Call for Papers: International Conference on Leaving No One Behind - Law, Justice and Inclusive Governance in an Age of Global Transformation [Hybrid, Bengaluru; 19-20 November 2026]

Presidency School of Law, Presidency University, Bengaluru is holding a two-day International Conference on Leaving No One Behind: Law, Justice and Inclusive Governance in an Age of Global Transformation on 19 and 20 November 2026 in hybrid mode.

The call opens with a direct proposition: the world is changing faster than the law that governs it. Artificial intelligence is entering courtrooms, workplaces and welfare offices, millions of people are on the move as refugees and migrants, populations are ageing, climate change is displacing communities, and personal data has become both an asset and a vulnerability. In the middle of all this stand the people whom legal systems have historically served the least. Taking the United Nations 2030 Agenda's promise that no one will be left behind as its starting point, the conference asks whether law is keeping that promise to the most vulnerable, and if not, what must change.

The conference is aligned with SDG 5, SDG 10, SDG 13, SDG 16 and SDG 17, and deliberately brings family law, criminology, data protection, migration and technology law onto one platform on the view that all of them are working on the same problem: how legal systems include or exclude people.

The conference is organised around five broad themes; the sub-themes listed in the brochure are indicative and not exhaustive.

• Theme 1 - Women, Children, Gender and Sexuality: Equality Before the Law. Gender justice and constitutional equality, violence against women and children including technology-enabled abuse, women and the care economy, child rights and children in digital spaces, child labour and trafficking, LGBTQI+ persons and the law, discrimination in employment and healthcare, queer families and family law reform, algorithmic bias and gender equality, and reproductive rights and bodily autonomy.
• Theme 2 - Social Welfare, Disability and Ageing: The Inclusive Welfare State. Rights to health, food, housing and education from text to delivery, social security for gig and informal workers, digital welfare systems and exclusion errors, welfare scheme evaluation, implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, legal capacity and inclusive education, rights of older persons, the digital divide, demographic transitions, and assistive technologies.
• Theme 3 - Refugees, Migration and Displacement: People on the Move. The 1951 Refugee Convention at seventy-five, non-refoulement and pushbacks, statelessness and the right to nationality, protection in non-signatory countries, refugee women and children and SOGI-based claims, internal and development-induced displacement, climate-related displacement, labour migration and trafficking, border surveillance technology, and biometric governance and data protection.
• Theme 4 - Climate Justice, Environmental Governance, Vulnerability and Sustainable Development. State obligations after the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change, the right to a clean and healthy environment, climate litigation, just transition and green jobs, environmental displacement, biodiversity and community rights, corporate accountability, ESG and greenwashing, energy transition and climate finance in the Global South, indigenous communities and traditional knowledge, and adaptation and resilience.
• Theme 5 - Technology Governance, Privacy, Intellectual Property and Digital Justice. Comparative approaches to regulating AI, algorithmic discrimination, AI in courts and policing and liability for automated harms, comparative data protection and surveillance, digital privacy for vulnerable populations, authorship and IP in the age of generative AI, the 2024 WIPO Treaty on genetic resources and traditional knowledge, the UN Convention against Cybercrime, victimology and prison reform, and forensic science, digital evidence and fair trial rights.

While doctrinal and theoretical papers are welcome, preference will be given to work built on empirical analysis, field studies, surveys, case studies and comparative studies across countries. The organisers particularly encourage research that examines how laws operate in practice, in courtrooms, welfare offices, refugee camps, care homes, workplaces and online spaces. Policy-oriented studies that evaluate existing laws or institutions and offer evidence-based reform recommendations are also invited. Papers are welcome from scholars of law, political science, social work, public policy, economics, technology and related disciplines, from India and across the world.

Abstracts must be emailed to icljig2026@gmail.com with the subject line "Abstract Submission - ICLJIG 2026", and must comply with the submission guidelines in the brochure.

• A maximum of two co-authors is permitted per paper, and every author intending to attend or to receive a certificate must register separately.
• No presentation in absentia is permitted; at least one author must attend and present the paper in the designated session.
• All submissions must be original and will be put through plagiarism screening. The similarity index must not exceed 10 per cent, excluding references, quotations and bibliography.
• The use of generative AI tools for language assistance or research support must be disclosed where applicable. Papers lacking substantial human authorship, originality or academic integrity may be rejected at any stage.

The registration fee is payable per author or participant once the abstract acceptance notification is received, and registration is confirmed only on receipt of the fee. It is non-refundable and non-transferable.

• Academicians, faculty members, professionals, policymakers, legal practitioners and industry experts: Rs 2,000 (Indian delegates) or USD 25 (international delegates)
• Research scholars: Rs 1,500 or USD 18
• Students: Rs 1,000 or USD 12

The fee covers participation in all technical sessions, the conference kit, certificates, refreshments and lunch for in-person participants. The organisers state that the fee has been kept deliberately affordable to encourage broad participation. International fees are approximate equivalents of the Indian fees, rounded for ease of payment.

Registered presenters whose papers are accepted and presented receive a Certificate of Presentation, printed for in-person presenters and electronic for online presenters. Registered participants who attend without presenting receive a Certificate of Participation. No travel allowance, daily allowance or accommodation support is provided, though information on accommodation near the campus is made available on request.

Presidency University, Bengaluru was established under the Presidency University Act, 2013, is recognised by the UGC and is accredited with NAAC 'A' Grade. Presidency School of Law is approved by the Bar Council of India and offers B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) and B.B.A. LL.B. (Hons.) programmes, LL.M. programmes and a Ph.D. programme. The School has been named Best Emerging Law College in India in the India Today Best Colleges Survey 2025, holds an AAA+ rating in the Careers360 India's Best Law Colleges 2025 listing, and was ranked among the top four law colleges in Karnataka in the CSR Rankings 2024.