Fractured Foundations - Can International Law Still Deliver Justice?’ As the Internal Convenor of FLAC, I was delighted to support Akshita Gupta in developing the plan for it and seeing it come into fruition.

We live in a world torn by war, climate change and human rights violations, where the most vulnerable are at the mercy of the most powerful, as demonstrated by conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and now, Iran.

Akshita, tasked with her Politics and Society Leaving Cert project, began thinking about these failings of international law. Her inspiration for the conference came from “feeling a lack of justice in the world” and that “there’s something fundamentally flawed in our international system”.

These sentiments motivated her to bring together a range of perspectives to explore if international law is still worth advocating for and protecting. The conference was an opportunity to delve into the topic and hear the view points of activists, experts, and those with personal stories to share, in the search for possible answers to our questions.

It was fantastic to bring academics into this conversation and learn from their wealth of knowledge. Dug Cubie, an International Law Lecturer at UCC, opened with a powerful reminder that international law remains one of humanity’s few tools for accountability and peace. Although it is flawed and there are a plethora of examples of its shortcomings, such as an increase in slavery and the conflict in Sudan, international law also operates effectively every single day. We receive our post in the mail, can travel between countries, and consume bananas from Asia. These are just a few of the many ways in which international law is working favourably. So, perhaps it is very much worth maintaining?

Maryam Yabo, a PhD Legal Researcher at Trinity, challenged the audience to confront its flaws through the TWAIL lens. It stands for Third World Approaches to International Law, and is a critical scholarly and political movement, viewing international law as being rooted in colonial history. Thus, its Eurocentric origins continue to reinforce the global inequality we bear witness to each day.

However, the theory serves to accomplish more than critique. It also seeks to re-imagine the law to be more equitable and inclusive, with a particular focus on socio-economic rights for the Global South. Maryam reminded us of the origins of international law, in developed countries. She exposed how the systems of power that cultivated it still shape our ideas of what “universal” justice looks like.

As well as organising the international law conference, I was honoured to sit on a panel of fantastic youth activists. The conversation, between Theresa Rose Sebastian, Rayaa Onog, Mohammed Naeem and I, chaired by Sumaya Mohammed, was an incredible opportunity to reflect on how my activism fits into international law, why this system of accountability needs reform, and ways in which we can all contribute to cultivating a more just world.

I found this conversation with my peers to be deeply informative, thoughtful and fruitful, and I’d like to thank my fellow advocates for their contributions to the discussion.

Theresa Rose Sebastian is a South Indian-Irish climate activist and final year law student at the University of Glasgow. She’s co-founder of international non-profit Re-Earth Initiative and has over four years’ experience engaging in international multilateral climate negotiations and processes like COP. Her insights, into the value of community and how supporting one another on a day to day basis sets the tone for the world we want to live in, were fascinating. She emphasised the importance of caring for people around you whilst standing in solidarity with those across the globe facing injustice and oppression.

Rayaa’s perspectives on how young people should be given an influential say in international law were really insightful because as a Child Rights Ambassador with EuroChild, she works directly with EU policymakers to ensure such voices are heard on critical issues.

I agree that youth leadership could be a vital cornerstone for strengthening international law, as we must face modern day issues and consider future generations in our advocacy.

Mohammed Naeem’s views on international law were particularly insightful as he shared his experiences as Ireland’s United Nations Youth Delegate. He noted how hopeful he was about change-making when he stepped into activism, as a member of Comhairle na nÓg and the Second-Level Students Union, in comparison with the setbacks he faced as a UN Youth Delegate, such as racism and feelings of imposter syndrome. He said the system we have is far from ideal,but is an important mechanism for protecting human rights and at least trying to maintain peace and security.

Not only is international law an established instrument for inciting change, the instrument itself must also be changed. For example, spaces that orchestrate international law need to be more accessible and inclusive, ensuring a diverse range of voices are heard.

The panel was excellently led by Sumaya Mohammed,an environmentalist and UCC law student here in Cork, originally of Somalia. She began her climate activism at 12 and began organising climate strikes in Cork. Passionate about the role of education in combatting the climate crisis, she co-founded SCAN, the Student Climate Action Network, and has since engaged with processes such as COP- Conference of the Parties.

She is now a Quercus Active Citizenship Scholar and Environmental & Sustainability Representative for UCC Students Union. It was brilliant to have a young person who is also passionate about international issues chairing the panel, as she wove in her own point of view, experiences and opinions.

Overall, this conference filled me with hope for international law.

 Evidently, it is failing people around the world in devastating ways. However, I was reminded that, at the same time, international law is still consistently upholding many of our freedoms and liberties. The rule of law and justice still matter, even if international law is undermined by many world leaders everyday.

The conference highlighted a real actuality that we can easily lose sight of when focusing on the atrocities shown on the news each day, that people are still fighting to ensure international law is effective and enforced.

Perhaps the solution, therefore, isn’t to throw the system in place out the window entirely but instead, reform these mechanisms.

To conclude, though you and I are not world leaders or diplomats on a global stage, we are all members of the human race and each have an impact on communities around us. Through solidarity, respect, empathy, collaboration and determination, we can each play our part in eliminating the fractures rippling through our international law, and so I urge you to carry these values into your everyday life.