The Ukrainian Catholic University has inaugurated the Louis B. Sohn Research Centre

On 27-28 February, the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv hosted the inaugural conference ‘International Law, Responsibility and Justice for Ukraine,’ dedicated to the establishment of the Louis B. Sohn Research Centre.

The event was organised by the Faculty of Law of the Ukrainian Catholic University in cooperation with the EU Project Pravo-Justice and the Asser Institute. The conference aimed to discuss current developments in international law in the context of Russian aggression against Ukraine and challenges to the international legal order and the national legal system, and to present the mission and activities of the newly established Centre.

Representatives of Ukrainian public authorities, international organisations, civil society initiatives working in the sphere of international law and human rights, as well as the academic community, participated in the conference.

Over two days, a series of panel discussions focused on Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine as a global challenge to the international legal order, on the role of international law and courts in ensuring fair peace for Ukraine, on the constitutional basis and legislative paths to justice and peace, and on accountability for environmental crimes. One of the panels focused on a realistic reassessment of approaches to holding perpetrators accountable for international crimes.

Presentation of the Louis B. Sohn Research Centre, a newly established research unit within the Faculty of Law at the Ukrainian Catholic University, was an important item on the agenda. As an expert platform, it will focus on researching, analysing and overcoming the challenges associated with the ongoing war and post-war reconstruction in Ukraine, bearing in mind the global context. A dedicated panel at the conference was about Louis B. Sohn, a renowned international lawyer born in Lviv. The participants learned about his life and professional legacy.

It was a symbolic gesture when Tetiana Shevchenko, First Deputy Head of the State Archival Service of Ukraine, presented the leadership of the newly established Centre with a copy of Louis B. Sohn’s birth certificate and his diploma from the Faculty of Law in Lviv, which was a valuable historical contribution to the academic legacy associated with his name.

Dmytro Sherenhovskyi, Vice-Rector at the Ukrainian Catholic University, emphasised that the inauguration of the Research Centre is a response to the profound challenges faced by the international legal order today.

“Today, international law faces many challenges. The question is whether it can withstand these tests of international aggression, as it has in the past. But an even bigger question is whether we can imbue it with moral substance in order to prevent impunity for mass crimes. If aggression remains unpunished, if mass crimes have no legal response, we are eroding the very idea of international law, the idea of a rule that limits power and directs it towards public service rather than public destruction. Universities and academies cannot remain neutral — they must be spaces of moral stance, knowledge and practices that serve truth, solidarity and human dignity. The establishment of a research centre is our institutional response to these challenges, because justice without institutional continuity is fragile,” emphasised Dmytro Sherenhovskyi.

Olha Denkovych, Head of the Centre, shared her hope that this meeting would become another important space for the collaborative search for new anchors — those of justice, accountability, security, and the rule of law.

“The university’s mission is public service. The Faculty of Law serves this mission not only by educating a new generation of lawyers, but also by participating in the processes transforming society. The research centre is an expert platform, a hub where legal responses to the challenges associated with the war will be developed and analysed,” she said.

Sébastien Surun, Deputy Ambassador of France, reaffirmed France’s unwavering support for Ukraine and highlighted the central role of accountability and international law in responding to Russia’s aggression.

““France stands firmly with Ukraine. Since the beginning of Russia’s aggression, our support has been military, humanitarian, financial and political - but it has also been legal. Justice is a value, a principle that makes life and cooperation between humans and societies possible. International justice as an institution is also central to a rules-based international order, in every dimension of international exchanges,” he said.

He also emphasised, how “national judicial institutions must play a central role, with the support of partners and following the Euro-Atlantic path Ukraine has chosen.”

Oksana Tsymbrivska, Team Leader at EU Project Pravo-Justice, emphasised that the practice of holding perpetrators accountable requires not only institutional capacity, but also proper doctrinal reflection.

“In this context, the inauguration of the Louis Bruno Sohn Research Centre is a timely step. The Centre will become part of the accountability infrastructure – a space where doctrine and practice can work together. On behalf of EU Project Pravo-Justice, I sincerely congratulate the Ukrainian Catholic University on the inauguration of this Centre. I am convinced that the Centre’s efforts will help Ukrainian legal science not only to comprehend international law, but also to participate in its development, thus establishing Ukraine as an active player in this field,” she emphasised.

Gabriela Radu, junior legal researcher at the Asser Institute, emphasised that the inauguration of the Centre at the Ukrainian Catholic University is an important step towards strengthening the academic community and developing international legal expertise in Ukraine.

“Investing in education, scientific research, and strong academic and intellectual communities is one of the key traditions of justice. Therefore, by supporting the opening of this Centre and its future activities, bringing together Ukrainian and international scholars and practitioners, and involving students and the wider community in these events, we hope that Ukraine will be able to shape the future of international law, rather than the other way around,” she said.

Iryna Mudra, Deputy Head at the Office of the President of Ukraine, also participated in the conference. She delivered a speech on Ukraine’s role in creating effective mechanisms to hold Russia accountable for the crime of aggression and other grave international crimes – the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression, the International Compensation Mechanism, and the return of kidnapped Ukrainian children.

The event concluded with a special city tour – Lviv and International Law, on which participants visited places associated with the lives and work of outstanding international lawyers of the 20th century – Raphael Lemkin, Hersch Lauterpacht and Louis B. Sohn.

The conference also featured an exhibition entitled ‘Confessions in a Prison Cell,’ created by the NGO New Ukrainian Narratives under a grant from the EU Project Pravo-Justice. It is a visual and documentary project dedicated to Ukrainian civilians who are unlawfully detained by Russia. The exhibition focuses on 20 stories of teachers, volunteers, retirees, journalists, medical professionals and mothers who did not take part in combat operations but were kidnapped or detained by the occupation authorities.

The inaugural conference marked not only the official launch of the Louis B. Sohn Centre, but also served as a platform for a profound professional discussion on the future of international legal order, mechanisms of accountability for the crime of aggression and international crimes, as well as the role of the Ukrainian legal community and the national legal system in building a fair peace and post-war reconstruction of the state.