In June 2022, the UN Secretary-General’s Action Agenda on Internal Displacement called for states to develop and implement ‘relevant laws and policy frameworks’ to address the rights of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Maynooth University responds to this call by hosting its second workshop on IDP law and policy on 19 and 20 September 2024. We welcome submissions of works in progress on all areas of IDP law and policy and we are particularly interested in papers that push the boundaries of existing thinking. Such topics might include:
- Whether ‘IDP law’ as a distinct branch of law exists
- Whether there should be a global treaty on IDPs and what obligations such treaty would contain
- Whether other fields of law and policy, such as disaster and refugee law and policy, can and should inform the development of IDP law and policy
- The roles and obligations of both states and non-state actors concerning IDP protection
- Measuring the impact of and/or compliance with IDP laws and policies
- Participation of IDPs in the development of laws and policies, and in challenging their displacement
- Preventing and resolving situations of internal displacement
In the spirit of creating a friendly, informal atmosphere, the workshop will be limited to nine participants. To ensure participants receive detailed feedback, papers will be circulated in advance, each participant will be appointed as a commentator on another paper, and presentations will be limited to five minutes. In addition, participants are requested to provide feedback on all papers and to participate for the duration of the workshop (09:00-17:30 on 19 September and 09:00-15:00 on 20 September).
The workshop will allow researchers working on this niche area to connect, showcase their research, gain detailed feedback from their peers, and identify opportunities for future collaboration. Participants will be invited to submit their papers to a Special Issue of the Working Papers on Internal Displacement.
Abstracts of works in progress (300 words) and a brief biography (300 words) should be sent to [email protected] by Friday 24 May 2024. Participants will be notified of the outcome of their application by Friday 31 May 2024. Final papers, of no more than 12,000 words including footnotes, should be sent by Friday 23 August 2024.
Lunch and dinner on 19 September, and lunch on 20 September will be provided to participants. Participants are responsible for covering the cost of travel and accommodation. However, funds have been set aside to cover the accommodation costs for up to three participants. If you wish to apply for these funds, please include a brief statement of need (up to 300 words) with your application. Individuals from and/or working in the Global South, PhD students, Early-Career Researchers, and those who are not in permanent employment are particularly encouraged to apply.
This event is generously supported by Maynooth University’s School of Law and Criminology, Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute, and the Refugee Law Initiative Working Group on Internal Displacement Law and Policy.
