Research Spotlight Series: Antonia Schlesinger & Carol Dyck

Conceptualizing and Adjudicating Gender Persecution as a Crime Against Humanity

Antonia Schlesinger, PhD candidate, Law, Humboldt University Berlin

Even though gender persecution is a common concomitant of genocide, international criminal law falls short of fully recognizing the special and complex relationship between these crimes. This talk introduces a definition for gender persecution and explores jurisdictional avenues for the crime, such as a cumulative conviction with or connection to the crime of genocide. These could provide powerful tools to account for severe acts of gendered discrimination which may not in and of themselves constitute genocide but are committed in genocidal contexts.

Arctic Governance in the Face of Climate Change: Science Diplomacy and the Case for a High Seas Peace Park

Carol Dyck, PhD candidate, Western Law

Both Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and President Donald Trump’s recent threats against the sovereignty of Canada and Greenland have eroded trust between Arctic Council Member States, contributing to increased militarization of the Arctic Ocean and the breakdown of diplomatic relations. This talk proposes an Arctic High Seas Marine Protected Area (HSMPA) to avoid long-term or irreversible damage to the Last Ice Area while serving as a ‘peace park’ to restore and promote cooperation and collaboration through science diplomacy.