Experts meet in Istanbul to discuss justice, recovery after conflict
Bogazici University hosts international law conference on post-conflict accountability and recovery efforts

ISTANBUL
Legal experts and academics gathered in Istanbul this weekend for an international conference focused on justice, recovery and reconstruction in post-conflict societies.
The two-day event, hosted by Bogazici University at its South Campus, wrapped up Sunday after a series of panel discussions and keynote speeches.
This year’s conference was held under the theme “Justice and Reconstruction in Post-Conflict Societies,” bringing together scholars and practitioners from Türkiye and abroad.
Siba N’Zatioula Grovogui, a professor of international relations theory and African political thought at Cornell University, delivered a keynote address titled “Non-European Approaches to Reconstruction.”
“International law is a universal heritage,” Grovogui said.
Criticizing what he called a “Eurocentric legal framework,” he added: “Europe brought to the world the idea that allies are more important than the law, as they are chosen,” referring to Western support for the Israeli government amid the war in Gaza.
Throughout the conference, participants discussed how legal mechanisms can support societies recovering from conflict. Sessions covered topics such as international criminal law, refugee policies, constitutional reform, economic recovery and environmental damage.
Panels on the second day included “Sanctions Reconsidered,” “Constitutions Under Pressure: Power, Rights, and Justice After Conflict,” “Poetics of Post-Conflict Law,” “Recovering Through Civil Society,” “Legal Perspectives on Post-Conflict Ecological Recovery,” and “Post-Intervention Orders and Developing Security.”