The Global Alliance for Torture-Free Trade was launched in September 2017 under the leadership of Argentina, the European Union, and Mongolia. Today, the Global Alliance has over 60-member states that have proclaimed their determination to end international trade in instruments of torture and capital punishment. The Alliance is now introducing a draft resolution before the United Nations General Assembly with a view to adopt a legally binding instrument. At this critical moment, this public panel event convenes experts from academia, policy practitioners, representatives from member states, civil society, and the interested public, to take stock of the developments leading to the creation of the Alliance and the prospects and challenges of adopting and implementing a global ban on tools of torture.

Keynote speaker

• Cecilia Malmström, European Union Commissioner for Trade

Panel discussion 

• Barbara Bernath, Secretary General, Association for the Prevention of Torture
• Andrew Clapham, Professor of International Law, the Graduate Institute, Geneva
• Michael Crowley, Research Associate, Omega Research Foundation, and Project Coordinator of the Bradford Non-Lethal Weapons Research Project, University of Bradford
• Gerald Staberock, Secretary General, World Organisation Against Torture

Moderators

• Nico Krisch, Co-Director, Global Governance Centre, and Professor of International Law, the Graduate Institute, Geneva
• Ezgi Yildiz, Postdoctoral Researcher, Global Governance Centre, the Graduate Institute, Geneva

This conference is organised with the support of the Global Governance Centre and is part of the EU Lecture Series “Europe Tomorrow. It will be followed by an informal networking session over coffee from 16:30 to 17:00 sponsored by the European Union.