In May, IECLO’s U.S. Scientific Coordinator Anja Matwijkiw secured an International Mobility Grant from Indiana University for global engagement activities associated with the XI Ibero-American Week of International Justice at The Hague, which is organized by the Ibero-American Institute of The Hague for Peace, Human Rights and International Justice (IHH) (see here the Program).

Dr., Prof. Anja Matwijkiw has served as the Chair of the U.S. Working Group for “Research Programme 70593” (Colombia) over the last three years.  In this capacity, she directed the research that led to international seminars and two book chapters – one of which was part of a book launch at the event (see  Iberoamerican Institute of the Hague – Volumen 19. Respuestas a la Corrupción Transnacional desde la Política Exterior de los Estados Latinoamericanos). Several members of the U.S. Working Group gathered in The Hague and joined a panel.

Her own presentation took place on May 30, 2024. This stressed an interdisciplinary project on transnational organized crime as associated with corruption, first and foremost U.S. foreign policy. Co-investigators and co-authors focused on U.S. legal measures like RICO (Dr. Ryan Long, Thomas Jefferson University) and, furthermore, the (in)sufficiency of law in the effort to combat transnational organized crime as associated with corruption (Dr. Bronik Matwijkiw, fmr. Southeast Missouri State University).

The venue for the event was the Hague University of Applied Sciences and the panel also included Josselyn Roca Calderón (Abogada especializada en Derecho Internacional, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú), Federico Freydell (Procuraduría Delegada, Jurisdicción Especial para la Paz, Colombia) and Juan Antonio Yáñez Barnuevo as the panel’s Moderator. The latter is Spain’s former Ambassador to the United Nations and Head of the Spanish Delegation for the Preparatory Commission for the International Criminal Court.

“I was honored to meet the Ambassador in person. We both knew M. Cherif Bassiouni, and we exchanged our experiences, memories, and stories. His Excellency Juan Antonio Yáñez Barnuevo is a prominent figure in international law and international relations. Among his many accomplishments, he was the Permanent Representative to the United Nations, representing Spain in the Security Council, where he served twice as Council President (e.g., see https://unis.unvienna.org/unis/en/pressrels/2004/sc8178.html). He closely followed and helped to shape the development of the ICC. It was equally heartwarming to hear young scholars from South America praise the main organizer, Professor Hector Olasolo from Universidad Rosario in Colombia, who is also President of the IHH. Some panels were running late because the enthusiasm was so high, and there was a Moot Court Competition in Spanish at the ICC that extended into the next couple of days. As I understand things, we can thank President Olasolo for the Spanish version of the Moot Court Competition.”

Dr., Prof. Anja Matwijkiw found the event very inspirational, especially since it reinforced her own idea of the necessity for clearer connections between internationally applicable norms and ethics. She is working to develop this in stakeholder terms. In addition, she is trying to cover as many areas and aspects as possible in a special issue on Crime and Corruption for International Criminal Law Review (Brill). 

“This special issue uses a global lens on the topic. Furthermore, its interdisciplinary approach accommodates in-depth analysis of the role of moral and ethical considerations. I am particularly interested in the question of amoralism in a market (crime and corruption) context,” she explained.

As an individual and interdisciplinary researcher, Dr., Prof. Anja Matwijkiw’s pro-internationalization effort is aligned with the XI Ibero-American Week of International Justice at The Hague in different ways, in part, by virtue of trying to secure international and team-oriented collaborative initiatives. IECLO is among her closest networks, with professors Giuliana Ziccardi Capaldo and Anna Oriolo as researchers she frequently works with in different capacities.

Picture: on the picture, Federico Freydell, Juan Antonio Yáñez Barnuevo, and Dr. Bronik Matwijkiw are sitting at the forefront, whereas Dr. Anja Matwijkiw, Kenya Ebosogo (from the organizing team), and Dr. Ryan Long are standing.