Call for Papers

International Conference

Global Civil Society’s value and law power facing a crisis of values and law. Ideas and actions to shape an international order of peace

University of Padova, 11-12 November 2024

Within the Conference's challenging conceptual and empirical framework the Human Rights Centre “Antonio Papisca” and the UNESCO Chair “Human Rights, Democracy and Peace” of the of the University of Padova have launched, in tight cooperation with the Human Rights Consortium (University of London), the School of Global Studies (University of Gothenburg), the Centre for Applied Human Rights (University of York), the Institute of International Studies (University of Wroclaw) and the UNESCO Centre (University of Graz) a call for papers open to human rights scholars, researchers as well as Ph.D candidates.

Preference will be given to sound proposals which contribute addressing, from different disciplinary perspectives the following topics (see detailed topic descriptions, below the "Dates and Instructions" section).

• Protecting civil society’s role in the UN human rights system
• A multi-level governance of resilience: civil society and local governments for the promotion of peace and human rights
• Navigating Shrinking Civic Space through Digital Advocacy and Mobilization
• Innovation and threats in transnational social mobilization
• Protecting human rights in situation of conflict: NGOs and Human Rights Defenders’ challenges, lessons learned and successes
• From Protest to Power: The Dynamic Influence of Social Movements in the 21st Century

The conference is however open to other relevant civil society and human rights-related topics that have been left out from the proposed topics.

Dates and instructions
To participate in the call for papers, please fill the form by 30th September 2024 (midnight).

You will be asked to provide an abstract of maximum 300-500 words, information about authors, up to 4 key-words and a reference to one of the conference’s panel topics.

Notification of acceptance will be sent by 6th October.

For accepted abstracts, the submission of a working paper before the Conference is strongly encouraged. This will also help preparing the manuscript for the publication opportunities provided in the context of this event.

There is no Conference fee.

Proposed panel topics

1. Protecting civil society’s role in the UN human rights system

(panel proposed and managed by Damien Short and Corinne Lennox, Human Rights Consortium, School of Advanced Studies, University of London)

The UN human rights system is the major focal point of international advocacy on human rights. However, participation in this vital monitoring system presents many challenges for civil society organisations. These include the high costs of engagement, increasing risks of reprisals, efforts by states to reduce civil society participation opportunities through spurious restrictions and intentional exclusion, and low-impact potential. This panel will consider how civil society organisations can work to overcome these obstacles and push back against restrictions on their participation. Do we find innovations in the methods of engagement (e.g. better coordination, more use of hybrid participation)? Are certain aspects of the UN human rights system more effective for advocacy impact? What patterns do we see in state action to limit civil society contributions? If civil society is turning away from the UN, what alternative monitoring mechanisms are they using? Papers are invited across aspects of the UN human rights system, including the Human Rights Council and UPR, treaty bodies and work with special procedures.

2. A multi-level governance of resilience: civil society and local governments for the promotion of peace and human rights

(panel proposed by Gerd Oberleitner and Lisa Heschl, UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Human Security, University of Graz) 

Civil society plays a crucial role in promoting human rights and peace at the local level, in cities and communities, acting as a critical partner for local governments, providing expertise and allowing for a grassroots perspective to the promotion and protection of human rights, enhancing the capacity of local governments to fulfill their human rights obligations and create more inclusive, just, and equitable communities. On the local level, civil society organisations can act as advocate, watchdog, service provider, educator, and mediator, help to create a culture of human rights and non-violence within communities, and countering the backlash of human rights occurring on the national level. At the same time, civil society organisations face numerous challenges, including political pressure and interference, dependence on funding and resources, and regulatory and legal barriers.

This panel will discuss the value, potential and limits of collaborative efforts of civil society organisations and local governance institutions to promote peace and human rights, examine laws, policies and practices which facilitate or hinder civic participation, and present best practices of civil participation on the local level. Topics may comprise civil society organisations’ role in advocacy, awareness-raising, capacity-building and education, monitoring, data-gathering and reporting, influencing governance institutions, mediation and conflict-resolution, community-building and social cohesion, legal support and advocacy, partnerships and networking, ensuring diverse citizen participation in civic spaces, responding to political pressure and interference, countering legal and regulatory barriers, ensuring collaboration and coordination, mitigating security risks, providing space for youth and marginalized groups, using digital platforms and integrating technologies, and measuring impact.

3. Navigating shrinking civic space through digital advocacy and mobilization

(Panel proposed by Peter Johansson, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg)

This panel explores how digital tools and artificial intelligence (AI) can assist global civil society in navigating and countering the challenges posed by shrinking civic space. Increasingly, civic space is constrained by restrictive laws, surveillance, censorship, reductions in public funding, and the adverse effects of new public management, such as heightened administrative burdens, competition for funding, short-term project focus, and risks to organizational independence. This global trend threatens democratic engagement and advocacy for human rights, peace, and social justice.

In response to state-induced restrictions, digital advocacy has emerged as a powerful strategy, utilizing digital tools and AI to sustain activism, protect activists, mobilize support, amplify marginalized voices, and engage with wider audiences. Understanding the effectiveness of these technologies to counteract repressive measures is vital for developing strategic approaches to advocacy for human rights, peace, and social justice. However, the use of these technologies also introduces critical issues, including privacy concerns, online surveillance and censorship, and digital equity and literacy.

This panel will examine these dynamics, discussing how digital advocacy can effectively counteract the shrinking civic space while addressing its inherent risks and challenges. It invites both scholars and practitioners to provide insights into this timely and complex issue.

4. Innovation and threats in transnational social mobilization

(panel proposed and managed by Damien Short and Corinne Lennox, Human Rights Consortium, School of Advanced Studies, University of London)

Recent theories of transnational social mobilisation have moved away from the classic ‘boomerang’ (Keck and Sikkink, 1998) and ‘spiral’ (Risse, Ropp and Sikkink 1999) models to focus on ‘transcalar’ actions (e.g. Bloodgood and Pallas 2022), which finds actors moving across levels of action – local, national and international – in new patterns of transnational engagement. This panel will examine innovative modalities of transnational social mobilisation. For example, how are local actors directly engaging in international or regional advocacy? What new alliances are emerging with state or private sector allies? Research on alliance building across political agendas will also be considered – for example, how have climate justice activists built alliances with international human rights movements? How have global governance frameworks, such as the SDGs, facilitated new kinds of coalitions and solidarity across issue areas, such as peace and sustainable development? Finally, the political context of mobilisation will be considered: what trends do we see in transnational advocacy to cope with government restrictions on civil society, such as blocking access to information and freedom of movement across borders?

5. Protecting human rights in situation of conflict: NGOs and Human Rights Defenders’ challenges, lessons learned and successes

(panel proposed and managed by Piergiuseppe Parisi, Centre for Applied Human Rights, University of York)

According to the Peace Research Institute in Oslo, 2023 registered the highest number of active armed conflicts since 1946, totalling to 59. In the midst of the hostilities, Human Rights Defenders (HRDs), whether as individuals, groups or collectives, are at the forefront of documenting international humanitarian and human rights violations, providing assistance to victims, facilitating access to humanitarian aid, providing protective accompaniment to communities caught in the crossfire, etc.  At the same time, HRDs suffer the dire consequences of armed violence on their own skin. They are often stigmatised and targeted by armed actors; their operational capabilities can be severely impaired by restrictive government policies, for example, around funding; many of them become victims of forced displacement and are forced into exile. Furthermore, HRDs with specific and often intersecting identities – for example, women and indigenous HRDs – are at heightened risk and may have to face challenges, often linked to societal structures, that emanates from their own communities as well as those that are directly linked to the armed conflict. Yet, despite the risks implicit in working in such violent contexts, HRDs are capable of showing resilience and leadership even in the most difficult environments. This panel interrogates the strategies and tactics used by HRDs in different and diverse local contexts characterised by the existence of one or more international or non-international armed conflicts, with a view to identifying commonalities of experience as well as opportunities for cross-fertilisation across variable geographies.

Contributions may focus on topics such as resilience, leadership, non-violence, wellbeing, as well as other relevant issues. We are particularly interested in the lived experience of those who are at the forefront of human rights defending in conflict, and therefore welcome in particular, but not only, contributions from individuals who self-identify as HRDs. We are particularly interested in empirical contributions from and/or about human rights defending in Colombia, Palestine, Israel, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Hong Kong.

6. From protest to power: the dynamic influence of social movements in the 21st century

(panel proposed and managed by Magdalena Ratajczak and Anna Cichecka, Institute of International Studies, University of Wroclav)

Social movements have played a pivotal role in shaping the socio-political landscape of the 21st century. This panel seeks to analyse the dynamics of 'hard' and 'soft' power within these movements, and to assess their effectiveness and impact in different domains. We seek to explore the evolving role, influence and power of social movements in the 21st century. Our focus will include minority rights, women's rights, indigenous rights, climate issues and conflict. We aim to shed light on the relationship between media (both social platforms and news media) and social movements, exploring how media can both amplify and constrain their influence.

Key areas of focus:

• Minority Rights - how have social movements driven progress for marginalised communities?
• Women's rights - what progress has been made towards gender equality through activism?
• Indigenous rights - the impact of movements to secure rights and recognition for indigenous communities.
• Climate issues - the role of environmental activism in influencing policy and public opinion.
• Conflict - how have social movements been shaped by and responded to socio-political conflict?
• The role of the media in social movements.

We welcome contributions from emerging and established researchers from a range of disciplines. The panel is open to theoretical and empirical research and encourages a wide range of perspectives and methodologies.