The Four Societies Initiative

The CCIL, in association with the American Society of International Law (ASIL), the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL) and the Japanese Society of International Law (JSIL), participates in an innovative initiative involving new and emerging scholars, and others, from each of the four international law societies.

A workshop is hosted every two years for the presentation of original works and the exchange of views. There have been eight events to date: New Zealand (2006); Canada (2008); Japan (2010); USA (2012); Australia (2014); Canada (2016); Japan (2018) and USA (2022 *).

* The Eighth International Four Societies Conference which was to be held June 16-17, 2020, Berkeley, California was postponed due to the pandemic was held virtually August 15-16, 2022 with the theme "Areas Beyond national jurisdictions".

Canadian participants in the “Four Societies” initiative

Round 1 (New Zealand, 2006): Natasha Affolder (University of British Columbia), A. Neil Craik (University of Waterloo), Craig Forcese (University of Ottawa), Joanna Harrington (University of Alberta)

Round 2 (Canada, 2008): Barnali Choudhury (Queen Mary University of London), Jaye Ellis (McGill University), Graham Mayeda (University of Ottawa), Christopher Waters (University of Windsor)

Round 3 (Japan, 2010): Ljiljana Biuković (University of British Columbia), Charles-Emmanuel Côté (University of Laval), Robin Hansen (University of Saskatchewan), Dwight Newman (University of Saskatchewan)

Round 4 (USA, 2012): Catherine Gribbin (Canadian Red Cross), Ilario Maiolo (Canadian Red Cross), Ibironke Odumosu-Ayanu (University of Saskatchewan), Katie Sykes (Thompson Rivers University)

Round 5 (Australia, 2014): Cameron Jefferies (University of Alberta), Tahnee Prior (Balsillie School of International Affairs), Sujith Xavier (University of Windsor)

Round 6 (Canada, 2016): Patricia Galvao Ferreira (CIGI), Matthew Levine (University of Toronto), Nicolas Lamp (Queen's University), Maria Panezi (CIGI)

Round 7 (Japan, 2018): Miriam Cohen (University of Montréal), Ryan Gauthier (Thompson River University), Zhannah Voukitchevitch (University of Ottawa), Jason MacLean (University of Saskatchewan)

Resulting Publications

Karen Scott (ed), Special Issue: Four Societies Conference (2024) 41 Australian Year Book of International Law 33-181.
Karen N. Scott, Kathleen Claussen, Charles-Emmanuel Côté, and Atsuko Kanehara, eds, Changing Actors in International Law (Brill | Nijhoff, 2020)
Neil Craik, Cameron S. G. Jefferies, Sara L. Seck, and Tim Stephens, eds, Global Environmental Change and Innovation in International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2018)
Holly Cullen, Joanna Harrington and Catherine Renshaw, eds, Experts, Networks, and International Law (Cambridge University Press, 2017)
David D. Caron, Michael J. Kelly and Anastasia Telesetsky, eds, The International Law of Disaster Relief (Cambridge University Press, 2014)
Andrew Byrnes, Mika Hiyashi and Christopher Michaelsen, eds, International Law in the New Age of Globalization (Martinus Nijhoff, 2013)
Craig Forcese and Joanna Harrington, Special Issue Editors, Fostering a Scholarly Network in International Law, Alberta Law Review, vol 46:4, 2009
Campbell McLachlan QC, ed., Special Symposium Issue: International Law and Democratic Theory, Victoria University of Wellington Law Review, vol 38:2, 2007