An Online Interactive Webinar Co-organized by the Permanent Missions of Hungary, Kenya,     
New Zealand, Thailand and the United States to the United Nations 

Date / Time: Thursday, 9 September 2021, 9-10.30 am (EST) via Webex

Description: For over seven decades, the International Law Commission (ILC) has had only seven women members. Despite the UNGA Resolution 73/341 of 12 September 2019 which encourages more women candidates to the UNGA’s subsidiary organs, only eight women candidates are running for the 34 positions of the membership of International Law Commission (ILC) for the term 2023-2027. Five women candidates for the upcoming ILC election in November 2021 will participate in this webinar. They are representative of diversity in UN Member States with innovative minds that would help connect with and tackle today’s issues in respect of the ILC. During this online interactive webinar, they will share their insights on the ILC’s working methods and approaches in connection with important topics on the ILC’s agenda as well as discuss the future of the Commission.

Panelists: ILC Women Candidates

• Dr. Réka Varga (Candidate of Hungary)

  Dr. Varga, Ambassador, is associate professor of international law, chief legal adviser on international law in the Ministry of Justice, former Legal Adviser of Hungary's MFA (being the second female legal adviser in the Hungarian MFA's history) and former legal adviser of the ICRC. Dr. Varga is the only ILC female candidate in the Eastern European Region.
  Bio: English, French

• Professor Phoebe Okowa (Candidate of Kenya)

  Professor Okowa is Professor of Public International Law at Queen Mary, University of London. A member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague, she has appeared as counsel before the International Court of Justice and advised States and Counsel on questions of international before domestic Courts. Professor Okowa is the only ILC female candidate in the African Group.

  Bio: here       @Phoebe_Okowa

• Dr. Penelope J. Ridings (Candidate of New Zealand)

  Dr. Ridings is a NZ barrister and international lawyer.  Formerly, she was New Zealand’s Chief International Legal Adviser. She was also NZ Ambassador to Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, and High Commissioner to Samoa.

   here    @pj_ridings

• Dr. Vilawan Mangklatanakul (Candidate of Thailand)

  Dr. Mangklatanakul is Thailand's first and the only woman candidate from the Asia-Pacific Region. She is currently the Director-General of the Department of Treaties and Legal Affairs of Thailand, being the first lady Legal Advisor of the Royal Thai Government.

  Bio: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish       here    @ThailandforILC

• Professor Evelyn Aswad (Candidate of the United States)

  Professor Aswad is the Herman G. Kaiser Chair in International Law and the Director of the Center for International Business and Human Rights at the University of Oklahoma College of Law.  Professor Aswad previously served nearly 14 years in the U.S. Department of State's Office of the Legal Adviser, including as a member of the Senior Executive Service and the director of the Office for Human Rights and Refugees.  Since joining the legal academy, she has served on several independent expert bodies, including as the U.S. substitute member to the Council of Europe’s Commission for Democracy through Law, also known as the Venice Commission.

   here

Moderator:

• Professor Alina Miron, University of Angers

  Professor Miron is co-director of the Master of International and European Law at the University of Angers (France). She has acted as Counsel and Advocate before the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea and arbitral tribunals.

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