NLU Delhi International Conference on Reparations and Victim Justice 2026

The NLU Delhi International Conference on Reparations will examine the evolving role of victims, reparations and victim-centred justice in international criminal law. National Law University Delhi is organising the conference under its Research Endeavour Grant (N-REG) 2025–26 project, “Reparations and Victim-Centered Justice under International Criminal Law.”

Titled “Reparations and Victim Justice in International Criminal Law: From Harm to Repair,” the conference will take place online on 14 November 2026. It welcomes research from academics, practitioners, researchers, doctoral scholars and graduate or postgraduate students.

About the NLU Delhi International Conference

National Law University Delhi (NLUD) was established under the National Law University Act, 2007. The University has developed significant academic and research engagement in public international law, international criminal law, human rights law and international humanitarian law.

The NLU Delhi International Conference on Reparations focuses on an important shift in international criminal justice. Traditionally, international criminal law has focused mainly on investigating, prosecuting and punishing perpetrators. However, growing recognition of victims has placed questions of victimhood, participation, harm, remedies and reparations at the centre of legal scholarship.

The conference will therefore explore how international law responds to victims of international crimes and how legal systems can translate recognition of harm into meaningful forms of repair.

It also seeks to encourage collaboration among researchers and institutions working in international law. In addition, the conference aims to support emerging scholarship by providing a platform for postgraduate students, doctoral researchers and early-career scholars.

Conference Themes and Call for Abstracts

The NLU Delhi International Conference on Reparations invites doctrinal, comparative, theoretical and interdisciplinary research. However, submissions must remain firmly grounded in public international law and engage with relevant international legal norms, principles, jurisprudence or institutional practice.

The conference welcomes papers under the following themes:

Theme 1: Victim Identity and Recognition
This theme covers the identification and categorisation of victims of international crimes. Topics may include direct and indirect victims, individual and collective victimhood, victim participation and representation, and changing understandings of victim status.

Theme 2: Domestic, Hybrid and Regional Human Rights Approaches to Reparations and Victimhood
Researchers can examine how domestic courts, hybrid tribunals, regional human rights courts and other mechanisms address victims, remedies and reparations.

Theme 3: Reparations and Transitional Justice
This theme explores the relationship between criminal accountability and truth-seeking, reparations programmes, reconciliation, rehabilitation, memorialisation and guarantees of non-recurrence.

Theme 4: Victims, Reparations and Other Branches of International Law
Submissions may examine the relationship between international criminal law, international human rights law, international humanitarian law and the law of State responsibility.

Theme 5: Emerging Challenges in Victim Justice and Reparations
This theme covers new forms of harm, developments in reparations jurisprudence, institutional innovations, implementation and enforcement challenges, and unresolved questions about victim-centred justice.

Researchers, academics, practitioners, doctoral scholars and graduate or postgraduate students can submit abstracts of 600–800 words. The abstract should clearly explain the proposed paper’s central argument, contribution and methodology.

Submission Guidelines and Registration

The NLU Delhi call for abstracts requires submissions in English and MS Word format. Each abstract must contain the proposed paper title, author details, institutional affiliation, email address, contact information and a short biographical note of approximately 100 words for each author.

The abstract should also identify the research question or central problem, principal argument, relevant legal or theoretical framework, methodology and contribution to existing scholarship.

The formatting requirements are:

• Word limit: 600–800 words
• Language: English
• File format: MS Word
• Main text: Times New Roman, 12-point
• Line spacing: 1.5
• Footnotes: Times New Roman, 10-point, single spacing
• Citation style: OSCOLA 5th Edition
• Citations: Footnotes rather than endnotes
• Maximum authors: Two

Authors must also provide a declaration confirming that their work is original and has not been published or submitted elsewhere. The organisers have adopted a strict policy against plagiarism and AI-generated content.

Co-authorship is permitted for a maximum of two authors. Both authors must make a substantive contribution and must register separately by paying the applicable registration fee. At least one author or co-author must attend and present the paper.

How to Submit the Abstract

Authors should prepare their abstract according to the above requirements and submit it through the designated Google Form.

Submission Form:

Submit Abstract for the NLU Delhi Conference

The required file name is:

Surname(s)_ICLAbstract_2026_NLUD

The conference organisers will share details regarding registration and payment with selected paper presenters in due course.

Important Dates and Final Paper Guidelines

The NLU Delhi International Conference on Reparations follows the schedule below:

• Call for Abstracts: 7 September 2026
• Abstract Submission Deadline: 21 September 2026
• Notification of Acceptance: 25 September 2026
• Registration Deadline: 3 October 2026
• Full Paper Submission: 1 November 2026
• Conference: 14 November 2026

The conference will be conducted entirely online through Google Meet/Zoom. Selected presenters will join thematic sessions based on the subject and approach of their accepted papers.

Registration Fees

The registration fee is charged per person:

• Graduate/Postgraduate Students: ₹1,000
• Doctoral Scholars: ₹1,200
• Faculty Members and Professionals: ₹1,500
• Attendees without paper presentation: ₹500

The registration fee covers participation in the conference. The organisers state that selected papers may also be considered for publication in an edited book, subject to the applicable editorial and peer-review process. Presentation at the conference does not automatically guarantee publication.

Final Paper Requirements

Authors whose abstracts receive acceptance will be invited to submit a full paper. The suggested length is 5,000–6,000 words, including footnotes, and authors must follow OSCOLA 5th Edition.

The deadline for the final paper is 11:59 PM on 1 November 2026. Further instructions concerning formatting, presentation and publication will be communicated to selected authors.

For queries regarding the conference, participants can contact Dr. Garima Tiwari at:

The NLU Delhi International Conference on Reparations provides a focused research platform for scholars and students working on international criminal law, victim rights, reparations, transitional justice and related areas of public international law. With the abstract deadline set for 21 September 2026, interested authors should begin preparing their proposals early and carefully follow the submission requirements.