The Hague Academy Centre for Studies and Research of 2027
The Hague Academy Centre for Studies and Research of 2027 will be held from 16 August to 3 September 2027.
The 2027 edition of the Centre will focus on International Law on Mineral Exploration and Mining. The Directors of Research will be Diana Correa (Externado University of Colombia) and Arnaud de Nanteuil (Paris-Est Créteil University).
The regulation of mineral exploration and exploitation under international law is attracting increasing attention in response to the rising global demand for critical resources linked to the energy transition and the far-reaching consequences of mining activities across multiple dimensions. Rather than belonging to a single legal domain, mining operates within a dense normative framework where environmental protection, biodiversity conservation, human rights, resource governance and State responsibility intersect. Its transboundary nature further complicates the picture, extending legal implications beyond national countries and into areas governed by international regimes. As a result, mining-related disputes are frequently addressed in diverse fora, including investment arbitration, human rights bodies and domestic courts applying international standards. The sector thus exposes broader structural features of the international legal system, where public and private international law, together with economic, environmental, treaty-based and contractual regimes, increasingly overlap.
Within this setting, the 2027 Centre for Studies and Research at The Hague Academy of International Law will examine how international law – both public and private – should adapt to the challenges posed by mineral exploration and mining activities. Selected researchers will work on a series of thematic areas, including: the fragmentation of international law applicable to mining; mining as an instrument of international geopolitics; sovereignty over natural resources; mineral resources in disputed territories; international law for the sustainable management of mineral resources located outside state jurisdiction; the prohibition of mining in antarctica under international law: stability, future challenges, and lessons for the governance of global commons; mining activities on the international seabed; mining activities in outer space; the legal distinction between mining exploration and exploitation in international law: normative content and practical consequences; international liability arising from transboundary environmental damage caused by mining; the international governance of critical minerals for the energy transition; the international regulation of closure and abandonment phases of mining operations; mining exploration and the precautionary principle in international law; the scientific and commercial exploration of mineral resources; protection of international investments in mining projects; investor-state arbitration and resolution of mining disputes; indirect expropriation in mining activities versus legitimate environmental regulation; the valuation of mining assets in the event of international damage; corruption, illegality and regulatory compliance in mining activities; indigenous peoples, local communities and social license to operate in mining activities; mining and human rights due diligence; mining and workers’ rights; artisanal or small-scale and irregular mining; local content requirement in the mining sector; mining contracts, stabilization commitments and the energy transition expectations in the mining sector; climate change and mining; the environment, water, biodiversity and sustainable development in mining activities.
Registration is free of charge. Interested candidates must be researchers and preferably hold an advanced degree (PhD or Doctorate degree). The registration period is from 1 August to 1 November 2026.
The programme of Hague Academy Centre for Studies and Research of 2027 is available here.
More information on the Academy’s programmes may be found here.