Over the past decade, there has been a burgeoning interest in the transnational aspects of human rights. This has been particularly so with regard to environmental protection, the responsibility of international businesses and corporations, the emergence of transnational non-state actors as the Islamic State, as well as migration and human trafficking.

As borders become increasingly weaker and more porous, tackling transnational challenges to human rights is turning into a pressing demand in both scholarship and practice. Significantly, in 2017, the International Journal of Transitional Justice dedicated a special issue to the topic of “Beyond Borders.” In it, Pierre Hazan rightly highlighted how the state is no longer the ‘primary means of reflecting on and organizing transitional justice (TJ) approaches’. Undoubtedly, the same can be said to apply to human rights more broadly. Indeed, many transnational human rights issues, such as the refugee crisis in Europe and migration across Central and South America, are generally triggered by violent conflict and/or lack of socio-economic opportunities.

Such events are poignant and stark reminders of how transnational human rights issues currently stand at the top of the policy-making agenda across the globe. Solving such complex and multi-faceted problems requires collaboration and knowledge exchange among numerous stakeholders, encompassing academia, policy-makers, civil society and practitioners. Twenty years after the landmark detention of Pinochet in London in 1998, it is a timely moment to reflect on the importance of transnational networks and their contributions to scholarship and justice.

The Bonavero Institute of Human Rights is hosting a two-day conference with Oxford School of Global and Area Studies, Oxford Latin American Centre and the Oxford Transitional Justice Research. Day one, Wednesday 19 June, will be held at the Bonavero Institute. Day two, Thursday 20 June will take place at St Antony’s College, Oxford.

Programme – Day 1

- Transitional justice in a transnational world

- Socio-economic and collective rights – transnational mobilisation and approaches

- Transnational strategies for accountability for human rights violations

Programme – Day 2

- Protecting the rights of migrants and refugees

- Transnational challenges in the field of Business & Human Rights

- Responsibility of businesses in transitional justice settings

- Corporate accountability and the protection of the environment

- Keynote address