Category: General
The International Order After Gaza: Failures, Emancipatory Possibilities, and Decolonial Futures
Introduction While delivering her presentation (International Responses, Accountability Gaps, and Structural Dynamics shaping the World after Gaza), Dr. Shahd Hammouri began with an anecdote about her visit and interaction with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. Her experience at this moment was quite striking. As she attempts to convey the full picture…
Towards a “Super” Independent Accountability Mechanism in Development Finance?
Webinar Report – 09 September 2026 On 9 September 2026, Prof. Gamze Erdem Türkelli and Ms. Janet Jebichii Sego of the Law and Development Research Group at the Faculty of Law, University of Antwerp, hosted a webinar on Independent Accountability Mechanisms (IAMs) in Development Finance, in the context of multilateral development banks (MDBs) and bilateral…
From Cultural Property to Living Heritage: UNESCO and the Paradoxes of Heritage
I had the pleasure of visiting the Law and Development Research Group at Antwerp in mid-May. Our discussions gave me the opportunity to revisit in greater depth some of the themes I had explored in my doctoral dissertation[1] and I was happy to be given the opportunity to contribute to the blog. In this text,…
On commitment, connection and care: Commemorating Koen De Feyter’s Community Building Legacy
Today is 20 September 2026. It has been two years since Koen’s sudden passing, which left a void that’s still palpable in many of our lives. It has been two years to mourn, to remember, to cherish… It is also time that has forced all of us to look back, reminisce and to acknowledge the…
Ter nagedachtenis aan Koen De Feyter
This text was originally written for the ‘Hoogleraarportretten’ of the University of Antwerp. You can access the initial publication here: https://blog.uantwerpen.be/collectief-geheugen/koen-de-feyter/ Koen De Feyter overleed op 20 september 2024. Onverwachts. In de ochtend, op kantoor in de Venusstraat 23, waar de Faculteit Rechten huist. Op 1 september 2024 was hij aangetreden als decaan van de faculteit.…
The Ongoing Legacy of Coherence
Dear Colleagues, it has been a while. However, the time to write does not always align with life’s broader challenges, nor with the specific administrative burden of financial reporting and accountability in research projects. As always, writing begins with something seemingly simple, yet it becomes increasingly difficult in times when there is no time to…
From the bottom-up: how transitional justice is being reappropriated and used as a mobilising tool in Eastern DRC
What happens when transitional justice (TJ) moves beyond negotiated peace agreements and post-conflict transitions and instead operates in a setting of ongoing, cyclical violence? In eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), this is not theoretical but a lived reality. What emerges there challenges some of the field’s assumptions and sheds light on how zooming…
Leveraging Customs and Traditions in Addressing Child Marriages in Tanzania: An Interdisplinary Approach and Cultural Legitimacy
Introduction According to international and African regional human rights instruments, some customs and traditions underpinning child marriage are considered harmful practices and should therefore be abolished, regardless of the cultural, social, religious or geographical contexts in which they are embedded.[1] However, the effectiveness of these legal and normative standards depends on acceptance and implementation within…
Upholding Human Dignity in the Feed: The Case of Meta in Kenya
Introduction Every meal tells a hidden story. Seeds are prepared and sold; a farmer cultivates and harvests; traders and companies buy and sell to clients; and finally, someone cooks. The meal may look simple, but it is the product of a chain of invisible labour processes. The same is true of the “feed” on social…
Bottom-Up Approach to Just Transition in the Mining Industry
Amid escalating impacts of climate change, energy transition is strikingly necessary to tackle climate change. There is an equally important question as the necessity of transition: how this energy transition will be conducted, especially if it will perpetuate or exacerbate the past injustices.[1] Unlike what has been hinted at from time to time, we strongly…