With armed conflicts intensifying and international rule of law under increasing pressure, UNB law is becoming an increasingly active voice in the worldwide discussion on humanitarian and international law.
Dr. David Matyas, an assistant professor and founding member of UNB's International Law Group, joined the faculty just over two years ago, bringing both academic expertise and frontline humanitarian experience. Before becoming a lawyer, he worked in Niger, Senegal and the United Kingdom with a major international NGO. That work continues to shape his research and teaching.
"I loved the work," said Dr. Matyas, "but I eventually felt that the tools I had to engage with the more intractable challenges I was seeing on the ground were not enough. I wanted to explore how law shapes humanitarian assistance and how practice can inform the development of law."
Today, Dr. Matyas teaches courses including international humanitarian law (IHL) and the law of disasters and emergencies. His professional background aligns closely with this year's New Brunswick International Humanitarian Law Conference, organized by UNB's student-led International Law Society in collaboration with the Canadian Red Cross and the Gregg Centre, and the International Law Group.
A timely discussion for an increasingly complex global landscape
For Dr. Matyas, the relevance of this year's theme the protection of civilians during armed conflict is clear.
"We are living at a time when the laws governing armed conflicts are being tested in new and significant ways," said Dr. Matyas. "Some of the most acute challenges relate to the protection of civilians. You can point to examples from Sudan to Ukraine, Afghanistan to Gaza, instances where legal protections offer only a thin veneer of safeguards to populations in situations of unfathomable precarity."
He noted that while civilian protections are well established in law, significantly more needs to be done to live up to the ambitions of those rules.
"This conference gives students and our broader community space to examine how those protections work and where they fall short," said Dr. Matyas.
A partnership with deep roots
UNB has co-hosted conferences with the Canadian Red Cross for two decades. The partnership supports the organization's mission to raise awareness of international humanitarian law and foster national dialogue about the rules governing armed conflict.
"It is always a pleasure to collaborate with UNB law students every year to plan this conference" said Fanny Dagenais-Dion, international humanitarian law co-ordinator with the Canadian Red Cross. "It offers students a valuable opportunity to learn more about IHL and to engage with the important legal and humanitarian issues that arise in situations of armed conflict."
She added that the conference helps foster future lawyers who are informed about these challenges and committed to understanding the role of law in upholding humanity during war.
"At a time when armed conflicts continue to affect civilians disproportionately, creating spaces to discuss and promote IHL remains more important than ever."
Students at the centre
Student scholarship and leadership play a significant role in bringing the conference to life. Co-presidents of the UNB's International Law Society (ILS) and second year law students Pinar Nacakli and Phoebe Bergerson have been working closely with Dagenais-Dion and were instrumental in selecting this year's theme.
"UNB's International Law Society and the Red Cross have a long tradition of selecting topics that matter to the public," said Nacakli. "We chose the protection of civilians during armed conflict because it reflects a conversation people are eager to have right now, and it is an issue that draws on many disciplines."
The conference is divided into two parts: the first features presentations from Red Cross and the Canadian Armed Forces, and the second involves a panel of UNB Law students, showcasing research papers that they had written as part of Dr. Matyas's international humanitarian law class.
Topics will include:
- IHL and the protection of civilians;
- AI & the modern battlefield;
- The use of social media evidence in prosecuting violations of international humanitarian law;
- The targeting of nuclear power plants in contemporary conflicts; and
- The laws governing special operations forces in active conflict zones.
Together, these topics highlight the complexity of protecting civilians in modern warfare and illustrate why humanitarian law remains essential, even when its limitations are clear.
"In international humanitarian law, we are operating at the very edge of what legal regimes can do," said Dr. Matyas. "For lawyers working in these fraught contexts, it is unfortunately no surprise that shortcomings persist. But what is endlessly inspiring is the tireless work of practitioners, academics and students like the incredible ones here at UNB organizing and presenting at this conference in challenging those shortcomings."
The New Brunswick IHL Conference is free and open to the public. It will be held on Friday, March 27, 2026, from noon to 3 p.m. on UNB's Fredericton campus in the Law Building, room 2A/B.
