Board Member Spotlight: Shiva Amiri

Name: Shiva Amiri

Occupation: Barrister, Solicitor & Managing Counsel Amiri Law Firm Professional Corporation, Diversity & Inclusion Officer, IBA - Human Rights Law Committee

Predominant practice area: International human rights, climate justice and environmental harm, gender-based persecution, immigration and refugee law, and domestic and international family law.

What is one issue facing the practice of international law, generally and/or in your area of international law?

"A central challenge facing international law is the growing gap between well-established legal norms and their consistent enforcement in practice. While international human rights and humanitarian law frameworks remain robust, institutional mechanisms, particularly within the United Nations system, are not always able to respond effectively to serious violations.

The use and threatened use of the United Nations Security Council veto has, in some

instances, constrained collective responses to situations involving grave breaches of

international law, including those affecting vulnerable populations. This can weaken

deterrence, limit accountability, and affect confidence in the international legal system.

There is increasing attention to how existing legal principles - including Charter obligations,

peremptory norms, and treaty commitments inform the exercise of such powers. Strengthening the alignment between legal frameworks and institutional practice remains an important and ongoing challenge for the field."