Upcoming Global Events

Novel Remedies Against Colonialism’s Legacy: The Impacts of U.S. Nuclear Testing on the Marshall Islands

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October 29-30

Convened in partnership with the Republic of the Marshall Islands National Nuclear Commission and RMI Embassy in the United States, the symposium centers the lived history of the Marshallese people who were subject to U.S. nuclear weapon testing from 1946 to 1958 with a total of 67 nuclear weapons detonated during this period causing lasting harms across individuals, families, communities, and the environment. These harms have been exacerbated by climate change and the impacts of mass immigration out of Marshallese homelands.

Symposium organizers drafted a detailed historical case study in advance, providing invited scholars and policy makers with a shared factual and legal foundation on the legacy of U.S. nuclear testing in the Marshall Islands and subsequent legal and policy actions. Drawing on this common text, the interdisciplinary experts will develop and present innovative legal and policy responses to the ongoing health, environmental, cultural, and sovereignty-related harms that persist decades after testing concluded. The symposium emphasizes forward-looking, solution-oriented dialogue grounded in international, comparative, and domestic law.

Symposium Themes

• Legacy of Colonialism: Health/Reproductive Harms, Diaspora (Citizen Status) Harms
• Nuclear Legacy: Current Impacts & Cultural Harms, Nuclear Questions
• Environmental Justice: Human Rights & Climate Change

Relevant Background Documents

1. Case Study - The Legacy of Colonialism and Novel Legal Remedies
2. International Bar Association Human Rights Committee Report.pdf
3. Report Evaluating Changed Circumstances Arising From U.S. Nuclear Testing in the Marshall Islands (2004)
4. Addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realization and enjoyment of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands stemming from the State’s nuclear legacy - Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Speakers

The Maryland Journal of International Law

This year marks the 51^st anniversary of the Maryland Journal of International Law, with its first publication in 1975. The Journal is a component of UM Carey Law’s renowned International and Comparative Law program. Read more about the program in the latest issue of the Maryland Carey Law Magazine.

Read more about the Atomic Tear and its artist.

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