Human Rights Consortium

04/09/2026

Forthcoming event 👇 👇 👇

International Law and the Art of the Possible with Professor Luis Franceschi, Special Envoy on Mediation at The Republic of Kenya

30 September 2026, 6pm-8pm, The Senate Room, First Floor, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU

In a moment when multilateralism is tested by conflict and fragmentation, this lecture asks what international law can still realistically deliver, and what the Commonwealth’s distinct model of “friendship with a purpose” offers that other multilateral frameworks do not. More than treaties signed overnight or the formal architecture of law, what helps is trust patiently built, relationships sustained across generations, and a habit of speaking honestly among friends, even about those uncomfortable truths diplomats usually shun.

Drawing on years of practice in peacebuilding, Commonwealth diplomacy, and Constitutional Law, Prof. Franceschi will explore how this relational fabric opens space for legal and political possibilities that adversarial diplomacy forecloses. Grounded in real-life situations, the lecture will address the art of the possible: not the abandonment of principle, but its patient, relational pursuit.

Register here: https://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/news-events/events/international-law-art-possible



School of Advanced Study - University of London
University of London

27/08/2026

On 31 July 2026, Professor Kingsley Abbott represented the Institute at the international conference “Reparatory Justice in and Through Sport” in Glasgow.

28/07/2026

08/07/2026

⭐ Save the Date ⭐

An evening with the CARICOM Reparations Commission and other Guests
NEXT WEEK 13 July 2026, 6pm-8pm, Chancellor's Hall, Senate House

On Monday 13 July 2026, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies will host a public event at Senate House: An evening with the CARICOM Reparations Commission and other Guests.

The second official visit of the CARICOM Reparations Commission to the United Kingdom, comes amid a series of historic developments that are helping shape international engagement with the issue of reparations.

In March 2026, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the landmark Ghana-led resolution declaring the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans and chattel enslavement as the “gravest crime against humanity”.

The visit follows the landmark High-Level Consultative Conference on Reparations, described as a “historic turning point for Africans and People of African descent” hosted by Ghana in Accra in June 2026, where governments, international organisations, legal experts and civil society leaders developed a shared framework for advancing reparatory justice globally.

At the same time, last month, the CARICOM Reparations Commission has announced a new, strengthened, Manifesto on reparatory justice updating its Ten Point Plan for Reparatory Justice - https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EwzuVWkTD - which frames reparations as a “global human rights imperative.”

Looking ahead, the discussions will also help inform momentum towards the forthcoming 2026 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Antigua and Barbuda in November 2026.

The delegation includes:
- Prof Sir Hilary Beckles - Chairman, CRC
- Mr Dorbrene O'Marde - Chairman, Antigua & Barbuda Reparations Support Commission & Vice Chair, CRC
- Mr Eric Phillips - Chairman, Guyana Reparations Committee & Vice Chair, CRC
- Prof Verene Shepherd - Vice Chair CRC & Vice Chair UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination
- Ambassador David Comissong - Barbados Ambassador to CARICOM
- Dr Ron Daniels - Convenor, National African American Reparations Commission

Further details, including speakers will be announced shortly.

REGISTER HERE: https://sas.sym-online.com/registrationforms/caricom-in-conversation/done/

School of Advanced Study - University of London
University of London

23/06/2026

On 22 June 2026, Professor Kingsley Abbott, the Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, delivered one of the keynote speeches at the launch of "The Future of Warfare Report” at the House of Lords.

The report was the outcome of the 2025 Canada-UK Colloquium (CUKC) held between 12 and 14 September 2025 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, of which the Institute of Commonwealth Studies was a pillar sponsor.

In his remarks, Professor Abbott structured his talk around three themes: the need to strengthen multilateralism and consider the Commonwealth as a model; rebalance defence spending with investment in human rights and development; and defend the international criminal justice framework.

Read more here: https://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/news-events/news/strengthen-multilateralism-rebalance-defence-spending-investment-human-rights-development



School of Advanced Study - University of London
University of London
Human Rights Consortium

03/06/2026

Join us on 18 June 2026 from 2pm-3pm (UK time) to hear about our Postgraduate Studies in Human Rights by distance learning.

Learn more about our MA, the modules you will study, and the career paths that the degree will open to ayou, during our live online webinar. The webinar includes a live Q&A session where you will have the opportunity to ask your questions directly to Programme Director Professor Corinne Lennox.

Register your place here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2617799618219/WN_ZK4vZuDwTzGqNCbd5jgJ8g



School of Advanced Study - University of London
University of London

23/04/2026

⭐ SCHOLARSHIP FOR THE MA HUMAN RIGHTS ⭐

ONE WEEK LEFT TO APPLY!

We're honoured to offer the Yusuf Ali Scholarship to students resident in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh to enable one individual to study on the MA Human Rights by distance learning offered by the University of London Worldwide.

The deadline for applications is 1 May 2026. The Award will cover the tuition fees only for the MA Human Rights for entry in September 2026.

Learn more here: https://www.london.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/funding-study/scholarships-bursaries/yusuf-ali-scholarship-ma-human-rights



School of Advanced Study - University of London