Southampton Law School Hosts Trade and Sustainable Development Work in Progress Workshop
On 18 April 2023 Southampton Law School hosted a work in progress workshop addressing sustainable development in trade law. The workshop was co-organised by Centre for International Law and Globalisation Director, Professor Emily Reid, and Greg Messenger (University of Bristol Law School), and also marked the launch of an informal ‘Southern and South-West (UK) Regional Trade and Sustainable Development Network’.
Commenting on the motivations behind the workshop and establishing the network, Prof Reid said, “the workshop came about in response to the number of people now working in trade and sustainability/sustainable development and related fields in the Southampton and Bristol Law Schools and the wider regional area.”
Prof Reid continued, “a broad conceptualisation of sustainable development underpins both the workshop and network: this is intended not only to be inclusive, but also to foster the kinds of discussions which a narrower focus might miss. Seeking as we do to both progress new thinking around the relationship between economic, environmental and social interests/human rights, and also, crucially to achieve impact with this, it benefits us all to think about all three dimensions of sustainable development and the relationship between these.”
Papers were presented by a number of academics from Southampton Law School, including Prof Werner Scholtz (Head of Southampton Law School), Dr Dina Lupin, Dr Napoleon Xanthoulis, Dr Michail Risvas, and Kirsty McDougall. Papers were also presented by colleagues from Bristol and Sussex Law Schools including Dr Lee McConnell, Temi Onifade, Dr Emily Lydgate, and Dr Joshua Paine.
The work presented at the workshop sought to challenge conventional thinking about the relationship between environmental and human rights dimensions of sustainable development as well as between the public and private dimensions of economic, environmental and human rights, with the aim of challenging thinking about the meaning and potential of sustainable development itself.
Anyone who would like further information about the network and future events should contact Professor Emily Reid: e.s.reid@soton.ac.uk