International memorial symposium in honour of the late Theo van Boven
On Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 June 2027, the Maastricht Centre for Human Rights will organise an international memorial symposium in honour of the late Theo van Boven, entitled:
Human Rights Strategies for the Future in an Age of Contestation:
Revisiting Theo van Boven’s Legacy.
The main idea of the symposium is to gather together senior experts from the UN, legal practice and academia, in order to enter into discussions with young scholars on various symposium panels related to Theo’s main areas of interest in recent years.
More details about registration and the programme will follow as soon as possible.
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
This two-day international symposium, convened in memory of Theo van Boven, focuses on effective future human rights strategies. As Director of the UN Human Rights Division, UN Special Rapporteur, member of UN human rights treaty bodies, and leading advocate for victims’ rights and remedies, Theo played a foundational role in strengthening the normative and operational dimensions of the UN human rights architecture, particularly with regard to accountability and implementation. Now, at a time when the international human rights system faces unprecedented political contestation, his legacy invites renewed reflection on the strategic dimensions of human rights practice, and innovative ideas in respect of human rights promotion and protection of victims, also beyond the development of legal norms.
This call for abstracts invites scholars to explore forward-looking, effective human rights strategies to respond to today's increasingly contested human rights environment in respect of the following four themes:
From Exclusion to Inclusion:
Theo firmly believed that human rights belong to everyone, irrespective of status, identity or place of birth. Throughout his career, he worked tirelessly to ensure that individuals and groups historically excluded from the protection of international human rights law became visible, heard and fully included – such as Indigenous Peoples and minorities like the Roma and the Sinti, as well as other individuals/groups facing systemic marginalisation. Contributions under this theme may explore the continuing challenge of making human rights truly universal and inclusive, examining how international, regional and domestic legal (and non-legal) frameworks can better respond to structural exclusion.
From Racial to Intersectional discrimination:
Theo’s work on equality and non-discrimination began with a particular focus on racial discrimination, notably through his service on the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. As the human rights landscape evolved, so too did his perspective, embracing discrimination in relation to an ever-expanding range of grounds, and recognising the reality of multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. This theme invites contributions on contemporary developments in equality law, intersectionality, and the challenges of providing effective protection against discrimination in all its forms.
Reparations & Redress:
Above all, Theo championed the primacy of the rights of individuals over the interests of States, maintaining that human rights violations committed, tolerated or condoned by States must, as far as possible, be effectively remedied. His work on the right to reparation spans several decades and culminated in the UN Basic Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Remedy and Reparation, widely known as the Van Boven/Bassiouni Principles, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2005. This theme invites contributions examining contemporary developments relating to victims’ rights, accountability, truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition, as well as on the continuing relevance of these Principles in responding to contemporary/emerging human rights violations.
The Role of the UN in the face of Gross Violations of human Rights:
Throughout his career, Theo believed that the United Nations should play a central role in monitoring States’ compliance with their human rights obligations and in protecting victims of widespread and gross human rights violations. Deeply disappointed by the Organisation’s reluctance to act decisively during his tenure as Director of the UN Division of Human Rights, he became a strong advocate for more effective and independent human rights mechanisms. He was instrumental in promoting the development of the UN special procedures system and was an early proponent of the establishment of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. This theme invites contributions on the role of the United Nations in preventing, responding to, and ensuring accountability for gross human rights violations, both past and present; as well as on the effectiveness of the United Nations human rights institutions and mechanisms in addressing contemporary global challenges.
All submissions will undergo a peer-review process conducted by the Symposium Programme Committee. Accepted and presented papers will be considered for publication in an edited volume to be published by De Gruyter/Brill. The volume will combine symposium papers with a selection of Theo van Boven’s own writings on the themes addressed during the symposium.
Abstract Submission Deadline: 31 October 2026
Notification of Acceptance: 4 December 2026
Full Paper Submission Deadline: 1 May 2027