Profile

Collaboration with research users

Member of the editorial boards of Human Rights Law Review

Member of the Steering Committee of the International Consortium of NGOs and Academic Institutions on States' Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations, 2007 - 2018

Chair of the Steering Group for the Maastricht Principles on Human Rights for Future Generations - 2018 - present

Advisory Board member for project “Innovations in Peace Building” jointly run by Christian Michelsen’s Institute (Bergen, Norway) and Denver University, USA. 2015 – 2017

Member of the AHRC Peer Review College - 2009 - 2012

President of FIAN International (Human Rights Organisation on the Right to Food) - 2006 - 2008

Led an Expert Seminar was organised with the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights around her work on "Extraterritorial human rights obligations in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights", Geneva, April 2005.

Chair of the Board of the Oxford based company Rights and Accountability in Development (2003-2006).

Consultancy work for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2001-2002) on Human Rights and Extreme Poverty.

Consultancy work for the International Council for Human Rights Policy (2002) on human rights obligations in relationship to international assistance and cooperation and economic, social and cultural rights.

Presented her work on the IMF and the World Bank to the World Bank's Lawyers' Forum, 2001

Conference and seminar papers

Selected conference participation:

“Bringing rights into balance, and bringing rights and the environment into balance” Paper to be presented at British Academy funded international conference on “The Realization of Human Rights in Societies Beyond Growth” at University of Essex, 30 April – May 1 – 2024.

“Can the application of economic, social, and cultural rights be a tool for sustainable development to ensure the human rights of future generations?” at conference in Ghent, Belgium entitled “The Universal Declaration of Human Rights at 75: Rethinking and Constructing its Future Together”.

“Economic and Social Human Rights and Sustainable Development”, presented at Conference on Human Rights and Sustainable Development Lancaster University 14 – 15 July 2023

“The obligation to prevent human rights violations”, paper presented to conference organised by the University of Edinburgh Law School, the Northern UK Universities human rights network. February 20, 2023

Keynote address to webinar on “10^th Anniversary of the Maastricht Principles on States’ Extraterritorial Obligations in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights”, Septe,ber 2021 (online)

“Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations – a Necessity in the Age of Re-emerging Nationalism?” Paper presented at University of Zurich, Faculty of Law, conference entitled “Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations in the Age of Reemerging Nationalism – Are They Really Justified?” 21 – 22 November, 2019

"Thinking human rights globally: on accountability at the international level”, Roundtable presentation at ‘Accountability Now’ – conference organised by the German Institute for Human Rights, and the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Berlin, May 2015

“The Potentials of the SDGs and post-2015 Agenda for Implementing the Right to Development”, paper presented at the Prince Claus Chair Roundtable on the Right to Development coming up on 27 May 2015, The Hague

“Challenges to implementation of Economic and Social Human Rights in times of economic austerity”, paper presented at China University of Political Science and Law, March 2015

"Invitation or no invitation – is that the question? Extraterritorial human rights obligations of States and Non-state actors engaging in public activity in a foreign state” Paper written with Dr. Gearoid O Cuinn and presented at the ISA conference in Toronto, March 2014

Expert participant at meeting adopting the Maastricht Principles on States' Extraterritorial Obligations in the Area of Economc, Social and Cultural Rights, Maastricht, Setpember 2011.

Presented the 4th Volume of Freedom from Poverty and Human Rights: Law's Duty to the Poor, at launch at the UN Human Rights Council, Geneva, 9 June 2010. Conference organiser: UNESCO.

"Extraterritorial Obligations in the Context of Land-Grabbing", paper presented at the conference "The Global Land Grab and Human Rights", organised by The Human Rights and Humanitarian Law Programme, the Graduate Institute, Geneva and 3D, Geneva, 16 May 2009

"Violations from abroad? The role of foreign states and transnational corporations in abuses of indigenous peoples' rights", Paper presented at University of Liverpool, 31 Janaury 2009

"How Relevant is Robin Hood? The Human Right to Health in a Global Perspective", paper presented at Faculty of Law, University of Bergen, 23 November 2008

"State Responsibility, Causality and Transnational Human Rights Obligations", paper presented at the ESF-Exploratory Workshop on Transnational Human Rights Obligations in the Field of Economic,Social and Cultural Rights, Tilburg University 24-26 January 2008

"States and their obligations in a globalised world", Keynote speech at "Human Rights without Borders - What are Obligations for Germany?", conference organised by Bread for the World, Eed, and FIAN, Berlin, 9 November 2006

"Extraterritorial obligations and the national implementation of the right to food", paper presented at the Expert Seminar on National Implementation of the Right to Food, organised by the Max Plank Institute for Comparative and International Law; the FAO; and FIAN International; Heidelberg, September 11-12, 2006.

"Economic Rights and Extraterritorial Obligations", paper presented (with Prof. Mark Gibney) at the conference Economic Rights: Conceptual, Measurement, And Policy Issues, at the Human Rights Institute, University of Connecticut, October 27th-29th 2005

"International Assistance and Cooperation and an Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights", paper presented at the High Level Experts Seminar on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Organised by the French Foreign Office, Nantes, 5-7 September 2005.

"Economic Development, Financial Resources, Market Systems: A Right to Adequate Food Approach" paper presented at the International Workshop: Policies Against Hunger IV: Implementing the Voluntary Guidelines. Organised by the German Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Nutrition and Agriculture, Berlin 14 - 16 June 2005.

"Implementation of the Millennium Goals: Human Rights Obligations of Wealthy Countries", paper presented at the conference UN Millennium Goals and Human Rights, organised by Rights & Democracy, Ottawa, 8-9 June 2005.

"Extraterritorial human rights obligations in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights", Paper presented at Expert Seminar at the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, April 2005.

"The role of the international financial institutions in a rights-based approach to the process of development". Paper presented at the Nobel Symposium, Oslo, October 13 - 15, 2003.

"Human Rights at Home or Abroad? - States' operations through International Institutions", paper presented at the international conference entitled "Global Governance and the Search for Justice", organised by Sheffield University, Department of Law, April 29 - May 1, 2003.

"The duty to co-operate internationally through international institutions." Conference entitled "International states' obligations under economic, social and cultural rights", organised by FIAN-Germany, 4 April 2003.

"The Right to Development: Accountability for Whom?">Paper presented at the Finish Institute of Human Rights, Turku, Finland, on the occasion of the annual meeting of European Human Rights Institute, May 22-24, 2002.

"The Human Rights Obligations of the World Bank and the IMF", paper presented at the conference on "World Bank, IMF and Human Rights", organised by Globus, Institute for Globalisation and Sustainable Development of Tilburg University, CEDAR (Centre for Dignity and Rights) and the Netherlands School of Human Rights Research, 11-13 October 2001.

"The European Fundamental Charter in light of European and International Human Rights", paper presented at the European Communities Studies Association's Biennial Meeting, Madison, Wisconsin, 31 May - 2 June, 2001

"Poverty and Human Rights: a critical assessment of the UN initiatives", paper presented at the World Bank Lawyers' Forum, Washington DC., 16-17 May, 2001.

Selected Speaking invitations:

“Challenges to International Law in the 21^st Century”, paper presented at Renmin University Law School, Beijing; Tsinghua University Law School; Wuhan University Law School; South China University of Technology Law School; April 2014

“Addressing the accountability gap: the role of states, international financial institutions and TNCs in light of human rights violations” Paper presented to Amnesty International hosted conference, Stockholm, November 2010.

“Foreign Policy and Human Rights violations: Complicity or impunity?”Paper presented at University of Leicester, November 26 2010

Invited as participant at the expert meeting on “Guidelines on Human Rights and Poverty Eradication” organised by the UN Independent Expert on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights; hosted by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva 20-21, 2010.

"Violations from abroad? The role of foreign states and transnational corporations in abuses of indigenous peoples' rights", paper presented at University of Liverpool, 30 January 2009

"Complicity or Impunity: States' responsibility for the human rights effects of their foreign policy", paper presented at Queens University, Belfast, 26 February 2008

"The World Bank, the IMF and Human Rights" paper presented at University of Nottingham, 20 March 2006

Lectures given over two days at the European Union's Master Programme in Human Rights and Democracy, Venice, 20-21 October 2004

"Beyond National Borders: States' Extra-territorial Human Rights Obligations", paper presented at University of Essex, Centre for Human Rights, 19 February 2003

"Globalisation and its discontents: Human Rights and the Challenges of an Integrated World", paper given at University of North Carolina at Asheville, 28 October 2002

"States' transnational human rights obligations", speaking invitation for seminar at University of Liverpool, 29 November, 2001

"Economic and social human rights as part of a comprehensive human rights perspective". Lectures to be given at University of Bergen Law School, November 21 and 22, 2001

Invited to participate at World Bank roundtable on the revision of the World Bank's operation directive on indigenous peoples, Washington DC, 15-16 November, 2001

"Human Rights and Poverty", Guest Lecture at the University of Bergen, 20 April, 2001

Career Details

Sigrun Skogly received her first degrees from the University of Oslo , and College of Europe in Bruges. She graduated from the University of Essex with an LL.M in International Human Rights Law in 1988. Her Doctoral Degree is from the Faculty of Law at the University of Oslo . Her doctoral dissertation studied the human rights obligations of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund from a public international law perspective. She has worked for research institutions and non-government organisations in the fields of human rights and development in the United States , Norway and elsewhere in Europe. She currently holds a Visiting Professorship at University College Buskerud, Norway.

In recent years her research has focused largely on extraterritorial human rights obligations of states, and she is a founding member of the Consortium on Extraterritorial Human Rights Obligations. For further information, please visit: http://www.etoconsortium.org/

She has also since 2018 been centrally involved in an expert network preparing and adopting the "Maastricht Principles on Human Rights of Future Generations". For further information, please visit https://www.rightsoffuturegenerations.org/the-principles/english

Research Interests

International Law, International Human Rights Law - in particular human rights obligations and economic, social and cultural rights, Law of International Institutions; Human Rights of Future Generations; Susainable Developement

Research Overview

Professor Skogly's main research interest lie in International Law, International Human Rights Law - in particular human rights obligations and economic, social and cultural rights, Law of International Institutions. I recent years she has focused her research on states' extraterritorial human rights obligations, and Human Rights of Future Generations.

PhD Supervision Interests

Professor Skogly welcomes applications in the broad fields of Public international law; International Human Rights Law; Economic, social and cultural rights; International human rights obligations; Extraterritorial human rights obligations; International institutional law

Current or recent topics covered in PhD supervision: The Right to Water as a Human Right. The Implementability of the Right to Water. Foreign Direct Investment and Human Rights WTO. Human Rights and the Right to Health in Thailand. The Right to Participation in Human Rights. Indigenous Peoples and International Law. Language rights of immigrant minorities. International law, internal conflict and the duty to protect.The right to development and poverty. Trafficing in women in international law and the United Arab Emirates. Economic variables and the right to social security. Rights of Women in Pakistan. Discrimination in the right to education - experience from a European setting