Call for papers

Within the Conference's broad 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), the UNESCO Centre (University of Graz) and the Global Campus of Human Rights, a call for papers open to human rights scholars, researchers, Ph.D. students and to human rights operators and professionals with research assignments.

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).

• How can global governance institutions better support peaceful self-determination claims of sub-state groups?
• Reclaiming Space: Indigenous and Minority Self-Determination in the Crisis of Multilateralism
• The Right to Development and the Crisis of Global Governance: Contestations between Multilateralism and Multistakeholderism
• Peoples’ Rights and the Crisis of Multilateralism: Rethinking Collective Claims in a Fragmenting World 
• The Right to Peace and to a Healthy Environment in Times of War and Polycrisis
• The Human and People’s Right to Peace: What margins of action before a failing international community?
• How does marginalisation today shape "indigenous"?

Dates and instructions
To participate in the call for papers, please fill the form by 20th September 2025 (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 (publication in Peace Human Rights Governance, the entirely open-access scientific journal of the University of Padova Human Rights Centre).

There is no Conference fee.

Proposed Panel Topics
 

How can global governance institutions better support peaceful self-determination claims of sub-state groups?

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

The United Nations was founded in 1945 for the principal purpose of enabling peace and security between sovereign nations.  At the core of this aim was a legal framework built on universal standards of human rights, including the right to self-determination of peoples. While this framework served the interests of dominant groups in nation-states and their expressions of sovereignty, including in the decolonisation process, sub-state groups have continued to face marginalisation and conflict that derives from grievances of group inequality, lack of collective recognition and failed attempts to secure forms of self-governance. As a member organisation of States, the UN has not been designed to deal with these claims from sub-state groups.  Some groups, such as Indigenous peoples, have created global governance institutions to petition for their rights to self-determination; other groups, such as ethno-cultural minorities, have struggled to find space in the UN or elsewhere, for their voices to be heard.  This panel will consider innovative strategies led by sub-state groups, states and/or regional or international inter-governmental organisations that facilitate peaceful claims to self-determination.  What could the UN do differently to create better pathways for peaceful self-determination claims?  What are the consequences of not having international space or political support to advocate for self-determination rights? How are regional organisations dealing differently with peaceful self-determination claims by sub-state groups?  What lessons can be learned from the successful examples of groups using global governance to peacefully advance self-determination claims? What normative or institutional developments are needed to render self-determination claims more achievable for sub-state groups long denied such recognition?

Reclaiming Space: Indigenous and Minority Self-Determination in the Crisis of Multilateralism

(panel proposed and managed by Magdalena Ratajczak, Institute of International Studies, University of Wroclaw, Peter Johansson, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg and Piergiuseppe Parisi, Centre for Applied Human Rights & York Law School, University of York)

In an era marked by the erosion of multilateralism, rising authoritarianism, and intensifying conflicts, the rights and futures of Indigenous peoples and minority communities are increasingly under threat. This panel invites scholars and practitioners to explore how the global crisis of multilateralism impacts legal protections, land rights, cultural preservation, and political participation for these marginalized groups.

The panel invites contributions to examine key issues such as the weakening of international human rights bodies, contested sovereignty, extractive development projects, and the role of Indigenous diplomacy and grassroots mobilization in reclaiming space on the global stage. The discussion will delve into the intersections of Indigenous self-determination, climate justice, and "green" extractivism, as well as the impact of shifting geopolitical policies, priorities, and conflicts on Indigenous communities.

The panel will also highlight strategies employed by Indigenous groups and communities in resisting extractivist projects, engaging in struggles for justice and political participation, and reasserting Indigenous Peoples' rights through national, regional, and transnational networks. Regional alternatives, bottom-up strategies by media, minority, and Indigenous activists in crisis, and community-led innovations that offer reinforcements to failing international norms will also be explored.

Finally, the panel wishes to shed light on the transformative role of Indigenous and minority youth in advocating for self-determination and peacebuilding, channelling their resistance and advocacy efforts through innovative mechanisms and platforms, particularly social media.

The Right to Development and the Crisis of Global Governance: Contestations between Multilateralism and Multistakeholderism

(panel proposed by Rossella De Falco, Law & Development Research Group, Faculty of Law, University of Antwerp)

In 1986, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted the Declaration on the Right to Development, which recognised a universal right to enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development. The right to development includes several elements, like full sovereignty over natural resources, self-determination, and the creation of favourable conditions for the enjoyment of all other human rights. Global governance is a fundamental tool to achieve the right to development. In particular, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 167 targets that serve as an overall framework to guide development in a global context.

Nonetheless, the current crisis in multilateralism, including loss in the legitimacy of current institutions, geopolitical tensions and nationalism, poses serious threat to the international cooperation agenda. As global governance for development becomes increasingly shaped by multistakeholderism and populated by public, private and hybrid public-private actors, it is also difficult to ensure accountability for human rights.

We invite submission for high-quality papers, such as primary research articles, commentaries, case studies or theoretical reflections, on the connections between the right to development and the current crisis in global governance. Papers may explore the following themes: the crisis in multilateralism and the challenges to the realisation of the right to development; rising multi- stakeholderism and multistakeholder partnerships, accountability and human rights; the problem of realising economic, social and cultural rights through the development agenda; the problems of ensuring accountability for human rights in development-oriented efforts to provide public goods and services like food, health, education, and housing.

Peoples’ Rights and the Crisis of Multilateralism: Rethinking Collective Claims in a Fragmenting World 

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

This panel invites PhD candidates, early career researchers, and practitioners to critically interrogate the place, persistence and persuasiveness of “peoples’ rights” within the architecture and institutions of international human rights law. Once a central pillar of anti- colonial and liberation struggles and adding collective concerns to the international law of human rights, the notion of peoples’ rights has in recent decades been marginalized by a dominant legal and political discourse that privileges individual rights and state-centric governance. In an era defined by the erosion of multilateralism, the entrenchment of corporate power, and the fragmentation of global solidarity, the question arises: is there still meaningful space within multilateral institutions for peoples’ rights as a legal and political category? This panel seeks to examine whether and how peoples’ rights, such as the right to peace, self-determination, control over natural resources, environment, cultural identity and survival, and political agency – needs to be revitalized or reimagined to meet today’s challenges. Are these rights still operative tools for collective emancipation, or have they been rendered symbolic, co-opted, or obsolete? The panel allows for revisiting the theoretical foundations, legal status, and contemporary applications of peoples’ rights within current human rights challenges. Topics could include: is the current multilateral human rights framework (UN and regional human rights systems) and its institutions, mechanisms and procedures (still) capable of giving space and meaning to peoples’ rights? Can peoples’ rights offer a normative foundation to re-legitimize multilateralism amid growing geopolitical fragmentation? Can the Global South be seen as an advocate of peoples’ rights or is it overcome by disillusionment? Can peoples’ rights serve as a framework for a more inclusive, democratic, and pluralistic multilateralism?

The Right to Peace and to a Healthy Environment in Times of War and Polycrisis

(Panel proposed by Roberto De Vogli, Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialisation, University of Padova)

The convergence of climate breakdown and armed conflict into a global polycrisis threatens the foundations of human wellbeing and human rights. This panel invites papers exploring the interconnections between the right to a healthy environment and the right to peace, particularly in the context of ecological collapse, geopolitical tensions, wars, and the erosion of multilateralism.

We are particularly interested in work examining the impact of climate disasters and/or wars on human rights, existential threats of ecological collapse, the risk of nuclear war, the role of nationalism versus transnational cooperation in addressing global threats to human rights and how systemic inequities and nationalist, parochial attitudes obstruct global cooperation. Contributions may also address the legal recognition of environmental and peace rights; ecocide as a case study, or even as a global phenomenon; the right to a healthy environment and the right to peace in a crisis of multilateralism; the role of international institutions; and the ethical frameworks and attitudes that underpin platforms for global cooperation in addressing threats to peace and sustainability. Contributions may also include analyses of social change and protest movements, as well as the role of civil society in bringing about change for a peaceful and sustainable world. Interdisciplinary, critical, and practice-based perspectives are encouraged. We welcome global theoretical reflections, as well as case studies revealing the urgent need for local, national and transnational cooperation, global solidarity and systemic social, economic and political transformation.

The Human and People’s Right to Peace: What margins of action before a failing international community?

(panel proposed and managed by Pietro de Perini, University of Padova Human Rights Centre A Papisca)

In a world grappling with escalating conflicts, geopolitical tensions, and a seemingly fragmented global order, this panel explores the critical yet often overlooked human and people's right to peace. As the international community struggles to maintain cohesion and effectively address such abundance of global challenges, what are the implications for the definition, acceptance and implement this right?

The panel invites scholars and practitioners to delve into the margins, opportunities, and challenges in realizing the right to peace within our current global context, focusing on the evolving concept of peace as both/either an individual and a collective right, its place in international law, and the role of key actors such as mechanisms within the UN, civil society organizations, and grassroots movements in promoting and protecting this right. It will also focus on how emerging global issues like climate change, technological advancements and AI developments, and growing social and economic inequalities impact the possibilities for right to peace.

By bringing together diverse perspectives from law, political science/IR, sociology, and peace studies, this panel aims to generate a robust dialogue on the future of peace as a human right. It seeks to explore new paradigms for achieving lasting peace in our interconnected world and identify concrete steps towards realizing this vital aspiration for all of humanity.

How does marginalisation today shape "indigenous"?

(Panel proposed by Paola Degani, Department of Political Science, Law and International Studies, University of Padova)

Inquiry about the condition of being "indigenous" points broadly to the issue of rights, even reaching into the etymology of the term—meaning one who inhabits the place where he/she was born. In the terms, an indigenous person is an autochthon. Understanding who qualifies today as an indigenous person calls for a broader ontological and political reflection.

It is clear, however, that the process of creating situations of individual and social vulnerability, which we have been witnessing for some time now, is generating increasingly pervasive and burdensome conditions of marginalization—particularly in terms of protecting the principle of human dignity.

Today, this marginalization seems more than ever attributable not only to obvious reasons of economic precarity—driven by increasingly aggressive neoliberal logics attacking social rights—but also to a political agenda aimed at silencing any form of dissent. In other words, it seeks to marginalize those expressions of dissent or "disruption" that threaten this global elite clique in power!

Processes of marginalization occur through the invisibility of people and their segregation into the ghettos of the world. Consider the exploitation of migrant workers and the role of the informal settlements where thousands of them normally live in our western countries, or the urbanization processes in our own environments and the depopulation of city centres. Also think about the use of land and resources in areas where the expropriation of indigenous populations from their means of subsistence is a fundamental condition for advancing an economic growth model that is entirely detached from the needs of the local people—as well as from environmental respect and sustainability, especially in terms of the impact these choices generate.

In other words, it becomes evident that today, reflecting on the condition of being an indigenous person also means reflecting on the expropriation of rights, and on the creation of social rules and norms that are increasingly designed to target certain types of individuals or specific social statuses. This is all based on an ideological operation built around the concept of "security," aimed at disintegrating social bonds and justifying the use of military or repressive apparatuses.