The inaugural King’s Transnational Law Summit (KTLS) was held in London this April. The first global summit dedicated to the topic of transnational law, KTLS was hosted by the Transnational Law Institute of King’s College London. The theme of the Summit was “Creating Justice for Our Future.”
The Summit was held as a space of inquiry into how lawyers, legal scholars and legal education can better engage with the major transnational challenges of our time. Speakers included Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Iran’s first female judge, Justice Susanne Baer of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany and physicist and author Fritjof Capra. Over four days, multiple sessions were held in the thematic clusters of environmental & economic justice, health, technology, inequality & migration, and knowledge & action, in addition to music, film and poetry sessions and an art exhibition.
STL Assistant Professor Stephen Minas participated in the Summit by chairing a panel discussion on the topic of “Technology & Climate Change.” Professor Minas also is a senior research fellow at the Transnational Law Institute and participated in the development of the Summit concept/structure and in the organising team for the environmental stream of the Summit.
The “Technology & Climate Change” session featured a discussion on how technologies, including clean energy, can contribute to a sustainable future, and what law and regulation can do to maximize the positive contributions of technology. Speakers included Robert Berloznik, a member of the Technology Executive Committee of the UN Climate Convention and Director of the Programme of the Global Science Technology Innovation Conferences (G-STIC), Jean-Michel Glachant, who is Robert Schuman Chair, Director of the Florence School of Regulation and Director of Loyola de Palacio Energy Policy Programme at the European University Institute, Peter Vajda, Senior Environmental Expert at the Energy Community Secretariat, and Wendy J. Miles QC, a partner in Debevoise & Plimpton LLP’s London office and a member of the International Dispute Resolution Group.
Speaking after the Summit, Professor Minas said: “Globally, there are few institutions dedicated to the study of transnational law and to transnational legal education, making points of contact such as KTLS very valuable. It was a privilege to represent STL at this cutting-edge event in transnational legal studies and action. All credit must go to Professor Peer Zumbansen, Dr. Liliane Mouan and the whole organising team for an inspiring and thought-provoking Summit.”
