International and Comparative Law

I hope that this newsletter finds you safe as we face a once in a century pandemic. The current crisis has the potential to change the trajectory of human history. With borders closing, the short-term trend seems to be towards renewed emphasis on nationalism. History teaches us that when nations adopt "beggar thy neighbor" policies, the result is economic collapse and war. We who are committed to international rule of law and mutual cooperation must raise our voices to mobilize a global solution for a global problem and avoid mistakes of the past.

Finding a job during the COVID-19 pandemic seems impossible for many young professionals. The Women and the Law Program at AUWCL, led by Professor Daniela Kraeim, continues to help students find employment in gender and LGBTQ+ justice around the world. Despite the lockdown, on March 25, 2020, the Program organized a virtual roundtable of attorneys to share strategies for obtaining jobs and internships in this uncertain environment with over 90 participating students.

Just like the rest of the legal profession, the international commercial arbitration practitioners were surprised by the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis. Arbitrators, lawyers and arbitration centers adapted quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Horacio Grigero Naón and Adjunct Professor Björn Arp highlight the impact of COVID-19 on arbitration practice and what the profession will look like in the future.

AUWCL Professor and Dean Emeritus Claudio Grossman was recently appointed to the newly formed Commission on Pandemics and International Law at the International Law Institute. Since the beginning of the pandemic, Professor Grossman has spoken on multiple online platforms with other human rights experts, focusing on Covid-19's exacerbation of already dire human rights violations in many regions of Latin America.

Before the onset of a global pandemic highlighted the critical and urgent need for technology-enabled scientific research, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) launched an inquiry into issues at the intersection of intellectual property (IP) and artificial intelligence (AI).Professor Flynn and other members of the Global Expert Network on Copyright User Rights contributed comments to that inquiry, with a focus on the application of copyright to the use of text and data mining technology. Professor Flynn's article describes some of the most salient points of the submission and concludes by stressing the need for international leadership on this important topic.

On May 14, 2020, Renata Amaral, Co-Director of the WTO & U.S. Trade Law Summer Program at AUWCL, gave an interview with CNN Brasil on Roberto Azevêdo's decision to step down as WTO Director General, a year prior to his term expiration. Ms. Amaral commented on the decision, calling Azevêdo, "An extremely skilled director for the WTO. His diplomatic skills will be missed, especially in such challenging times for the world during the pandemic, and particularly for the multilateral trading system.”