What kind of just world is possible today? Come and think about it with us at the conference on Global Justice
October 26–28, Dejusticia and TREES come together to gather in Bogotá, inviting academia, civil society, and international institutions to consider, from the perspective of the Global South, how to rebuild a more just world order.
Wars that defy international law, a warming planet, and persistent inequalities: today’s major problems know no borders, and justice cannot remain confined within them either. From October 26 to 28, the Dejusticia think tank and TREES will host a conversation in Bogotá on how to build a more just world. The event is open to the public, with prior registration here.
The rules that for decades sought to contain war, protect rights, and distribute the planet’s burdens with some measure of equity are crumbling. There are powers that disregard international law, increasingly weak multilateral organizations, and a climate crisis that hits hardest those who contributed least to it. Amid all this, what do we owe one another across borders? That is what global justice is all about. And that is what we will be discussing later this month.
The program includes six panel discussions and a keynote address by Geri Augusto, a U.S. expert on global affairs, on land, water, and stories as the foundations of global justice and solidarity. Participants include, among others, José Antonio Ocampo (Columbia University), Rodrigo Uprimny (Dejusticia), Steve Price-Thomas (Oxfam International), Pedro Vaca Villarreal (former OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression), and Yuvelis Morales Blanco (2026 Goldman Environmental Prize winner). The event is in-person, open to the public with prior registration, and will feature simultaneous English-Spanish interpretation during all sessions.
What is global justice?
For a long time, justice was viewed as an internal matter for each state. But in an interdependent world, many of the decisions that shape people’s lives are made far from their home countries: in financial markets, on technology platforms, within multilateral organizations, or through the policies of major powers.
That is why global justice asks what responsibilities states, international institutions, corporations, and other actors have in the face of problems that no single nation can solve on its own: inequality among countries, war, the climate crisis, migration, and the concentration of digital power. It also asks how the burdens and benefits should be distributed in a deeply asymmetrical world order.
This conference addresses these questions from the perspective of the Global South. That means placing at the center those who suffer most from the consequences of this unequal world order and who have had the least say in shaping it. One example illustrates this clearly: between 1990 and 2019, the richest 1 % of the world’s population emitted 23 % of greenhouse gases, compared to 16 % from the poorest 50 %. However, it is people with the lowest incomes who are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
Why discuss it today?
The rules-based world order and international law are under attack. Several powerful states are eroding the limits on the use of force, while the multilateral frameworks created to guarantee peace, security, justice, and rights continue to be weakened. At the same time, various countries are turning toward authoritarian and far-right governments.
The consequences are being felt on all fronts:
- Human Rights: The international human rights system is losing institutional and financial strength, and its discourse is losing legitimacy among the communities that have traditionally turned to it.
- Inequality: Deep social and economic disparities persist within and between countries, exacerbated by regressive tax systems and tax evasion by large corporations and high-income individuals.
- Climate and Regions: Global temperatures have already risen by 1.2 °C compared to preindustrial levels, and the energy transition threatens to usher in new forms of mineral extraction in the Global South.
- Digital World: The concentration of power in large platforms, disinformation, and hyper-surveillance expand the capabilities of authoritarian control.
- Care: Millions of women make a living through precarious care work, while the demand for care is growing due to the aging population.
In the face of this crisis, there is an urgent need for spaces where we can explore and promote alternatives. This conference aims to be one such space: a place where we can ask ourselves how to envision and plan for global justice, and where participants can take away new ways of thinking and ideas to continue advancing social justice in their own spheres.
Our Schedule
All sessions open to the public are held at Room W-102 at the University of Los Andes (Block W, Carlos Pacheco Devia Building, located at 19A Street No. 1-37 East).
Day 1: Monday, October 26
The conference runs from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. with the panel Theoretical Foundations of Global Justice, which will address what justice demands beyond national borders and how to distribute burdens and benefits in an asymmetrical global order. Participants include Steve Price-Thomas of Oxfam International; Lilibeth Cortés Mora of the JEP; and Rodrigo Uprimny of Dejusticia. Moderator: Maryluz Barragán of Dejusticia.
From 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.. the panel continues Rethinking the State and Multilateralism to Address Global Challenges, a reflection on the role of states and of a changing multilateralism—with new actors such as the BRICS and South-South cooperation—in a fragmented and multipolar world. Participants include Basma Eid of ESCR-Net—International Network for Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights; Camilo Sánchez of the University of Virginia School of Law; and Sandra Borda of the Universidad de los Andes. Moderator: Diana Guzmán of Dejusticia.
Day 2: Tuesday, October 27
The second day runs from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. with the panel Toward a Fair Global Digital Order, which will explore how to harness digital technologies and artificial intelligence for human well-being under fair conditions. Participants include Vitória Oliveira of ARTICLE 19; Pedro Vaca Villarreal, OAS Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression; and Liam Herrick of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. Moderator: Vivian Newman of Dejusticia.
From 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. It will be the panel Environmental Justice, on who makes decisions about territories and how communities’ knowledge can pave the way for resolving socio-environmental conflicts. Participants include Yuvelis Morales Blanco, 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize laureate; Lyla Mehta, from the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex; and Mario Pérez Rincón, from the CINARA Institute at the University of Valle. Moderator: Oscar Vargas, from the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.
The day ends from 5:00 to 6:15 p.m. featuring a keynote address by Geri Augusto of Brown University on land, water, and stories as the foundations of global justice and solidarity.
Day 3: Wednesday, October 28
The last day runs from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. with the panel Global Tax Justice, which will discuss how to build equitable, progressive, and transparent tax systems in the face of tax evasion and tax competition among countries. Participants include José Antonio Ocampo of Columbia University; María Emilia Mamberti of Torcuato Di Tella University; and José Manuel Castro of Externado University. Moderator: Mariana Matamoros of Dejusticia.
The closure, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., It will be the panel Facing the Care Crisis: How Do We Reimagine the World Through the Lens of Care?, on how to redistribute care and resources to overcome gender inequality and bring this issue to the forefront of national and regional agendas. Participants include Vasna Ramasar from Lund University (Sweden); Verónica Moreno Uribe from the University of Veracruz (Mexico); Kripa Basnyat from the ILO Nepal; and Alma Espino from the Interdisciplinary Center for Development Studies (Uruguay). Moderator: Margarita Martínez of Dejusticia.
¡We're looking forward to seeing you!
Global justice is not a distant debate or one reserved exclusively for experts: it plays out in the taxes we pay, the air we breathe, who cares for others and who is cared for, and what we see and say online. That’s why we want this conversation to be broad and diverse. Attend the sessions that interest you most, bring your questions, and join the discussion.