In Inside the World’s Highest Court: Testing the Limits of International Justice, Christijana Holmes recounts her personal experience attending the International Court of Justice (ICJ) hearing on April 28th, 2025, concerning Israel’s blockade of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. As a law and international relations student, Holmes shares the emotional and intellectual significance of witnessing proceedings at the world’s highest court, where 40 nations, the UN, and multiple NGOs brought forth a case accusing Israel of violating international law by restricting access to essential resources. The author reflects on powerful testimonies delivered by representatives from the United Nations and Palestine, who argued that Israel’s actions amount to war crimes and ethnic cleansing, with civilians being deliberately starved and stripped of basic rights.
Holmes underscores the limitations of international justice, particularly the non-binding nature of ICJ rulings and the broader failures of global governance in holding states accountable. The experience reinforces her commitment to advocacy and human rights, while also prompting deep reflection on privilege, selective justice, and the need for structural reform in the UN system. The article concludes with a compelling call to action for young people to stay informed, engage in political discourse, and speak out against injustice. Holmes’s narrative bridges personal awakening with urgent political realities, offering a poignant reminder that silence and neutrality in the face of mass suffering are forms of complicity and that law, when used ethically, can be a powerful tool for change.
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ART4RESILIANCE Seminar: Reflections by Olga Nefedova, VIA Community Member
Today, in a time of growing worldwide uncertainty, distrust in political powers, an overwhelming future on a changing planet, and personal pressure- it's harder than ever to build resilience within yourself and within your community. It's difficult to stay mindful, aware, and take care of yourself and the people around you. This is why we all gathered in Cagliari, Italy, for the "Art4Resilience" seminar to talk about how to find this strength and what tools we can use, particularly art.
I was very excited to be able to take part in this program because as a textile artist and a young person, I'm eager to search for ways to combine art and protest, creation and community, and how to implement it in my work.
During the seminar, I had an opportunity to meet great people from all around the world who generously shared their diverse experiences and backgrounds. Artists, teachers, activists, youth workers, and many others contributed their unique perspectives on the world, art, community, and how people exist within it.
In the first few days after coming together, we had a chance to meet each other, learn about the topic, and reflect on the current situation in the world. For that, we had many insightful discussions, group research, and even created our own collages to explore our dystopias more deeply - and then our utopias. This was a first step in looking deeper at what brings distress to our lives and where we can find hope and strength. We also had a great chance to visit Galleria del Sale to explore powerful, resistant artworks by a Cagliari street artist and then also become a part of it by bringing our own vision to the walls of beautiful Cagliari.
After communal reflection, sharing, and finding common ground on things that bring distress to our lives, we started on our art group projects. This wasn't easy, as we still had to learn a lot about collaboration, connection, and working together for the common good.
It was an amazing opportunity to work with others on our projects, and I believe we created some beautiful things and uncovered many different but touching topics. We engaged in a magnificent performance with dancing and storytelling about the relationship between humans and nature and how beautiful we are within it - and therefore have to protect and cherish it.
It was fascinating to see the use of natural materials in creating an artwork and the discussion around the actual cacti growing near our venue. Participants used these gifts from nature to reflect on how we build communities and connect with other people, and how sometimes our own "spikes" can become a way to connect after careful work.
It was also brave to touch on the topic of art and resistance, as we created stickers that called for action against the acute problem of militarism on the island of Cagliari and around the world.
I myself had a chance to facilitate a session where we all reflected on the ways we overcome our difficulties and how even though we are so different and come from such different backgrounds, we are still just humans looking for support and connection. We wrote letters to each other - but at the same time to the whole world - and thus created a communal artwork that can stand as a symbol of empowerment and resilience as a community.
This week was eye-opening and brought me even more inspiration and confidence in my desire to explore art as one of the most powerful tools for building resilience and youth empowerment. I intend to bring this insight and inspiration to my future work and art journey.
I as well was thinking about adding a quote at the end, taken from one of the letters that were written however letters were anonymous and I don’t know who does it belong to as well if it fits the article overall? So yeah, may not be the great idea
“If life is a fight, you know how fighting can be beautiful, adventurous, challenging, and true”.