Myroslava Antonovych participates in the 82nd International Law Association Conference in Vienna

Dr Myroslava Antonovych, Associate Professor at the Department of International and European Law and Head of the Centre for Genocide and Human Rights Studies at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, participated in the 82nd International Law Association (ILA) Conference, “Contours of International Law: Encounters and Evolutions”.

Held every two years in a different host country, the ILA Conference took place on 17–21 August 2026 at the Juridicum – Rechtswissenschaftliche Fakultät der Universität Wien. The Universität Wien last hosted the conference in 1926, exactly a century ago.

Dr Antonovych serves as Rapporteur of the ILA Study Group on the Rule of Law in International Relations. The group examines the meaning and requirements of the rule of law in this context and explores ways to address threats to its implementation.

In her contribution, she highlighted how Ukraine’s experience illustrates the devastating consequences of violations of fundamental principles of international law, including the prohibition of the use of force and other peremptory norms (jus cogens). These challenges are particularly acute when the violator is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Despite Russia’s full-scale aggression and the challenges and risks it entails, Ukraine continues to work towards implementing its Rule of Law Roadmap, adopted in 2025 as part of its path to European Union membership.

Together with Dr Antonovych, we thank the BridgeUSA Ukraine Program for Resilience and Reconstruction for supporting her participation in the conference and her continued work on a research project initiated two years ago at Harvard University.