Call for Papers: IHL Beyond States Conference
IHL Beyond States: New Patterns, New Spaces, and New Actors in Armed Conflicts
International Conference • 16 October 2026 • University of Belgrade-Faculty of Political Science
About the Conference
Contemporary armed conflicts have long outgrown the state-centric assumptions on which international humanitarian law (IHL) was built. From the rise of transnational non-international armed conflicts to the emergence of warfare in cyberspace and outer space, from private military companies to autonomous weapons systems, the actors, spaces, and methods of organized violence are multiplying in ways that challenge both the letter and the spirit of existing legal frameworks.
This conference brings together legal scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to critically examine how IHL is adapting – or failing to adapt – to these realities. It asks not only what the law says, but what it should say: whether existing rules can be interpreted to cover new situations, or whether doctrinal and normative innovation is required.
Hosted by the University of Belgrade-Faculty of Political Science of the as part of the annual IHL Day in the Republic of Serbia, the conference is conceived as a platform for rigorous, forward-looking engagement with IHL’s most pressing challenges, and as a step toward reinvigorating IHL research and practice.
Event Details
Date: Friday, 16 October 2026
Venue: University of Belgrade- Faculty of Political Science, Belgrade, Serbia
Language: English
Keynote Speaker
The conference opens with a keynote lecture by Marco Sassòli, Full Professor at the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva and one of the foremost authorities on international humanitarian law. Professor Sassòli is also a member of the conference’s Scientific Committee.
Call for Papers
We invite scholars – especially early career researchers and those from underrepresented regions – to submit abstracts (maximum 500 words) for consideration. Submissions should include a short CV, ORCID identifier, and an indication of whether a full paper is intended for publication.
Abstract submission deadline: 10 May 2026
Notification by: 1 June 2026
A limited number of travel grants are available. Submit to janja.simentic@fpn.bg.ac.rs – full guidelines on the Call for Papers page.
Publication
Accepted participants will be invited to submit full papers (deadline: 15 November 2026) for consideration in a post-conference publication. All accepted abstracts will be included in a conference abstract book.
Organizers
The conference is organized by the University of Belgrade-Faculty of Political Science as part of the IHL Day in the Republic of Serbia – an annual event established by the Belgrade International Law Circle to commemorate Serbia’s binding by the 1949 Geneva Conventions. The event is organized in partnership with the Red Cross of Serbia and with the support of the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia.
Organising Committee
Miloš Hrnjaz, Associate Professor • Janja Simentić Popović, Assistant Professor • Goran Sandić, Research Assistant
Scientific Committee
Marco Sassòli (University of Geneva) • Robert Goldman (American University Washington College of Law) • Vesna Knežević Predić (University of Belgrade) • Maruša T. Veber (University of Ljubljana) • Marko Svičević (Palacký University / University of Johannesburg) • Stavros-Evdokimos Pantazopoulos (NKUA / University of Helsinki)
Contact
