Penn Law International: Recent Episodes
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Follow Penn Law's vibrant programs across the spectrum of international, transnational and foreign law.
(Transcripts may be available upon request.)
Anand Grover Eminent Human Rights Advocate and UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health (2008-2014)
As we stand on the cusp of enormous change, Anand Grover calls in from India to speak with Associate Dean Rangita de Silva de Alwis on human rights issues intersecting responses to COVID-19. Anand Grover is one of the world’s foremost health rights advocates and one of India’s preeminent lawyers. At a time of unprecedented crisis, Anand Grover is in the forefront of addressing some of the most urgent and pressing human rights violations. This discussion highlights how black swan events, such as COVID-19, expose the inequalities inherent in societies, deepen faultlines regarding human rights, produce new threats to human rights for all, and can result in roll backs on prior gains.
Agnes Callamard UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary or Arbitrary Executions
Rangita de Silva de Alwis, Associate Dean for International Affairs engages Agnes Callamard on the critical human rights consequences and questions we are facing in the COVID-19 crisis.
Sandie Okoro Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the World Bank Group The 2019 Leon C. & June W. Holt Lecture in International Law
Sandie Okoro is the principal advisor and spokesperson on all legal matters for the world’s leading development finance institution; she is the first British national and the first black woman to hold the role. She heads the Legal Vice Presidency Unit where international development legal experts provide legal services essential to World Bank activities and operations. In addition to her official duties, Sandie is an ardent defender and champion for women empowerment, gender equality, and justice for all. She uses her voice and expertise to spark personal and community-based development and push the envelope in tackling gender-based inequalities, particularly among minority groups and women.
Justice Sisi Virginia Khampepe, Constitutional Court of South Africa Appointed by President Nelson Mandela as Commissioner of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Justice Sisi Khampepe shares her personal and political narrative as a leader in the journey to end apartheid and in building a nation and its democratic institutions through justice and reconciliation. She looks back on the lessons learned from the TRC Commission and critically examines how the TRC shaped a nation struggling to heal from apartheid. Her discussion also focuses on what forgiveness means in the law and what those lessons can offer South Africa’s future and the world.
Ambassador Crystal Nix-Hines Partner, Quinn Emanuel & U.S. Ambassador to UNESCO (2014-2016)
Crystal Nix-Hines reflects on the challenges facing women in crisis management in the law and in a new global order. Few women in law have seamlessly straddled private and public leadership in the way Nix- Hines has. As a Counselor to the State Department, she helped establish the International War Crimes Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda which have changed the jurisprudence of international criminal justice and feminist legal theory. Nix- Hines was appointed by President Obama as United States Ambassador to UNESCO and then returned to Quinn Emanuel as partner in its newly launched Crisis Law and Strategy Practice Group.
Dr. Roza Otunbayeva Former President of Kyrgyzstan (Central Asia’s first woman leader)
This discussion shines a light on Otunbayeva's remarkable leadership in building peace in post-conflict and advances the importance of women’s leadership in resolving conflict. Otunbayeva is the only woman head of state to steer her country through a peaceful transition of power and, fearlessly step down from power after the transition. As president, she led a constitutional creation process that established Kyrgyzstan as the first parliamentary republic in Central Asia. She urged a pluralistic democratic process through then process by bringing to the table all political parties and civil society leaders to draft the new Constitution.
Ambassador Moushira Khattab Egypt’s Minister for Family and Population; Former Egyptian Ambassador to South Africa and Italy; Egypt’s nominee to head UNESCO in 2017
Ambassador Khattab coordinated national efforts to combat gender-based violence--including female genital mutilation--and child marriage. She spearheaded the development and inauguration of 1,167 girl-friendly schools which provide quality learning to thousands of girls in the poorest quintile of Egyptian society. Because of the remarkable results of her amazing leadership, she has been awarded The Order of Good Hope from the President of South Africa, The Knight of the Grand Cross, and Decoration of “Commendatore” of the Order of Merit by the President of the Italian Republic.
Hon. Mohamed Orabi Egypt’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to Israel
The Hon. Mohamed Orabi is an Egyptian diplomat and former Foreign Minister of Egypt. Mr. Orabi joined the Egyptian Foreign Service in 1976, having formerly served in the army. Throughout his career, Mr. Orabi has held a variety of important posts. He served as Deputy Ambassador at the Egyptian Embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel from 1994 to 1998 and was Chief of the Cabinet of the Foreign Minister in 2000. He has also worked in Kuwait, the USA, and the United Kingdom. Between 2001 and 2008, Mr. Orabi served as the Ambassador of Egypt to Germany from 2001 to 2008, and then became the Foreign Minister of Egypt in 2011 in Essam Sharaf’s government.
Ambassador Kai Sauer Finland’s Ambassador to the United Nations
Ambassador Sauer speaks on the trials and triumphs of diplomacy in the 21st century in his keynote remarks at the Penn Law Institute on Law and Diplomacy.
Matthew Nimetz Advisory Director for General Atlantic; Former Chairperson of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
US/UN Diplomat and legendary lawyer, Matt Nimetz unpacks one of the most intractable challenges of 21st century diplomacy: the longstanding naming dispute between Greece and Macedonia. Nimetz served as President Bill Clinton's Special Envoy to mediate the resolution of the Macedonian Issue and later as UN Special Representative for the naming dispute between Greece and the Republic of Macedonia. Since Macedonia gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, Greece has blocked the nation's attempt to join NATO and the EU based on an objection to the nation's name. Nimetz shares his twenty year's experience working to negotiate the resolution between the two states and its implications for Macedonia's national identity, peace and the region's cultural heritage. He will also examine the ways in which lawyers straddle leadership in both the private and public sector.
President Alain Berset President of the Swiss Confederation
In an age of rampant populism and nativism, how can politics embrace the ideals of international cooperation and equity at the heart of democratic idealism? When the liberal world order and a rules-based international system is being questioned, how can respect for international law and mutualism be restored? President Berset, President of the Swiss Confederation, addresses ways in which the Swiss democratic system affords answers to these urgent questions. Distinguished by its singular form of direct representation, Switzerland’s political and social history reveals its humanistic roots of direct democracy. Presiding Switzerland’s seven-member government, the Federal Council, President Alain Berset is uniquely positioned to share insights on the democratic process - and its threats.
Gitanjali Swamy Managing Partner at IoTask, an “Innovation of Things” (IoT) company.
In a topical discussion for diversity and inclusion, Gitanjali Swamy will discuss the effectiveness and relevance of three types of interventions. The discussion will illustrate with examples from practices around tech and tech investing. In the entrepreneurial private capital industry, women form 50 percent of new businesses but receive less than 2 percent of financing. As Swamy will address, it is critical to design the right portfolio of interventions that will provide the right balance of incentives, sanctions and value systems for maximal impact specific to the situation. Dr. Swamy has founded, built and served as a board director in successful entrepreneurial or intra-preneurial enterprises with over a dozen fundraisings and acquisitions under her tenure. She has held investment or professional roles in global leaders including The Carlyle Group and Booz Allen & Hamilton, and is a Representative to the United Nations Equals Leadership Coalition.
Carolyn Edgar Managing Counsel, Technology and Intellectual Property at BNY Mellon
Carolyn Edgar delivers a luncheon keynote for the Penn Law Institute on Law and Global Development. Ms. Edgar insightfully shares her personal experiences navigating and advancing in law and business as a woman of color. Catalyst research finds that a majority of women (and men) of color experience an “emotional tax” in the workplace, affecting their overall health, well-being and ability to thrive. Because some workplaces undervalue the unique contributions and experiences of women and minorities, women of color are in a constant state of being “on guard.” At BNY Mellon,Carolyn Edgard is responsible for leading transformational technology initiatives and managing ongoing third party relationships around those initiatives. She is a widely recognized leader with honors including Metropolitan Black Bar Association's Corporate Counsel of the Year Award and NOW-NYC's Women of Power and Influence Award.
Craig Newmark Founder of Craigslist
In his opening keynote to Penn Law’s Institute for Law & Global Development, Newmark inspired the participants by sharing his principles of fairness, opportunity and respect, his minimal profit business model, efforts to to empower women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and investments in support of veterans and journalism. Craig Newmark is a Web pioneer, philanthropist, and a leading advocate on behalf of trustworthy journalism, veterans and military families, and other civic and social justice causes. When Craig turned Craigslist into a company, he monetized minimally, opting for a business model that prioritized "doing well by doing good." Today more than 5 billion ads have been posted on the site, the vast majority for free. In 2016, he created Craig Newmark Philanthropies to promote investment in organizations that effectively serve their communities and drive broad civic engagement at the grassroots level.
Hon. Donald B. Verrilli, Jr. 46th Solicitor General of the United States
A keynote followed by a panel discussion led by Professor Tobias Wolff with Honorable Verrilli and Joseph Wayland on public service in times of crisis and insights on representing the United States before the U.S. Supreme Court, including landmark cases such as: Obergefell v. Hodges; Arizona v. US; Shelby County v. Holder; National Federation of Business v. Sebelius; and Fisher v. University of Texas. Donald B. Verrilli’s tenure as the 46th Solicitor General of the United States was marked by high profile Supreme Court cases that define President Obama’s legacy on issues of health care law, voting rights, affirmative action, same sex marriage and immigration.
Maina Kiai United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association (2011–2017)
In a triumphant moment for democracy, the Kenyan Supreme Court nullified the presidential election of August, 2017. However, just when Kenyans hopes of a strong and independent Supreme Court were on the rise, only one of the six Justices turned up to hear a petition on the rerun, ending a battle over Kenya’s democratic institutions and plunging the country once again into post- election chaos and violence. In February 2018, the leading Kenyan human rights lawer Maina Kiai, discussed the rights to peaceful assembly and association in the United States and Kenya post- elections. In conversation with Clark Edmond, L’19.
Ambassador Macharia Kamau Principal Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; former Permanent Representative of Kenya to the United Nations (2010-2018)
One year after the UN adopted the momentous Development Agenda, Ambassador Kamau spoke on the historic process leading to the adoption of the goals and the threats facing the achievement of the goals. Ambassador Macharia Kamau of Kenya was one of the primary architects of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), co-facilitator of the 2030 Development Agenda, and was appointed by the UN Secretary General as Special Envoy on El Niño and Climate.
Miguel de Serpa Soares UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel
This talk and the conversation that followed examined the extraordinary range of legal issues that the UN confronts. As the UN’s top legal adviser, Under-Secretary-General Serpa Soares addressed the UN’s responsibility to uphold the rule of law and the complex role of administering international law in the face of some of the most intractable challenges of the day. His discussion responded to the often-debated question: Does lawmaking at the United Nations make a difference?
Zainab Hawa Bangura Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict
Zainab Bangura addressed wartime rape and other forms of conflict-related sexual violence as a “cost- free” and devastating weapon of war. She focused on her UN mandate challenging impunity in the DRC and South Sudan and the psycho-social support needed for survivors of violence in countries ranging from Iraq, Syria, Bosnia, DRC, Somalia and the Central African Republic. Bangura was previously the Minister of Health and Sanitation for the government of Sierra Leone and was also the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Ambassador David O'Sullivan Ambassador of the European Union to the United States
This discussion was moderated by Professor Jill Fisch and Professor William Burke-White. With the multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) currently at the forefront of economic dialogue, O’Sullivan emphasized the importance of international accountability in trade relations.
A Critical Global Conversation with Akua Kuenyehia, former Judge of the International Criminal Court, and the former Law Dean of University of Ghana. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has been criticized for what is deemed to be “selective” targeting of poor, African, or “third world” states. Is this a legitimate criticism? What impact has the ICC had on conflict resolution, peacebuilding, the rule of law, and the struggle to end impunity? Does ICC’s retributive justice model work in the case of Africa?
A Critical Global Conversation with Ivan Šimonović, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights at the United Nations. Dean Ruger hosted Šimonović for a discussion of critical new developments and challenges in human rights including Responsibility to Protect(R2P), the new ‘Human Rights Due Diligence Policy’ (HRDDP) and the Human Rights Up Front (HRUF) initiative. Before joining the United Nations, ASG Simonovic held the position of Minister of Justice of Croatia and also served as President of UN ECOSOC.
The 2015 The Leon C. & June W. Holt Lecture in International Law was delivered by Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Former Minister of Finance for the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Okonjo-Iweala helped grow her country's economy, the largest in Africa, an average of 6% (per annum) over three years. She is credited with developing reform programs that helped improve governmental transparency and stabilizing the economy. Okonjo-Iweala was the first woman to be the finance minister and the foreign minister of the West African country with a GDP of $502 billion.
In July 2015, Penn Law joined with the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) to rededicate our commitment to the SDGs. Penn Law convened a high-level panel discussion in the United Nations Delegate’s Dining Room to discuss how efforts to promote the rule of law may best address problems of equity and social justice confronting the international community. Keynote remarks were provided by Ambassador Michele J. Sison, United States Deputy Representative to the United Nations. Panelists included Irene Khan, Director-General of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) and Khalid Malik, former director of the Human Development Report Office at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).