Call for abstracts – "Non-use measures for global goods and commons in international law"

The Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS) and the Utrecht Center for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law (UCWOSL) of Utrecht University, in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), are organizing the workshop “Non-use measures for global goods and commons in international law”, which will take place on 8-9 May 2023 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. The workshop aims to be a platform for discussion for the development of an edited volume.

Most resource management measures at the international level focus on the conditions under which use of some resources is allowed. In certain cases, however, States decide to adopt and implement non-use measures, i.e., measures that ban a certain use altogether or restrict (certain types of) use in certain areas. With the increasing pressure on natural resources, in particular those considered global goods and commons, and in order to implement the precautionary approach, such measures might need to be further promoted and adopted.

The workshop intends to look at a selection of non-use measures (e.g., bans, moratoria, closed areas) to better understand how specific non-use measures were adopted (or not) and with what effects, and to consider the potential for success of proposals currently under discussion or consideration. Non-use measures related to four themes will be discussed: marine living resources, Antarctica, areas beyond national jurisdiction at sea, and the atmosphere and outer-space.

The deadline to submit an abstract is 31 July 2022. We welcome abstracts from early career and senior researchers and practitioners. See the call for abstracts and further information.