What is the duration of the conference?

The conference spans two days, commencing in early February.

International Conference on Law and Economics (ICLE)

Name: International Conference on Law and Economics (ICLE)
Start: 2027-01-30T00:00:00Z
End: 2027-01-31T00:00:00Z
Location: Vancouver

Jan 30–31, 2027Vancouver, CanadaIn-person

Registration open

The International Conference on Law and Economics (ICLE) provides a platform for academics, researchers, and practitioners to present and discuss innovations, trends, and practical challenges in the intersecting fields of law and economics. Hosted in Putrajaya, MYS, this event fosters intellectual exchange and collaboration among participants from diverse backgrounds. The conference aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on how legal frameworks influence economic outcomes and vice versa, offering insights into policy development and scholarly research.

Committees & topics

Security Council 1 (UNSC)
United Nations Security Council I: The Situation in Sudan
Security Council 2 (UNSC)
United Nations Security Council II: Cybersecurity and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure
Committee on Digital Affairs & Sovereignty
Committee on Digital Affairs and Sovereignty: Governing the Cross-Border Internet
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Economic and Social Council: Sovereign Debt Restructuring in Developing Countries
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Protection of Cultural Heritage
UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
United Nations Environment Programme: A Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution
World Health Organisation (WHO)
World Health Organization: Implementing the Pandemic Agreement
Human Rights Council (HRC)
Human Rights Council: Human Rights in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Why it matters

The intersection of law and economics is a critical area of study, influencing policy decisions and societal structures globally. This conference is significant because it brings together experts to deliberate on these complex relationships, offering a multidisciplinary perspective on contemporary issues. Discussions at the ICLE can shed light on the economic implications of legal reforms and the legal underpinnings of economic systems, which is crucial for informed governance and sustainable development.

Understanding the dynamics between legal systems and economic performance is particularly relevant in today's interconnected world. The insights generated from such gatherings can inform international cooperation, trade agreements, and regulatory practices, impacting nations and regions worldwide. By facilitating the exchange of ideas, the conference contributes to a deeper understanding of how legal and economic principles can be harmonized to address global challenges.

How to prepare

Participants preparing for the International Conference on Law and Economics should focus on developing presentations that highlight novel research or practical applications at the nexus of these two fields. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the conference, it is beneficial to frame contributions in a way that appeals to both legal scholars and economists.

Attendees can maximize their engagement by familiarizing themselves with current policy debates and economic trends relevant to the host region and beyond. Engaging with the material presented and actively participating in discussions will enhance the overall experience and contribute to a richer dialogue. Consider how your work connects to broader themes of governance, market regulation, and social welfare, ensuring your contributions are both rigorous and impactful.

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 1 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Malaysia

As the host nation, MYS provides a relevant context for discussions on law and economics, particularly concerning regional development and international trade.

Role in topic

MYS plays a crucial role in hosting the conference, offering a regional perspective on the interplay between legal frameworks and economic growth in Southeast Asia. Its experience with diverse legal traditions and a dynamic economy makes it an ideal location for such a dialogue.

Topics & background

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

Security Council 1 (UNSC)

United Nations Security Council I: The Situation in Sudan

Sudan has been engulfed in armed conflict since April 2023, when long-simmering tensions between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo ('Hemedti') erupted into open warfare in Khartoum. The fighting traces back to the unfinished transition after the 2019 ouster of Omar al-Bashir, the 2021 military coup that derailed civilian rule, and disputes over integrating the RSF into the regular army. Combat has since spread across Darfur, Kordofan, and Gezira, producing what UN agencies describe as the world's largest displacement crisis, with widespread famine conditions and credible reports of ethnically targeted atrocities, particularly against the Masalit in West Darfur. The Security Council has struggled to respond. The 2004-era arms embargo on Darfur under Resolution 1591 is widely flouted, with documented external resupply to both belligerents. Humanitarian access remains obstructed, mediation tracks in Jeddah and Geneva have repeatedly stalled, and the International Criminal Court continues investigations into Darfur-related crimes. Council members remain divided over sanctions designations, the scope of any embargo extension to the whole of Sudan, and whether to mandate a protection-of-civilians mission. The dossier now tests the Council's capacity to enforce its own measures amid competing regional interests in the Red Sea and the Sahel.

Key players

Security Council 2 (UNSC)

United Nations Security Council II: Cybersecurity and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure

Cyber operations against critical infrastructure have moved from a niche concern to a central international security issue over the past decade. Incidents such as the 2015 and 2016 attacks on Ukraine's power grid, the 2017 NotPetya campaign, the 2021 Colonial Pipeline ransomware shutdown, and recurring intrusions into water utilities, hospitals, and undersea cables have demonstrated that civilian systems can be disabled without kinetic action. The UN Group of Governmental Experts (2015, 2021) and the successor Open-Ended Working Group on ICTs have produced a framework of voluntary norms, including the principle that states should not knowingly damage another state's critical infrastructure, but these norms lack enforcement. The Security Council has held thematic debates on cyber threats since 2021, when Estonia chaired the first formal session, but no binding cyber resolution has been adopted. Core disputes include whether existing international law, particularly the UN Charter and international humanitarian law, applies fully in cyberspace (a Western position) or whether a new treaty is required (advanced by Russia and China). States also disagree on attribution standards, the legality of 'hack-back' responses, and the regulation of commercial spyware and offensive cyber tools. The Council must now consider whether to translate OEWG norms into operational measures protecting hospitals, energy grids, and election systems.

Key players

Committee on Digital Affairs & Sovereignty

Committee on Digital Affairs and Sovereignty: Governing the Cross-Border Internet

The concept of 'digital sovereignty' has evolved from a fringe demand into a structural feature of internet governance. Beginning with China's 'cyber sovereignty' doctrine articulated at the World Internet Conference and accelerated by Edward Snowden's 2013 disclosures, states across regions have asserted greater authority over data, platforms, and infrastructure within their borders. The EU's General Data Protection Regulation (2018), the Digital Services Act and Digital Markets Act (2022), India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act (2023), and a wave of data-localisation laws from Brazil to Vietnam have fragmented what was once a relatively uniform commercial internet. Multilateral responses have lagged. The 2024 Global Digital Compact, adopted as part of the Pact for the Future, committed member states to an open, free, and secure digital future and to closing digital divides, but it left core questions unresolved: how to reconcile cross-border data flows with national security and privacy, how to govern transnational platforms and AI systems, and how to ensure that emerging digital public infrastructure (identity, payments, data exchange) is interoperable rather than balkanised. The committee's central tension is between sovereignty claims that protect citizens and economies and sovereignty claims that enable censorship, surveillance, and protectionism.

Key players

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Protection of Cultural Heritage

UNESCO occupies a unique position at the intersection of culture, science, education, and information. Its 2021 Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence was the first global standard-setting instrument on AI, endorsed by all 193 member states, covering human rights, environmental impact, gender, and governance. Implementation has since proceeded unevenly through Readiness Assessment Methodologies and Ethical Impact Assessments, even as generative AI has destabilised education, journalism, creative industries, and the integrity of the information environment. In parallel, UNESCO's mandate to protect cultural heritage has been tested by armed conflict and climate change. Sites in Ukraine, Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Mali, and Sudan have been damaged or destroyed, raising questions about the 1954 Hague Convention and the 1972 World Heritage Convention. UNESCO has also led the Memory of the World programme on documentary heritage and the 2003 Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage. The committee must consider how to bind AI-generated content rules to cultural rights, how to fund emergency heritage protection, and how to handle politically contested World Heritage listings.

Key players

UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

United Nations Environment Programme: A Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution

Plastic pollution has emerged as a defining environmental challenge alongside climate change and biodiversity loss. Annual plastic production has roughly doubled in two decades to more than 400 million tonnes, with macro- and microplastic contamination documented in oceans, soils, freshwater, food chains, and human tissue. In March 2022, the UN Environment Assembly adopted Resolution 5/14, mandating an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to develop an internationally legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, by the end of 2024. The INC sessions, running through Punta del Este, Paris, Nairobi, Ottawa, and Busan, exposed deep divisions. A 'High Ambition Coalition' led by Norway and Rwanda, joined by the EU and many small island states, has pushed for binding global caps on virgin plastic production, controls on chemicals of concern, and obligations on product design. A 'Like-Minded Group' of major petrochemical producers has preferred a downstream, waste-management-focused treaty with national discretion. The Busan session in late 2024 ended without final agreement, pushing negotiations into a resumed session. UNEP must now consider how to bridge these positions on production limits, finance for developing countries, and the role of the informal waste sector.

Key players

World Health Organisation (WHO)

World Health Organization: Implementing the Pandemic Agreement

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed structural weaknesses in the global health architecture: late information sharing, vaccine nationalism, inequitable access to medical countermeasures, and contested authority of the International Health Regulations (2005). In response, the World Health Assembly created an Intergovernmental Negotiating Body in 2021 to draft a new pandemic instrument. After more than three years of negotiations, the WHO Pandemic Agreement was adopted by the World Health Assembly in May 2025, alongside a parallel package of amendments to the IHR adopted in 2024. The Agreement establishes commitments on pandemic prevention, One Health surveillance, geographically diversified production of countermeasures, and a Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing system (PABS). Several critical elements, however, were deferred to a follow-on annex and to national ratification. Core disputes persist over technology transfer obligations, the share of pandemic products to be made available to WHO, intellectual property flexibilities, and verification of preparedness commitments. The WHO now faces the implementation phase amid reduced US engagement, financing constraints, and pressure to demonstrate that the new regime can perform better than its predecessors in the next health emergency.

Key players

Human Rights Council (HRC)

Human Rights Council: Human Rights in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence

The rapid public deployment of generative AI since late 2022 has reshaped the human rights agenda. Large language models, image and voice synthesis, and algorithmic decision-making now affect freedom of expression (ICCPR Article 19), the right to privacy (Article 17), non-discrimination, fair-trial guarantees, the right to work, and children's rights. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has produced a series of reports through its B-Tech project on the application of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to AI, and the General Assembly adopted its first AI resolution (A/RES/78/265) in 2024, sponsored by the United States, followed by a complementary China-led resolution on AI for development. The Council is now considering whether to move beyond thematic resolutions toward a binding framework on algorithmic accountability, including possible creation of a Special Rapporteur on AI and human rights, and a clearer regime for state and corporate due diligence. Disputes centre on the scope of content moderation obligations, the legitimacy of AI use in policing and migration management, the export of surveillance technologies, and the responsibility of foundation-model developers. Underlying these debates is a structural concern: the concentration of AI capabilities in a handful of states and firms.

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Law and Economics (ICLE).

Recent reporting to ground your prep

US Job Openings at 6.7M

Trump's Economic Reset

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Mifepristone Ruling Sparks 2026 Political Tug

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

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Conflict Resolution

Canada January 2027

By committee

Frequently asked questions

International Conference on Law and Economics (ICLE)

Jan 30–31, 2027Vancouver, CanadaIn-person

Registration open

Committees & topics

Security Council 1 (UNSC)
United Nations Security Council I: The Situation in Sudan
Security Council 2 (UNSC)
United Nations Security Council II: Cybersecurity and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure
Committee on Digital Affairs & Sovereignty
Committee on Digital Affairs and Sovereignty: Governing the Cross-Border Internet
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Economic and Social Council: Sovereign Debt Restructuring in Developing Countries
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Protection of Cultural Heritage
UN Environment Programme (UNEP)
United Nations Environment Programme: A Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution
World Health Organisation (WHO)
World Health Organization: Implementing the Pandemic Agreement
Human Rights Council (HRC)
Human Rights Council: Human Rights in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Why it matters

How to prepare

Country perspectives

Where the most-relevant 1 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile.

Malaysia

As the host nation, MYS provides a relevant context for discussions on law and economics, particularly concerning regional development and international trade.

Role in topic

Topics & background

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

Security Council 1 (UNSC)

United Nations Security Council I: The Situation in Sudan

Key players

Security Council 2 (UNSC)

United Nations Security Council II: Cybersecurity and the Protection of Critical Infrastructure

Key players

Committee on Digital Affairs & Sovereignty

Committee on Digital Affairs and Sovereignty: Governing the Cross-Border Internet

Key players

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Protection of Cultural Heritage

Key players

UN Environment Programme (UNEP)

United Nations Environment Programme: A Global Treaty on Plastic Pollution

Key players

World Health Organisation (WHO)

World Health Organization: Implementing the Pandemic Agreement

Key players

Human Rights Council (HRC)

Human Rights Council: Human Rights in the Age of Generative Artificial Intelligence

Key players

Resources

News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for International Conference on Law and Economics (ICLE).

Recent reporting to ground your prep

US Job Openings at 6.7M

Trump's Economic Reset

Supreme Court's Voting Rights Impact on 2026

Mifepristone Ruling Sparks 2026 Political Tug

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

Advanced Negotiation

Multilateral Negotiation

Policy Brief Writing

Conflict Resolution

Canada January 2027

By committee

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

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2026 CANADIAN INTELLIGENCE CONFERENCE (CANIC 2026)

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