From enormous political donations and influence on US government policy to dominance in shaping narratives on social media, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has been the most prominent of a number of billionaires and companies impacting the course of democracy and the rule of law.
In this podcast, Mark Stephens CBE, Co-Chair of the IBA’s Human Rights Institute, George Havenhand, Senior Legal Researcher at Spotlight on Corruption, and Courtney Radsch, Director at the Centre for Journalism and Liberty, discuss the issues and what needs to be done to safeguard against undue influence.
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Rules and registers: reckoning with beneficial ownership
Laws around beneficial ownership – identifying the ultimate owners of corporate entities - are intended to be a tool to provide transparency and to combat corruption, terrorist financing and other human rights abuses. However, such legislation and related proposals have been criticised by some as disproportionate and sometimes contradictory to other rights. Meanwhile, legal professionals must increasingly navigate growing due diligence and reporting requirements and regulatory scrutiny in this area.
In this podcast, compiled from a session at the IBA’s Annual Conference, our speakers consider the issues:
Mark Stephens, Co-Chair, IBA Human Rights Institute;
Babatunde Ajibade, Chair, IBA Section on Public and Professional Interest; and
Greg McIntyre, former President, Law Council of Australia.
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The Trump effect
Radical changes in US policy under the presidency of Donald Trump, from foreign aid to global trade and beyond, are having a profound impact on the rest of the world. This Global Insight podcast explores the implications for the rule of law, international relations and global security.
With:
Mary O’Connell, Robert and Marion Short Professor of Law, Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame, Indiana
Heela Rasool-Ayub, Director, Planetary Politics initiative, New America think tank
Kim Lane Scheppele, Laurance S Rockefeller Professor of Sociology and International Affairs at Princeton University, New Jersey
Ken Murphy, Immediate Past Chair, IBA Bar Issues Commission; former Director General, Law Society of Ireland
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Afghanistan: confronting gender apartheid
Afghanistan: confronting gender apartheid
The Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in 2021 after the sudden withdrawal of Western forces, implementing an interpretation of strict Sharia law that has especially affected women and girls.
Since then, international relations have worsened. In early 2025, the ICC sought arrest warrants for Taliban leaders over gender-based persecution, prompting Afghanistan to withdraw from the court, condemning the action as baseless and politically motivated. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to bring a case to the International Court of Justice over alleged violations of a UN anti-discrimination treaty. A Taliban spokesperson has stated that the Taliban respect women’s rights in accordance with their interpretation of Islamic law and local customs.
In this Global Insight podcast, our speakers consider the situation in Afghanistan, described by some as ‘gender apartheid’.
With:
Fawzia Amini, former Afghan Supreme Court judge, now in the UK
Tamana Paryani, Afghan women’s rights activist based in Germany
Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur on Afghanistan
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Climate finance
The need for financial assistance for developing nations to address the effects of the climate crisis and to transition to low-carbon economies continues to grow. But the specifics on how much and how to implement this have been the subject of intense negotiation.
At the 29th UN Climate Change Conference (COP29), what’s known as the New Collective Quantified Goal was agreed on after negotiators agreed to raise $300 billion a year in climate finance – triple the original $100 billion target – by 2035. However, this figure doesn’t account for inflation, and some feel it still falls short of what is needed to tackle the severity of the crisis.
Podcast speakers:
David Waskow, Director of the International Climate Initiative at the World Resources Institute, Washington, DC
Harjeet Singh, Global Engagement Director of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, New Delhi
Emily Morison, Project Lawyer, IBA Legal Policy & Research Unit
Acerca de International Bar Association: Global Insight podcast
IBA Global Insight's podcast series covers a variety of themes in law, business and human rights, and features high-level speakers.
The content within IBA Global Insight podcasts does not represent the views of the International Bar Association.
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