News item | 24-05-2023

Peace Palace celebrates Centenary of The Hague Academy of International Law

This week, The Hague Academy of International Law which is located at the Peace Palace celebrates its 100th anniversary. On May 24, 25 and 26, in the presence of various international guests including diplomats, politicians and prominent jurists, the achievements of the past century and plans and perspectives for the future will be reflected upon.

“The founders of our institution understood that international civil society, whose foundation is international law, needed an institution like the Academy to better study, understand, disseminate and critique international law so that it could be improved and updated. The Academy has fulfilled this role very well and has occupied a unique position as a result.”
With these words, Professor Jean-Marc Thouvenin, secretary- general of the Hague Academy, opened today’s solemn sitting at the Peace Palace. Alongside him, numerous dignitaries such as Peter Tomka, judge of the International Court of Justice, Piet-Hein Donner, Dutch minister of state and president of the Carnegie Foundation, and Jan van Zanen, mayor of The Hague, delivered speeches. More than 350 participants attended the ceremony at the Peace Palace including Joan Donoghue, president of the United Nations International Court of Justice and Adia Sakiqi, dean of the Corps Diplomatique.

The Hague Academy of International Law is the leading institute for education and research in public and private international law. The Academy’s popular summer and winter courses annually educate more than 1,000 students, future lawyers and diplomats, from around the world. Dutchman Tobias Asser, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1911, helped to establish the Academy by donating part of his prize money. The first courses of the Hague Academy of International Law took place in 1923.

Professor Yves Daudet, president of the curatorium of the Hague Academy, at the end of the conference looked hopeful towards the future: “The Academy’s courses will continue to offer students a range of issues and reflections that complement the knowledge acquired at university. By opening themselves to innovative, sometimes ignored and elementary aspects, students will be able to organize their thoughts on a subject whose importance they have realized and learned to love, which is essential to practicing the profession well.”

After the plenary session, the celebrations will continue over the next two days with a scientific colloquium. During this colloquium, a total of more than 55 experts will speak at the Peace Palace about the role and tasks of international law in today’s challenges such as epidemics, claim of outer space and climate change, among others. The legal experts and academics include the internationally renowned Hannah Buxbaum, Philippe Sands and Maurice Kamto.

The full program of the colloquium can be found here:
https://www.hagueacademy.nl/wp-content/uploads/Colloquium-A4-English.pdf

Yves Daudet, president curatorium the Hague Academy