In April 2024, a group of older Swiss women successfully argued before the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) that the Swiss government was failing to take sufficient action on climate change, violating their human rights as a disproportionately affected group under the European Convention on Human Rights. However, the Swiss parliament rejected…

Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election that saw Donald Trump become President offered shocking revelations. As US citizens prepare to vote in the presidential election, with Trump once more a presidential candidate, Global Insight assesses the Mueller investigation, its report and the bearin…

Following a divided vote by its member states in October, the EU can now impose extra tariffs of up to 35.3% on electric vehicles – EVs – imported from China for the next five years. The vote follows moves by the US Biden administration earlier in 2024 to raise tariffs on Chinese computer chips, EVs, clean energy technologies and metals imported fr…

In mid-2024, the UK enacted a law quashing the convictions of hundreds of sub-postmasters after many were wrongly prosecuted for theft and fraud due to accounting errors in the software – Horizon – used by their employer, the Post Office. This scandal, alongside other recent controversies, has placed the spotlight on IT outsourcing projects and the…

More than 60 national elections have already taken place or will do so during 2024 – almost a third of them in Asia. Given its significant presence on the world stage, India’s election has been one of the most closely watched. The country’s lengthy voting process draws to a conclusion in early June in what’s expected to be a victory for incumbent P…

The Council of Europe recently voted to use seized Russian assets to fund Ukraine’s reconstruction. The US House of Representatives has approved billions of dollars in aid to help Ukraine combat Russia's invasion, also authorising the US government to take frozen Russian central bank assets held in US jurisdictions to help rebuild the country. In A…

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which sits at the southern tip of the Red Sea, has become an increasingly dangerous chokepoint off the coast of Yemen, with the rebel Houthi group targeting merchant and other ships there linked to Israel, the US or UK for attack or seizure. The group’s motive is ‘retribution’ for Israel’s war in Gaza. The US and the UK an…

Following Vladimir Putin’s election victory for a fifth term – in a vote criticised by many international observers – Global Insight considers the significance of the result, the state of rule of law in Russia, and the major challenges now facing the international community and the Kremlin.Oleh IBA Global Insight

Despite being stretched financially, the ICC is not shying away from tackling the crimes perpetrated during conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and elsewhere. In this interview with IBA Director of Content James Lewis, Karim Khan KC speaks passionately about the significance of issuing an arrest warrant against Vladimir Putin and the importance …

The death of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on 19 February shocked the world. Global leaders were quick to condemn the Russian authorities for their role in the 47-year-old’s sudden and unexplained death. In the days that followed, hundreds of Russian civilians were arrested for laying tributes to the Kremlin critic. Evgenia Kara-M…

Tech giants wield significant power in our daily lives. The scale at which they operate and their innovative use of technology can lead, however, to challenges in keeping their power in check on a number of fronts. This podcast assesses the ways in which governments, regulators, lawyers and the courts – as well as the tech companies themselves thro…

It's clear from reactions to COP28 that although some progress was made in the form of pledges and other agreements by states and corporations, for many the pace of change is too slow and action does not go far enough. Recognising the effect that the climate crisis is having and will continue to have on human rights, particularly in the world’s poo…

The legal landscape across Asia for LGBTQI+ rights is varied. Despite same-sex relationships being legal in many Asian countries – with Singapore most recently repealing Section 377A of its Penal Code, which criminalised sex between consenting males – in others they can be punishable by fines, prison and even the death penalty. Most Asian countries…

Diego García Sayán was the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Lawyers and Judges from 2016–2022. Prior to this he performed numerous roles within the UN, was a judge on the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and held positions in the government of his native Peru. In this interview with the IBA’s Director of Content, James Lewis, he d…

Former President Donald Trump is facing a series of ongoing legal troubles, in this podcast we focus on some of Trump’s criminal indictments. These include allegations that he violated Georgia's Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, conspired to defraud the US, mishandled classified documents and falsified business records…

An influx of billionaire owners and private equity into the English Premier League has put club governance, and the financial sustainability of the wider game, under scrutiny in recent years. As the Premier League season got underway amidst a plethora of disruptive transfers to Saudi Arabia, the UK government reported on its consultations with the …

The effect of the climate crisis are set to have a disproportionate impact on developing countries. Significant attention is now being paid to what should be done, and by whom, to mitigate the consequences and upload human rights. So what does this ‘climate justice mean’?Oleh IBA Global Insight

From chatbots to smart assistants to powerful algorithms, AI is everywhere, bringing with it opportunities and potential benefits, but also ethical and practical concerns. The law is crucial in addressing a technology that has the potential to outpace human development. This podcast examines issues of ethics, liability and applications of AI to the…

The role of corporations in being part of both the problem and the solution of the climate crisis and sustainability has never been more pronounced. Pressure from activist investors and financial institutions is holding companies increasingly accountable for their environmental, social and governance, or ESG, performance. This podcast addresses the…

2022 was a tumultuous year for cryptocurrencies. One of the world's largest crypto exchanges, FTX, collapsed, filing for bankruptcy in November – and it wasn’t the only casualty, as other exchanges as well as crypto hedge funds also went under during the year. In this Global Insight podcast, we question whether the crypto industry needs greater reg…

Evgenia Kara-Murza is the wife of Russian political activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, who is currently imprisoned in Russia on charges of treason. In this interview with James Lewis, IBA Director of Content, she discusses her husband’s and her own activism, the media in Russia, the repressive Putin regime, and how she maintains hope in the darkest of t…

The war in Ukraine has compelled countries to impose increasingly stringent sanctions on Russia. However, the effectiveness of sanctions, and their implications for human rights, are coming under growing scrutiny. This Global Insight podcast examines the intended – and unintended – consequences of this foreign policy and security tool.…

As November’s COP27 environmental conference focuses minds on the climate crisis, Global Insight examines the tools available within the law to effect change and accountability. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in climate litigation worldwide as claimants seek to hold both governments and corporate actors to account for how th…

From Europe to the Pacific Ocean, China is set to play an ever-greater role in the world. It has deepened its strategic alliance with Russia, and China's moves in respect of the Ukraine conflict are therefore closely watched. Meanwhile, observers speculate as to what action action - if any - it might take forward towards Taiwan, which Beijing sees …

In August 2021, the Taliban takeover and withdrawal of international troops triggered a refugee crisis and Afghanistan descended into chaos. One year on, Global Insight assesses the impact of these events – both on those who fled and those still left behind.Oleh IBA Global Insight

In this Global Insight podcast, we examine how both the corporate world and the international justice system can hold perpetrators of war crimes and the crime of aggression to account, and assess the failures of international systems to provide security to date.Oleh IBA Global Insight

For years, multinationals have frustrated world governments with the innovative ways they’ve avoided hefty tax bills. But in October 2021, the G20 – comprising 19 countries and the European Union – formally agreed to impose a new global minimum corporate tax rate of 15 per cent. US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen declared that this ‘historic agreem…

In this Global Insight interview, Martyn Day, co-founder of law firm Leigh Day, reflects on some of the most important cases he’s been involved in, including taking on the UK Ministry of Defence over allegations of British Army mistreatment of civilians and detainees – themes once again in the spotlight with news of SAS activity in Afghanistan.…

The United States Supreme Court has overturned the constitutional right to abortion. Ruling in the case Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Court went beyond Mississippi’s request to allow it to ban abortion after 15 weeks’ pregnancy and fully overturned the two previous Supreme Court rulings, Roe and Casey, that had for 49 years made …

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the worst consequences of allowing oligarchs and other rich and powerful actors to exploit international legal and financial systems. In this Global Insight podcast, we look at growing concerns over the use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) – an intimidation tool frequently use…

In summer 2020, the statue of Edward Colston, a merchant and trader of enslaved persons, was toppled by protestors and pushed into the harbour in Bristol, England. The statue’s removal provoked both public applause and condemnation. The so-called ‘Colston Four’ were acquitted of criminal damage in January 2022; but the UK’s Attorney General is curr…

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began on 24 February, has resulted in the displacement of millions of Ukrainians. The responses taken by governments around the world – such as the activation of the Temporary Protection Directive by the EU – and the challenges being faced have prompted questions around how best to assist displaced people, while …

As Sandie Okoro moves on from her position as General Counsel and Senior Vice President of the World Bank Group, Global Insight looks back to her interview with IBAHRI Director Helena Kennedy in late 2021 in this edited podcast. Okoro discusses her varied experiences in the legal profession, the importance of diversity, inclusion and adaptability i…

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shone a light on the challenges of prosecuting war criminals. Global Insight interviewed Professor Philip Leach earlier this year, as he was stepping down from his role as director of the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre. Leach, a professor of human rights law at Middlesex University, spoke to us again a month …

Despite weeks of escalating tensions, the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces in the early hours of 24th February shocked the world. Just days earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced he was recognising the rebel-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states. Up to that point, a full-scale invasion had seemed almost inc…

In this podcast, drawn from an interview at the IBA’s Global Showcase event in late 2021, Fawzia Koofi speaks about the devastating impact of the Taliban takeover, particularly on women’s rights and religious minorities. She also addresses the US withdrawal from the country and shares her views on the role of the international community in the cris…

The assault on the United States Capitol on 6 January 2021 represents perhaps the starkest manifestation of a US democracy in crisis. But the strains on democracy have been evident elsewhere - from a plethora of bills being put forward across state legislatures that critics warn undermine voting rights, to a series of controversies surrounding the …

It is almost two decades since the International Criminal Court was established to investigate war crimes and crimes against humanity. In this podcast, Global Insight speaks to the first two prosecutors – Luis Moreno Ocampo and Fatou Bensouda – and one of the ICC’s key special advisers – Leila Sadat – about the ongoing challenges facing the ICC and…

COP26 in Glasgow aims to accelerate movement towards the targets set in the 2015 Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. With the Covid-19 pandemic delaying 2020’s talks and urgent action needed to address the climate crisis, the world will be watching closely - not only the immediate outcomes, but longer-term efforts mad…

In early 2021, a joint report from four criminal justice watchdogs found significant delays plaguing access to justice in England and Wales – with 54,000 unheard cases as of the beginning of the year. Some of these cases may not be heard until 2023 or even 2024. As Dominic Raab becomes the eighth Justice Secretary in a decade, the challenge to addr…

The Duma elections in Russia in September 2021 will define the composition of Russia’s lower house of parliament for the next five years. They come at a testing time for the Pro-Putin ruling party Edinaya Rossiya, whose popularity has plummeted following the controversial decision to raise the state retirement age in 2018 and, more recently, its mi…

Over the past decade, the legal and judicial systems of some EU member states have frequently been at odds with the EU’s requirements of independence, impartiality and adherence to the rule of law. Political appointments of judges and often spurious proceedings against them are among the issues causing tension, and Covid-19 has caused further aggra…

Around the world, attacks on journalists and the press are growing exponentially. In this podcast, Global Insight examines the challenges and why freedom of expression and the media is so fundamental to a transparent and progressive society.Oleh IBA Global Insight

President Biden’s swift measures to put climate action back on the agenda for the United States at the start of his term show the impact elections can have. This podcast explores the international influence of the US and Chinese climate policies, the relationship between populism and climate inaction and the importance of global collaboration in ta…

China's ambition and growth over the past two decades has been well documented, but what lies ahead? This podcast explores shifts in China's economic model, trade and technology, and assesses the potential impact of human rights and other issues on the country's development.Oleh IBA Global Insight

The Chinese government stands accused of genocide against Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang province. China rejects the allegations. This podcast considers the measures the international community should be taking.Oleh IBA Global Insight

Former US Treasury Secretary Larry Summers on the US economic situation and how the Biden administration should approach the issuesOleh IBA Global Insight

The US presidential election in November presents an opportunity to take stock of the last four years and the Trump administration, which many agree has been characterised by a destructive approach to the international liberal order. In this podcast, foreign affairs experts Charlene Barshefsky, John Bellinger and Richard Haass give their views on h…

In this podcast, Dr Margaret Ng, member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong between 1995 and 2012 and a founding member of the pro-democracy Basic Law Article 23 Concern Group, discusses the implications of the national security law recently enacted in Hong Kong by China, in conversation with IBA Multimedia Journalist Jennifer Venis. The law ha…

Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, and Sara Elizabeth Dill, Arab Regional Forum Liaison Officer for the IBA War Crimes Committee, consider the issues and look at specific developments across the Middle East. #humanrights…