What is the primary focus of this conference?

The conference focuses on the intersection of human rights, security, and conflict studies, bringing together experts to discuss these critical global issues.

Is this event an in-person conference?

Yes, this is an in-person conference held in the city of Montreal.

International Conference on Human Rights, Security, and Conflict Studies

Name: International Conference on Human Rights, Security, and Conflict Studies
Start: 2026-10-08T00:00:00Z
End: 2026-10-08T00:00:00Z
Location: Montreal

Oct 8, 2026Montreal, CanadaIn-person

Registration open

The International Conference on Human Rights, Security, and Conflict Studies offers a vital platform for exploring the complex interplay between human rights, global security, and ongoing conflicts. Hosted in Montreal, CAN, this event brings together academics, practitioners, and policymakers to discuss pressing issues and innovative solutions in these interconnected fields. Participants will engage with research, share insights, and foster collaborations aimed at addressing the challenges of human rights protection in conflict zones and promoting sustainable peace.

Committees & topics

Topics
Human Rights and National Security · Conflict Resolution and Human Rights · Security Policies and Human Rights · Human Rights in Armed Conflicts · Human Rights in Conflict Zones · Peacebuilding and Transitional Justice · The Role of Civil Society in Conflict Resolution · Political Violence and Its Implications for Security

Why it matters

In an era marked by persistent global instability and widespread human rights violations, understanding the dynamics of security and conflict is paramount. This conference provides a crucial forum for dissecting the root causes of conflict, examining the impact of security measures on civilian populations, and advocating for stronger human rights frameworks. The discussions will likely cover a range of critical topics, from the protection of vulnerable groups in armed conflicts to the role of international law in accountability and justice.

The event's focus on the intersection of these fields highlights the reality that security cannot be achieved without respect for human rights, and conflicts often arise from or exacerbate human rights abuses. By convening experts from diverse backgrounds, the conference aims to generate interdisciplinary approaches to peacebuilding and conflict resolution, emphasizing the human element at the core of these global challenges. The insights shared will be instrumental for those working to shape policy, implement humanitarian aid, and conduct research in these sensitive areas.

How to prepare

Delegates preparing for this conference should focus on developing a nuanced understanding of the various stakeholders involved in human rights, security, and conflict scenarios. This includes not only state actors but also non-state groups, international organizations, and local communities, as explored in the "hidden-stakeholders" lesson. Analyzing the motivations and capacities of these diverse groups is crucial for effective engagement and problem-solving.

Furthermore, it is advisable to review contemporary case studies of conflict and human rights crises, considering how different approaches to security have impacted human rights outcomes. Understanding the "dynamic-analysis" of conflict evolution and the effectiveness of various "engagement-strategies" will be beneficial. Participants should be prepared to contribute to discussions on policy recommendations and practical interventions, drawing on both theoretical knowledge and real-world applications.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Canada

Canada often advocates for human rights and multilateralism in international security discussions.

Role in topic

As the host country, CAN frequently champions international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians in conflict, often participating in peacekeeping missions and providing humanitarian assistance. Its perspective emphasizes diplomacy and rights-based approaches to security.

United States

The United States maintains a complex stance, balancing national security interests with human rights advocacy.

Role in topic

The USA plays a significant role in global security and conflict resolution, often through military intervention and diplomatic efforts. Its approach to human rights in conflict zones is frequently scrutinized, particularly concerning issues of surveillance and detention.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom generally supports international legal frameworks for human rights and security.

Role in topic

The GBR is a key player in international security, contributing to UN peacekeeping and NATO operations. It often emphasizes the importance of human rights in post-conflict reconstruction and security sector reform.

Switzerland

Switzerland is a strong proponent of international humanitarian law and neutrality in armed conflicts.

Role in topic

CHE is renowned for its humanitarian tradition and its role as a host to numerous international organizations. It actively promotes respect for human rights and the Geneva Conventions in conflict situations, often facilitating dialogue and mediation.

Norway

Norway consistently advocates for human rights, peacebuilding, and humanitarian disarmament.

Role in topic

NOR is a prominent actor in peace mediation and humanitarian diplomacy. It often takes a leading role in advocating for the protection of civilians and the disarmament of controversial weapons, with a strong emphasis on human rights in its foreign policy.

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Human Rights and National Security

The tension between human rights protections and national security imperatives became a defining issue of the post-9/11 era, as states adopted expansive counterterrorism measures including mass surveillance, indefinite detention, extraordinary rendition, and targeted killings. The 2013 Snowden disclosures revealed the scale of bulk surveillance programs by Five Eyes states, prompting UN General Assembly Resolution 68/167 on the right to privacy in the digital age. Subsequent OHCHR reports have repeatedly warned that emergency powers, once enacted, tend to outlast the crises that justified them. More recently, the debate has expanded to include the human rights costs of border securitization, the designation of civil society groups as security threats, and the use of 'foreign agent' laws to restrict NGOs. International jurisprudence — including ECtHR rulings on mass surveillance in Big Brother Watch v. UK (2021) — has tried to set proportionality standards, but enforcement remains uneven. The core dispute is whether the ICCPR's derogation framework (Article 4) and necessity-proportionality tests adequately constrain states invoking security exceptions, or whether new binding norms are needed.

Key players

Conflict Resolution and Human Rights

Modern conflict resolution doctrine, codified through the 1992 Agenda for Peace and successive UN reform reports, treats human rights as integral to durable settlements rather than an obstacle to negotiation. Yet a persistent dilemma remains: peace deals often require engagement with perpetrators of grave abuses, and amnesty provisions can clash with obligations under the Rome Statute and the Convention against Torture. Cases from Colombia's 2016 FARC accord to the South Sudan peace process illustrate the trade-offs between ending violence and ensuring accountability. The UN's Human Rights Due Diligence Policy (2013) on support to non-UN security forces, and the integration of human rights officers into mediation teams, reflect an emerging consensus that rights monitoring strengthens rather than undermines mediation. Still, geopolitical fragmentation in the Security Council, the rise of non-state armed groups, and the proliferation of regional mediators with diverging standards have made rights-based conflict resolution harder to operationalize. The contemporary debate centers on whether 'inclusive' peace processes — incorporating victims, women, and minorities per UNSC Resolution 1325 — can be reconciled with the political compromises required to end fighting.

Key players

Security Policies and Human Rights

Security policy frameworks — from national security strategies to multilateral counterterrorism regimes — increasingly shape the operational environment for human rights. The UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, adopted in 2006 and reviewed biennially, formally integrates human rights as one of its four pillars, yet successive Special Rapporteurs (most recently Fionnuala Ní Aoláin) have documented systematic gaps in implementation. The proliferation of UNSC Chapter VII counterterrorism resolutions, beginning with 1373 (2001), created binding obligations on states without commensurate human rights safeguards, prompting criticism from the OHCHR and treaty bodies. The contemporary policy landscape includes export controls on surveillance technology (notably the 2021 US Commerce Department actions against NSO Group), the EU Dual-Use Regulation, and emerging frameworks on private military and security companies. Debates have intensified over the human rights compatibility of preventing-and-countering-violent-extremism (P/CVE) programs, biometric border systems, and AI-enabled policing. The core question is whether security policy architecture can incorporate rights-protective design from the outset, or whether human rights will remain an afterthought layered onto pre-existing security imperatives.

Key players

Human Rights in Armed Conflicts

The relationship between international human rights law (IHRL) and international humanitarian law (IHL) was long treated as a strict either/or, with IHL governing armed conflict and IHRL governing peacetime. The ICJ's advisory opinions on Nuclear Weapons (1996) and the Wall (2004), together with the Bankovic and Al-Skeini lines of ECtHR jurisprudence, established that the two regimes apply concurrently, with IHL acting as lex specialis on specific questions while IHRL continues to bind states extraterritorially where they exercise effective control. Contemporary conflicts — Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, Myanmar, Tigray — have generated extensive documentation of violations including attacks on civilians, sexual violence, starvation as a method of warfare, and denial of humanitarian access. The ICC's arrest warrants against sitting officials (Putin in 2023, Netanyahu and Gallant in 2024) and the ICJ's genocide proceedings in South Africa v. Israel mark an unprecedented period of judicialization. Yet enforcement gaps remain stark, and asymmetric warfare against non-state armed groups, the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, and siege tactics continue to test the adequacy of existing legal frameworks.

Key players

Human Rights in Conflict Zones

Conflict zones present compounded human rights challenges that go beyond combatant conduct: collapse of judicial systems, breakdown of birth and civil registration, sexual and gender-based violence, recruitment of children, attacks on healthcare and education, and the targeting of journalists and humanitarian workers. The Secretary-General's annual reports on children and armed conflict (mandated by UNSC 1612) and on conflict-related sexual violence (UNSC 1820/1888) document persistent and in many theatres worsening patterns. 2023 and 2024 were the deadliest years on record for humanitarian workers and journalists, according to OCHA and CPJ. Protection-of-civilians frameworks have expanded to include the EWIPA political declaration (2022) on explosive weapons in populated areas, the Safe Schools Declaration, and the Vancouver Principles on child soldiers. Yet access constraints — denial of visas to monitors, restrictions on satellite imagery, attacks on local human rights defenders — have made independent documentation harder. Debates now focus on remote and digital verification, the role of open-source investigation (Bellingcat, Berkeley Protocol), and how to ensure that evidence collected in conflict zones meets the standards required for future prosecutions.

Key players

Peacebuilding and Transitional Justice

Transitional justice emerged as a distinct field after the Latin American transitions of the 1980s and the post-Cold War proliferation of truth commissions and hybrid tribunals. The UN Secretary-General's 2004 report on the rule of law and transitional justice consolidated a 'four pillars' approach: criminal prosecutions, truth-seeking, reparations, and institutional reform (including vetting). The Peacebuilding Commission, established in 2005, was meant to bridge the gap between conflict termination and sustainable recovery, though its catalytic role has been limited by funding shortfalls and political constraints. Contemporary practice grapples with sequencing dilemmas — whether justice should precede, accompany, or follow political settlements — and with the proliferation of hybrid models (Colombia's JEP, the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, the CAR Special Criminal Court). The Sustaining Peace agenda (UNGA/UNSC twin resolutions in 2016, reaffirmed in 2020 and 2025) emphasizes prevention and national ownership, while critics highlight the persistent gap between transitional justice mechanisms and the everyday socioeconomic grievances that drive conflict recurrence. Reparations, in particular, remain the most under-implemented pillar.

Key players

The Role of Civil Society in Conflict Resolution

Civil society organizations — from local mediation networks and women's groups to international NGOs and diaspora associations — have become central to contemporary conflict resolution. UNSC Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security formally recognized civil society's role, and subsequent resolutions (2250 on Youth, Peace and Security; 2419) extended this to additional constituencies. Track II and Track III diplomacy, pioneered by organizations such as the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue and the Community of Sant'Egidio, have facilitated breakthroughs in conflicts from Mozambique to the southern Philippines. Yet the operating space for civil society has narrowed sharply. CIVICUS Monitor data show that the majority of the world's population now lives in countries with 'repressed' or 'closed' civic space. Foreign-agent legislation, counterterrorism restrictions on humanitarian financing, and physical attacks on human rights defenders have constrained civil society's mediation capacity. The contemporary debate centers on how to protect civic actors during conflict, how to ensure their meaningful inclusion in formal peace processes (rather than parallel 'consultation' tracks), and how to balance international funding with genuine local ownership.

Key players

Political Violence and Its Implications for Security

Political violence — defined to include terrorism, insurgency, electoral violence, communal conflict, and state repression — has shifted in character over the past two decades. ACLED and Uppsala Conflict Data Program datasets show a sustained rise in non-state armed group activity, particularly in the Sahel, the Horn of Africa, and parts of Latin America, alongside a global increase in coups (six successful coups in Africa between 2020 and 2023) and the resurgence of great-power-backed proxy conflicts. The boundary between political violence and organized crime has blurred, especially in contexts where armed groups derive financing from illicit economies. The security implications extend beyond affected states. Forced displacement reached a record 120 million by mid-2024 (UNHCR), straining regional stability. Online radicalization, the weaponization of disinformation around elections, and transnational attacks on diaspora communities have generated new categories of harm that existing legal frameworks struggle to address. The policy debate weighs traditional counterterrorism and stabilization approaches against prevention-oriented models grounded in addressing structural drivers — inequality, exclusion, climate stress, and state legitimacy deficits — as set out in the 2018 UN-World Bank Pathways for Peace study.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Human Rights, Security, and Conflict Studies.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

West Bengal Voter Deletion Crisis 2026

West Bengal Voter Deletion Crisis

Delimitation Based on 2011 Census

Supreme Court Upholds Election Commission Dis

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Conflict Resolution

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Canada October 2026

By committee

Frequently asked questions

International Conference on Human Rights, Security, and Conflict Studies

Oct 8, 2026Montreal, CanadaIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Topics
Human Rights and National Security · Conflict Resolution and Human Rights · Security Policies and Human Rights · Human Rights in Armed Conflicts · Human Rights in Conflict Zones · Peacebuilding and Transitional Justice · The Role of Civil Society in Conflict Resolution · Political Violence and Its Implications for Security

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 5 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Canada

Canada often advocates for human rights and multilateralism in international security discussions.

Role in topic

United States

The United States maintains a complex stance, balancing national security interests with human rights advocacy.

Role in topic

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom generally supports international legal frameworks for human rights and security.

Role in topic

Switzerland

Switzerland is a strong proponent of international humanitarian law and neutrality in armed conflicts.

Role in topic

Norway

Norway consistently advocates for human rights, peacebuilding, and humanitarian disarmament.

Role in topic

Topics & background

The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it.

Human Rights and National Security

Key players

Conflict Resolution and Human Rights

Key players

Security Policies and Human Rights

Key players

Human Rights in Armed Conflicts

Key players

Human Rights in Conflict Zones

Key players

Peacebuilding and Transitional Justice

Key players

The Role of Civil Society in Conflict Resolution

Key players

Political Violence and Its Implications for Security

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Human Rights, Security, and Conflict Studies.

Recent reporting to ground your prep

West Bengal Voter Deletion Crisis 2026

West Bengal Voter Deletion Crisis

Delimitation Based on 2011 Census

Supreme Court Upholds Election Commission Dis

Lessons

Bite-sized lessons to build the basics

Hidden Stakeholders

Engagement Strategies

Dynamic Analysis

Stakeholder Mapping Workshop

Courses

Guided courses that go deeper on the topic

Conflict Resolution

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Canada October 2026

By committee

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

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Frequently asked questions

Committees & topics

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Topics & background

Resources

Related conferences

J.W. Dafoe Political Science Students’ Conference 2026

Leadersphere 2026 Conference

CIC Toronto: Canada in a Fragmenting World – Navigating Geopolitics, Alliances, and Emerging Security Challenges

Parliamentary Symposium: The Future of Middle Powers After the Rupture: Perspectives from Canada and Beyond

Implementing Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy

2026 CANADIAN INTELLIGENCE CONFERENCE (CANIC 2026)

Frequently asked questions