Michael Kirby was a Justice of the High Court of Australia between 1996-2009. He had many engagements in the international law – especially in the field of human rights. In 2010, he has been appointed to two new international bodies and these will be the focus of this lecture. First, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations in London (Khamalesh Sharma) has appointed him to an Eminent Persons Group on the future organisation of the Commonwealth of Nations, its Secretariat and mechanisms. Secondly, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme in New York (Helen Clark) has appointed him to be new Global Commission on HIV and the Law. This body will address legal obstacles to the effective tackling of the epidemic, including intellectual property law that increases substantially the costs of urgent anti-retroviral therapies, and criminal laws that target vulnerable groups such as men who have sex with men, injecting drug users and sex workers. This lecture will explain certain common themes and explore the new dimensions of internationalism and global human rights.

When: Friday 20 August, 3.30pm

Where: New Law School Lecture Theatre 101, Camperdown campus, The University of Sydney