Conference: Global Governance at a Critical Moment: Insights from Asia

On July 14, 2019, the Japan Chapter of the Asian Society of International Law will hold its 10th Anniversary Annual Conference at Meiji Gakuin University, in Tokyo. The theme is: "Global Governance at a Critical Moment: Insights from Asia." The program is here. Here's the idea:

The year 2019 marks a century since the signing of the Covenant of the League of Nations. In the wake of the two world wars, people pledged to establish conditions under which justice and respect for international law can be maintained.

International organizations and institutions, including treaty and non-treaty bodies as well as administrative and judicial bodies, have since been developed in the pursuit of peace and prosperity. They range from universal organizations, such as the United Nations, to regional ones, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Their respective mandates extend over a wide range of areas such as security, environment, human rights, economy, and dispute settlement. They have been lauded as contributing to global governance, of which Asia has been both a beneficiary and a promoter.

Today, distrust of international organizations and institutions is spreading among people. They are being criticized for not only failing to properly address the concerns of the international community but also undermining its essential values. The demand for the restructuring of global governance is growing. Amid the rise of populism, global governance stands at a crossroads of demise or resurrection.

The objective of the Conference is to look back at the history of global governance and look ahead to its future.