John Balouziyeh to Moderate a Panel on Human Rights and the Nuclear Legacy of the Marshall Islands

Curtis Partner John Balouziyeh will moderate a webinar convened by the International Bar Association (IBA) on Wednesday, 1 July 2026 addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realization of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands stemming from the nation’s nuclear legacy. The webinar marks 80 years since the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was opened for signature on 1 July 1968. H.E. Dr. Hilda Heine, President of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, will deliver the opening keynote, with closing remarks by Mark Stephens CBE, Co-Chair of the IBA Human Rights Institute.

Between 1946 and 1958, the United States conducted nuclear detonations in the Marshall Islands that led to environmental contamination, the forced displacement of communities, and severe long-term health consequences, including elevated cancer rates and congenital abnormalities. The panel will bring together world-leading international law experts to examine prospective legal avenues for pursuing redress and remediation, including petitions to the US Congress for environmental contamination remediation; enforcement of awards issued by the Nuclear Claims Tribunal; proceedings before the International Court of Justice; and treaty-based claims under instruments such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Joining Mr. Balouziyeh as panelists will be Augustine Sokimi, Legal Counsel at the Permanent Mission of the Marshall Islands to the United Nations; Raphael Pangalanga, Human Rights Officer at the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Alka Pradhan, Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law; and Sarah Gouia, Associate at Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP.

The discussion aims to chart a path forward — turning legal possibility into legal reality so that justice, remediation, and reparation are not aspirations spoken at anniversaries, but commitments the international community is prepared to honor.

The webinar, which is free and open to the public, will be held on 1 July 2026 at 15:00 New York / 20:00 London / 21:00 Geneva (07:00 RMI on 2 July). For details and to register, visit https://www.ibanet.org/conference-details/CONF2887.