What does the right to life require at sea — in peace, conflict and uncertainty?
BlueRights Working Group 1 invites submissions for the international conference Right to Life at Sea: Navigating Peace, War and Uncertainty, taking place on 16–18 March 2027 at the Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea, UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, in Tromsø.
The conference will examine how the right to life applies across maritime contexts where legal regimes overlap, jurisdiction may be fragmented, and responsibility is shared between public and private actors. Contributions are invited on issues including due diligence, prevention, accountability, jurisdiction, State and private responsibilities, and the relationship between the right to life and other rights.
Particular attention will be given to three areas:
Use of force at sea — including naval warfare, law enforcement, anti-piracy, border control and attacks on merchant vessels and seafarers.
Search and rescue — including duties to assist, rescue coordination, disembarkation and the interaction between maritime, refugee and human rights law.
Occupational risks — including fatalities and serious harm in shipping, fishing and offshore work, unsafe conditions, fatigue, inadequate training and regulatory failures.
Interdisciplinary approaches are welcome, particularly contributions identifying gaps between legal regimes or proposing ways to strengthen coherence and accountability.
Call for Abstracts
Submit an abstract of up to 800 words and a short biographical note of up to 250 words in a single document.
Deadline: 22 November 2026
Submit to: [email protected]
Email subject: BlueRights WG1 Conference submission
Abstracts should include a title and clearly identify the principal research question, argument, methodology and contribution to the conference themes.
Download the call for abstracts here.