NEWS

United Nations Peacekeeping missions have come under increasing pressure in recent years as changes in broader global climate and situation on the ground have militated against effective operations. These include, for example, the retreat of major players like the United States from adhering to international obligations, the return of geopolitical rivalries, changing patterns of armed conflicts, and most recently the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, the plethora of challenges have signalled the importance of re-examining the current peacekeeping paradigms and the legal regime together with their capability to adapt to the evolving landscape. To contribute to the global discussion of the challenges UN peacekeeping faces, the Hong Kong Journal of Law and Public Affairs is inviting scholars to contribute commentaries on the topic of "Contemporary UN Peacekeeping Challenges: COVID-19 and Beyond" planned for Volume 4 (2021) on the following topics:

• The COVID-19 Pandemic and UN Peacekeeping

• The International Legal Framework of UN Peacekeeping

• Uneven Political Support and Escalating Geopolitical Rivalries

• Changing patterns of Armed Conflicts and UN Peacekeeping

• Systematic and Organised Attacks of Peacekeepers

• Any other issues broadly related to the challenges faced by UN Peacekeeping

Submission instructions: Papers should be original and between 1,500 to 5,000 words (excluding abstract, footnotes, and references). Please follow the OSCOLA (4th edn) standard for the citation of legal authorities. Please email an abstract of your paper to hkjlpa@hku.hk on or before 1 November 2020 and your paper on or before 10 February 2021. Enquiries should also be directed to the aforementioned email

The Government and Laws Committee HKU proudly presents “Global Dialogues Sapientia”, our signature global affairs academic event of the year. The coming theme of Global Dialogues Sapientia is “Dawn of a New Cold War? Views from a Top Veteran Diplomat”. Joining our event from Syracuse University, Professor James Steinberg, formerly United States Deputy Secretary of State (2009 – 2011) of the Obama Administration, will be sharing his views on contemporary developments of China-US relations, the current security landscape of the Middle East, and the Trump administration's foreign policy, among others, in real time.

Date: 11 September 2020

Time: 21:00 – 21:30

Fee: Free-of-Charge Platform: Zoom

Audience: All current HKU undergraduate and postgraduate students and full-time staff

You will receive the Zoom link in your HKU email account before the event begins. Stay tuned for updates.

The practice of law evolves regularly and rapidly, but perhaps very few events can constitute a drastic shock to the legal industry then the COVID-19 Pandemic. In this career symposium co-organised by Hornell Hall Students’ Association, the Government and Laws Committee and the BBA (Law) Committee at The University of Hong Kong, we are pleased to invite two distinguished lawyers who will be talking to us on how the practice of law has adapted to the pandemic both temporarily and permanently, and how aspiring lawyers should navigate in this complicated landscape of legal practice.

Guests:

MR RICO CHAN: Partner, Baker McKenzie

MR SIDNEY HO: Senior Associate, Messrs. Sit, Fung, Kwong & Shum

Date: September 18, 2020 (Friday)

Time: 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Platform: On Zoom

Fee: Free of charge

Please register by scanning the QR code on the poster and following the instructions. Registrations will be dealt with on a first-come-first-served basis.