Panel Discussion on Constitution Making & International Law: The UN's role and effect in Afghanistan under Taliban

About Council of International Relations and International Law

The Council for International Relations and International Law (CIRIL) aims to promote knowledge of international law and international relations in the student community.

This year we conducted a talk by Mr. Vikram Raghavan, lead counsel at the World Bank for conflicts, refugees, and macroeconomics, on the importance of economics for lawyers in the global system. We have also hosted a panel discussion on careers in international law with experts like Neha Jain (Professor of Public International Law, EUI Florence), Nandan Nelivigi (Partner, White & Case, New York), Gitanjali Brandon (Indian Foreign Service officer), Anjolie Singh (Counsel, International Court of Justice). In May 2021, we conducted a session on the Rohingya Refugee Crisis, aimed at dissecting the international legal implications of the same.

About Law & Society Committee

The Law and Society Committee started out as an informal group of students interested in critical legal thinking. It has strived towards realizing its goal of making society count in the field of law by collaborating with NGOs in Bangalore, research centers in NLSIU and other such facilitative bodies. In the recent past, it has sent recommendations to the Draft Advocate Protection Bill, invited legal luminaries like Sr. Adv. Rebecca John, Sr. Adv. Mihir Desai and Adv. Abhinav Sekhri to analyse the UAPA Bail provisions in the aftermath of Stan Swamy's death.

About Panel Discussion

Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan after the failure of the American military mission is a well-publicized reality. Much has been said about the human rights violations that may and have taken place. However, the important question now pertains to the future of Afghanistan. The constitution possesses the power to decide the fate of millions of Afghans by presenting itself either as the repository of rights or as the source of legitimized repression.

The Constitutions of 1964 and 2004 may provide some guidance but the failure of both the governmental and political order makes the possibility suspect. One must also keep in mind the conflict between the totalitarian nature of an organization like Taliban and the need for decentralization for a stable government in Afghanistan to deal with the multitude of tribes and local powers.

The nature of the country's constitution and the space it gives to international organizations will have ramifications at the regional and global levels. Therefore, the Council for International Relations and International Law (CIRIL) and the Law and Society Committee are collaborating to organise a panel discussion on Constitution-Making and International Law- The UN's role and effect in Afghanistan under Taliban which will held on 24th October at 5 PM, on the occasion of UN Day.

The conference will try to uncover the possibilities regarding the nature of a Taliban drafted constitution in the context of the role and impact of the UN. The panel shall discuss how the UN can serve as a negotiator to facilitate the inclusion of liberal ideas in the text. The Talibani state would reach out to the international stage for legitimacy and economic aid. The confluence of this international interaction, preservation of human rights and constitution-making in a militarized state is precisely what this conference will explore. The major themes of the talk will be constitution-making, diplomacy, and human rights.

About the Speakers

Prof. Amal Sethi holds a Doctorate and Masters in law from the University of Pennsylvania. His research work focuses on comparative constitutional studies with an emphasis on courts, democracy and constitutions. He is currently a senior Fellow at the Faculty of Law, University of Hamburg.

Azin Tadjdini is a PhD holder from the Department of Public and International Law, University of Oslo. Her research work focuses on the political and constitutional changes in Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq. She is currently working at the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Abhimanyu George Jain is a public international lawyer. He is currently working as a research associate at the LAWS & War Crimes Project he is also a PhD candidate at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

Date & Time

The event is scheduled for the 24th October (Sunday) starting at 5:00 Pm. The talk will be held on Zoom.

It would extend to around 1 hour with each speaker presenting their observations for around 15 minutes followed by a brief Question and Answer Session.

The meeting link: https://nls-ac-in.zoom.us/j/99802742867?pwd=aE1PSUc5c1p0RlNnbmo4VTArMlNIQT09

Password =aE1PSUc5c1p0RlNnbmo4VTArMlNIQT09

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