Northumbria researchers host hugely successful Summer Academy

Northumbria University, Newcastle, has hosted a highly successful summer academy for researchers exploring global issues in international criminal justice and their impact on peace and security.

Running from June 12^th to June 16^th, the academy included presentations and addresses by senior judges and leading research academics from around the world. Professor William Schabas, Professor of International Law and Human Rights, Middlesex University and Leiden University, delivered the keynote speech in international criminal justice.

The academy was held as part of ongoing work by the University’s Environmental and Global Justice Research Cluster, in partnership with Northumbria Law School, the Department of Social Sciences and the Northumbria Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice. It was coordinated by Northumbria Law School’s Doctor Mohamed Badar and Professor Sue Farran, and Doctor Tanya Wyatt, Associate Professor of Criminology and academic lead in Northumbria’s Environmental and Global Justice Research Cluster.

Doctor Wyatt said: “The academy has proved a huge success attracting 30 participants from across the world, including Spain, the Netherlands and USA. We’ve held some really cutting-edge discussions about topics including ecocide.

“This is the idea that environmental destruction can lead to human suffering and human communities being destroyed.

“We’ve discussed whether we should consider environmental destruction as a type of crime, as right now the International Criminal Court doesn’t recognise the environment as being part of the criminal types of offences. So ecocide is a proposal which would recognise that.

“Overall our initiative has tried to raise the profile of the global challenges and environmental destruction we all face. Throughout the week-long event, we have also examined issues around security and justice. These are the kind of global challenges the researchers at Northumbria are trying to tackle.”

Challenges examined for #summeracademy2017 included:

• Challenges to international criminal justice and the future of the international criminal court
• Challenges to International cooperation in fighting transnational and international crimes
• Challenges in prosecuting terrorism and religiously-motivated violence
• Challenges in ensuring effective redress for victims in post-conflict situations
• Ecocide as a challenge to justice and security
• Rule of law reform in post conflict countries.