Institute of Commonwealth Studies

26/10/2026

New on the Blog:

'A Commonwealth Climate Partnership? Middle Powers and Small States at CHOGM 2026' written by Senior Research Fellow Dr Nicholas Watts

Read it here: https://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/news-events/blogs/commonwealth-climate-partnership-middle-powers-small-states-chogm-2026



School of Advanced Study - University of London
University of London

16/10/2026

At the SAS Festival 2026 last week, Director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Professor Kingsley Abbott spoke about the Institute's research, specifically about one of our four research clusters on environmental justice and climate breakdown, led by Professor Damien Short. We were also delighted to have our colleagues from Stop Ecocide International join us at our stand, showcasing the One Dress Project, a unique piece of textile art supporting their work.

During his talk, Professor Abbott said "Looking at Ecocide is not simply a question of environmental science or criminal law. It also raises historical and cultural questions about how societies understand relationships between people, land and the natural world. These are precisely the kind of challenge where the humanities have something important to contribute, including whose voices are heard in these discussions."

Read more here: https://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/news-events/news/sas-festival-showcasing-institutes-research-environmental-justice



School of Advanced Study - University of London

08/10/2026

Join us today in Senate House where we’re displaying our research and related publications at the SAS Festival! We’re here alongside Stop Ecocide International so come by to learn more!



School of Advanced Study - University of London
University of London

02/10/2026

ICwS Senior Research Fellow Professor Henning Melber shared his views on the challenges facing the United Nations on occasion of the high level general debate opening the 81st session of the General Assembly in New York in an interview with Monocle Radio’s The Briefing on 21 September 2026.

Listen here: https://monocle.com/player/?uuid=e6127ab7-b81e-456b-893c-a8d600215365%2C0f0ce1c1-23b1-48a2-84a1-ab8a012011f4%2Cee1d9c88-a55c-49ee-938b-b4cc00b26cb9

01/10/2026

Yesterday evening, the Institute was delighted to host an event with speaker, and Senior Research Fellow, Professor Luis Franceschi. Guests gathered at a time when the global stage feels increasingly fragmented. Traditional frameworks of multilateralism are being deeply tested, and many were asking themselves a fundamental question: What can international law still realistically deliver?

Professor Franceschi guided the audience in exploring an important topic on International Law and the Art of the Possible.

In his lecture, he highlighted a few things of note for a different kind of international law. His lecture referenced international law-making moments based on years of practice and engagement in Commonwealth diplomacy and peacebuilding, not defined only by formalised rules and institutional bureaucracy, but driven by relationality, friendship and care when resolving international conflicts, the settlement of disputes and peacebuilding.

Read more here: https://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/news-events/news/professor-luis-franceschi-speaks-international-law-art-possible


School of Advanced Study - University of London
University of London

30/09/2026

The Commonwealth and Geopolitics - 3rd Annual Conference on the Commonwealth of Nations, 27 November 2026 | St Mary’s University, Twickenham

In an era of geopolitical uncertainty, what future does the Commonwealth have?

Explore the challenges and opportunities facing one of the world’s most diverse international associations through debates on diplomacy, global governance, trade, technology, development and international security. Bringing together academics, diplomats, policymakers and practitioners.

Learn more and register here:

https://estore.stmarys.ac.uk/product-catalogue/conferences-events/school-of-business-and-law/commonwealth-conference-27th-november-2026



School of Advanced Study - University of London
University of London

18/09/2026

Forthcoming lecture from PhD candidate in Human Rights, and 2026-2027 Robert J. Katz Research Fellow in Genocide Studies, Anna Gopsill:

Masculinity and Vulnerability: Sexual Violence Against Men During Genocide and Conflict, 23 September 2026 at 12:00 PM Pacific Time, Taper Hall (THH) Room 309K - Join in person or on Zoom

Sexual violence is often understood through a framework of male perpetrators and female victims, but what happens when men are the victims? Drawing on first-person testimony and judgements from the International Criminal Tribunals for Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia, Anna Gopsill (PhD candidate in Human Rights) examines how men talk about sexual violence they have experienced and the space institutions give them to do so. She reflects on what survivor testimonies in the Visual History Archive reveal about this violence and asks how international institutions and humanitarian organizations can ensure that men and boys are not overlooked in efforts to address sexual violence in conflict.

Learn more and register here: https://dornsife.usc.edu/cagr/2026/09/08/masculinity-and-vulnerability/

Organized by the USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research
Cosponsored by the Human Rights Consortium

USC Dornsife Center for Advanced Genocide Research

17/09/2026

FORTHCOMING EVENT IN 2 WEEKS👇 👇 👇

International Law and the Art of the Possible with 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
Human Rights Consortium

16/09/2026

Academic Freedom and Human Rights in Focus at Utrecht Summer School

From 17–21 August 2026, Institute of Commonwealth Studies PhD researcher Joe Ruzvidzo attended the Utrecht Summer School course “Advocacy for Academic Freedom and Human Rights” at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. The intensive programme brought together Master’s and PhD researchers and higher education professionals to examine academic freedom, democracy and related human rights from an international perspective.

Read more here: https://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/news-events/news/academic-freedom-human-rights-focus-utrecht-summer-school


School of Advanced Study - University of London
University of London

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