Over the nine years of its existence, the Kharkiv International Legal Forum has established itself as one of the most prestigious international legal platforms in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. The forum has become a meeting place for leading scholars, judges, representatives of government agencies, international organizations, the legal business sector, and the professional legal community, bringing together thousands of participants from around the world to address the pressing legal challenges of our time.
Since its founding in 2017, nine Kharkiv International Legal Forumshave been held, attracting more than 15,000 participantsand featuring approximately 1,000 world-class speakers and experts who shared their knowledge and practical experience.
The forum has become a truly international platform for professional dialogue, bringing together representatives from 50 countries around the world.The participants came from four continents, including Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Greece, Georgia, Denmark, Estonia, Israel, India, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Canada, China, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Moldova, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, the United States of America, Taiwan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Finland, France, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Sweden, and Japan.
Over the years, the Forum’s program has steadily expanded to include more than 250 professional events,including international conferences, panel discussions, roundtables, workshops, training sessions, expert sessions, presentations of scientific research, and special thematic events. Each year, the program is designed to address the most pressing challenges of our time — ranging from issues of the rule of law, constitutionalism, and international justice to digital transformation, artificial intelligence, environmental security, international humanitarian law, Ukraine’s post-war recovery, and European integration.
An important component of the Forum’s success is its strong network of partners. Over the past nine years, approximately 250 partner organizations — including international institutions, government agencies, professional associations, universities, research centers, law firms, and civil society organizations — have joined in organizing and hosting events.
The Forum’s prominence on the international stage is ensured by the participation of representatives from leading international organizations and institutions. Over the years, speakers and participants have included representatives of the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the European Union, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Court of Human Rights, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine), the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the European Public Law Organization (EPLO), the Danish Institute for Human Rights, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, the International Law & Arbitration Association (BILA), and many other international academic and professional organizations.
Over the past nine years, the Kharkiv International Legal Forum has become a platform for professional discussion of the most important legal issues of our time, the establishment of new international partnerships, the presentation of innovative research, and the development of practical recommendations for the advancement of the law. The Forum has taken on particular relevance since the start of the Russian Federation’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, becoming one of the leading international platforms for discussing issues of international humanitarian law, documenting war crimes, international criminal justice, Ukraine’s recovery, and strengthening the rule of law.
Today, the Kharkiv International Legal Forum is much more than just an annual academic event. It is a prestigious international platform that unites the global legal community around shared values—the rule of law, the protection of human rights, the development of legal scholarship, and international cooperation—making a significant contribution to shaping the modern legal order and strengthening international academic partnerships.