From Genocide to Ecocide: 20 Years of R2P and Expanding the Scope of Protection

From Genocide to Ecocide: 20 Years of R2P and Expanding the Scope of Protection marks a pivotal moment to reflect on two decades of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) and its evolving relevance in a rapidly changing global landscape.

This thought-provoking event will explore how R2P has shaped international responses to mass atrocities, and how its principles are being reimagined to confront emerging threats such as climate-induced harm and environmental destruction.

Keynote speaker Mr Esala Nayasi, Deputy Secretary General, Strategic Policy and  Programming of the Pacific Islands Forum, will discuss the Pacific states' ongoing commitment to R2P. DSG Nayasi will provide an insider perspective on these regional engagements, including: 

(i) the PIF2024 submission to the International Court of Justice, given his lead role in presenting this submission before the Court, and 

(ii) the Pacific-led initiative to include ecocide in the Rome Statute.

This forum welcomes all, and invites scholars, policymakers, and advocates to consider the future of global protection norms in an era of complex crises and engage with one of the Pacific region's foremost diplomats in this regard.

Mr Esala Nayasi will be joined by Professor Katrina Lee Koo, Head of School, School of Political Science and International Studies, The University of Queensland and Dr Sarah Teitt, Director, Asia-Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, UQ.

Date: Thursday 30 October 2025
Time: 5:15–7pm. The event will commence with a reception from 5:15–6pm (light refreshments provided), followed by the discussion 6–7pm. 
Location: Abel Smith Lecture Theatre (23), UQ St Lucia (view map)

Enquiries:
Centre Manager, Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect 
Telephone: +61 7 3346 6435
Email: r2pinfo@uq.edu.au 

Banner image credit: The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat