Call for Abstracts: "International Conference on Climate Change, Justice and Human Rights"

The International Conference on “Climate Change, Justice and Human Rights” invites scholars, researchers, practitioners, and advanced graduate students to submit abstracts for paper presentations. The conference will take place in Yerevan, Armenia, on 15–17 April 2026 and will bring together representatives of academia, civil society, policy institutions, and international organizations to critically examine the interlinkages between climate change, justice, human rights, and security.

The conference adopts climate justice as its overarching analytical framework, examining how climate change interacts with human rights, governance, accountability, and security through the lenses of inequality, power asymmetries, historical responsibility, and differential vulnerability. Particular attention will be paid to how climate-related harms disproportionately affect marginalized communities, children, and future generations, and how justice-oriented responses can address these structural imbalances.

It is jointly organized within the framework of the Right Livelihood “Climate and Conflicts: Redress and Prevention” project, implemented by the Global Campus Caucasus (Center for European Studies (CES), Yerevan State University) in cooperation with the Global Campus Central Asia, and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence in European Studies: Democracy, Human Rights and Security (DeHuRiS, CES).

Conference Themes

Abstracts may address theoretical, empirical, comparative, or policy-oriented research related to (but not limited to) the following themes:

1. Climate Change, Environmental Degradation, and Human Rights
   Climate impacts as multipliers of inequality and injustice; human rights implications of environmental degradation; impacts of climate change on children’s rights to health, education, food, water, and development; climate-induced displacement, environmental harm, and the protection of affected populations, including children in displacement contexts.

2. Climate Justice, Accountability, and Governance
   Justice-based approaches to climate adaptation and mitigation; accountability for climate-related harm; human rights–based climate policies and legal frameworks; climate litigation and strategic human rights cases; state obligations under international human rights and environmental law, including extraterritorial obligations; access to justice and effective remedies; and loss and damage as a core concern of climate justice.

3. Climate Change, Security, and Conflict Prevention
   Climate risks, political instability, and conflict dynamics; climate-security nexus in fragile and post-conflict contexts; climate-informed peacebuilding strategies.

4. Regional and International Climate Action
   EU climate diplomacy and external action; climate justice and human rights in regional contexts; localization of international climate frameworks.

5. Intergenerational Justice and Future-Oriented Governance
   Rights of future generations; youth participation; children as present rights-holders affected by climate injustice today; the relationship between child rights law and intergenerational equity; legal and institutional mechanisms for representing the interests of children and future generations; intergenerational equity, sustainability obligations, and long-term responsibility in climate governance.

The conference particularly encourages submissions that adopt human rights–based, justice-oriented and critical analytical approaches, engaging with normative, legal and ethical dimensions of climate governance.

The working languages will be English and Armenian. Simultaneous English–Armenian interpretation will be provided throughout the conference.

Abstract Submission Guidelines

• Length: 250–300 words
• Keywords: 4–6
• Language: English
• Format: MS Word or PDF
• Content: Abstracts should clearly state the research question, methodology, and main argument or findings.

Important Dates

• Abstract submission deadline: 20 February 2026
• Notification of acceptance: 10 March 2026
• Conference dates: 15–17 April 2026

Publication Opportunity

Following the conference, selected authors will be invited to submit full papers to a special issue of the Journal of Political Science: Bulletin of Yerevan University.

• Full paper submission deadline: 15 June 2026
• Planned publication: September–October 2026

All submissions will be subject to the journal’s standard peer-review process.