Women in International Law
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The Women in International Law Interest Group (WILIG) was created to promote and enhance the careers of women in the field of international law. WILIG not only supports women who are already in the field in order to allow the development of their full potential for achievement and leadership, but also supports, encourages, and enhances opportunities for others who are interested in entering the field of international law. In addition, WILIG works to promote awareness of gender in all areas of international law. WILIG sponsors panels and a luncheon at the ASIL Annual Meeting and recommends speakers and experts on a variety on international law topics. Through its online discussion forum, the Interest Group provides information on developments, programs, opportunities, and publications of interest to WILIG members. WILIG also recognizes the work of outstanding women in the field of international law with its Award for Prominent Women in International Law. These activities are coordinated by a 10-15 person Steering Committee, which meets several times per year.
Since 2013, hundreds of women from Tucson to Singapore have enrolled in ASIL's mentoring program as both mentors and mentees.
MENTEE and MENTOR applications ARE currently NOT being accepted. Please check back in summer 2025.
The 2025 call has ended.
The WILIG Prominent Woman in International Law Award honors those who have advanced women, gender, and women’s rights in international law. The diverse accomplishments of previous awardees demonstrate the multiple ways in which honorees achieve this recognition. Past awardees include judges of the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Tribunals, founders of women’s rights NGOs, business leaders, government officials, and scholars. Some of these women have broken glass ceilings in the field, others have worked tirelessly to promote women and women’s voices in international law, and still others have contributed substantively to advancing, researching, or advocating for women’s rights. Nominees for Prominent Woman in International Law will ideally meet some or all of the following criteria:
Awardees: Prominent Women in International Law Award 2024: Karima Bennoune, Lewis M. Simes Professor of Law at the University of Michigan 2023: Gillian Triggs, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Assistant High Commissioner for Protection with UNHCR 2022: Fatou Bensouda, Former Prosecutor, International Criminal Court 2021: Gabrielle Kirk McDonald 2020: Judge Elizabeth Odio Benito, Inter-American Court of Human Rights 2019: Tracy Robinson, University of the West Indies Faculty of Law 2018: I. Maxine Marcus, Director, Partners in Justice International 2017: Judge Rosemary Barkett, Judge, Iran-United States Claims Tribunal 2016: Elizabeth Andersen, Executive Director, American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative 2015: Anne-Marie Slaughter, President & CEO, New America Foundation 2014: Judge Joan Donoghue, International Court of Justice Judge Julia Sebutinde, International Court of Justice Judge Xue Hanqin, International Court of Justice 2013: Diane Marie Amann, University of Georgia School of Law 2012: Mireille Delmas-Marty, Chair of Comparative Legal Studies and Internationalization of Law at College de France 2011: Lucy Reed, Partner, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer; Former President, ASIL 2010: Dinah Shelton, Commissioner, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights; Professor, George Washington University Law School 2009: Unity Dow, Justice, High Court of Botswana 2008: Graciela Dixon, Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Panama 2007: Taghreed Hikmat, Judge, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda 2006: Rosalyn Higgins, President, International Court of Justice 2005: Regan Ralph, Executive Director, Fund for Global Human Rights Kelly D. Askin, Senior Legal Officer for International Justice, Open Society Justice Initiative Lea Browning, President, W.E.A.R.E. for Human Rights 2004: Cecelia Medina, Judge, Inter-American Court of Human Rights 2003: Hauwa Ibrahim, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow, American University Washington College of Law; Defense Counsel to Nigerian defendant Amina Lawal Sujata V. Manohar, Member, National Human Rights Commission of India; Former Judge, Supreme Court of India 2002: Patricia Wald, Former Judge, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Marcia A. Wiss, Partner, Hogan & Hartson 2000: Ruth Lapidoth, Professor, Hebrew University Faculty of Law 1999: Patricia Viseur Sellers, Legal Advisor for Gender Related Crimes and Senior Acting Trial Attorney in the Office of the Prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda 1997: Lea Browning, Hogan & Hartson Sujata V. Manoha, Director, International Centre for Ethnic Studies Ricki Helfer, Chair, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Sonia Picado, Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United States 1996: Patricia Schroeder, Member, U.S. House of Representatives Geraldine A. Ferraro, U.S. Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission Edith B. Weiss, President, American Society of International Law; and Professor, Georgetown University Law Center Diane P. Wood, Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit 1995: Cynthia C. Lichtenstein, Professor, Boston College of Law Laura Bocalandro, Inter-American Development Bank Rita E. Hauser, President, The Hauser Foundation Arvonne S. Fraser, U.S. Representative, UN Commission on the Status of Women 1994: Jamie S. Gorelick, General Counsel, U. S. Department of Defense Rosalyn Higgins, Professor, London School of Economics Madeleine E. Wall, Group Director, Legal Services Cable & Wireless PLC 1993: Charlene Barshefsky, Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Carol F. Lee, General Counsel, Export-Import Bank of the United States Elizabeth R. Rindskopf, General Counsel, Central Intelligence Agency Professional affiliations listed here reflect those that were current at the time the award was granted. WILIG welcomes updates or corrections to this list, as some of the awardees were unavailable for comment.
WILIG seeks nominations for its third biennial Scholarship Prize which will be awarded during 2024 and formally presented at the 2025 Annual Meeting. Submissions for the prize are due on May 30, 2024.
The WILIG Scholarship Prize highlights and promotes excellence in international law scholarship involving women and girls, gender, and feminist approaches. It recognizes innovative contributions to international law scholarship that theorize or utilize a feminist lens or lenses, highlight, and seek to address topics disproportionately affecting women and girls, or consider the impact of international law or policy on gender more broadly. The WILIG Scholarship Prize Committee may award up to two prizes: one for book length monographs or edited volumes, and the other for individual articles or book chapters. Nominators may only nominate one book or article per cycle. Self-nominations are welcome. Submitted works will be assessed based on the following criteria:
2023: Indira Rosenthal, Valerie Oosterveld, and Susana SáCouto, Gender and International Criminal Law (OUP, 2022); Catherine O’Rourke, Women’s Rights in Armed Conflict under International Law (CUP, 2020) Irini Papanicolopulu (inaugural awardee), Gender and the Law of the Sea (Brill, 2019) WILIG and the Harvard International Law Journal are pleased to present this special series.
 Clicking the icon in the upper corner of the video below will expand the full playlist. Group Officers Co-Chair
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Freya Baetens
Chad Farrell Stuart Ford Stefan Kirchner Philipp Kotlaba
Massimo Lando
Vladyslav Lanovoy Sara Ochs Lisa Reinsberg Julia Sherman
Meg deGuzman
Nienke Grossman Lucia Solano Ashley Belyea Cindy Buys
Kathy Roberts
Lauren Hughes Andrea Prasow Mayeen Mohammedi |
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