Just Access

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Martin Perron , a lawyer and developer at the Government of Canada, about how Rules as Code can transform the way we understand and use law. Martin explains how encoding legislation can help identify gaps, run simulations, and even power trustworthy government chatbots. He reflects on the promise of democratizing access to legal knowledge, shares...

In this episode, we speak with Martin Perron , a lawyer and developer at the Government of Canada, about his unconventional path from law school to leading-edge work on Rules as Code . They explore how coding and law can be combined to make legislation clearer, more accessible, and more trustworthy. Martin also reflects on the potential of neuro-symbolic AI in legal applications and offers candid...

In this second part of our compelling discussion on peace and ceasefires, Dr. Miranda Melcher continues the conversation with Dr. Marika Sosnowski and Dr. Sanja Badanjak to explore the evolving landscape of ceasefires and peace agreements. They reflect on key trends from the 2024 data in the PA-X Peace Agreements Database, including the growing shift from comprehensive peace agreements to more fra...

In this episode of the Just Access podcast, host Dr. Miranda Melcher dives into the complex world of ceasefires with two leading experts: 🧠 Dr. Marika Sosnowski , legal scholar and author of Redefining Ceasefires: Wartime Order and Statebuilding in Syria , and 📊 Dr. Sanja Badanjak , Data Director at PeaceRep and Chancellor’s Fellow at the University of Edinburgh Law School. Together, they explor...

In this second half of our conversation, Dr. Miranda Melcher speaks with Professor Dr. Chidi Oguamanam about the critical intersections of intellectual property, indigenous knowledge systems, and access to justice. Building on Part 1, this episode dives deep into the concept of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), its origins in the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the real-world implicat...

In this powerful first part of our conversation, Dr. Miranda Melcher speaks with Professor Dr. Chidi Oguamanam—legal scholar, researcher, and global voice on sustainable bio-innovation, indigenous knowledge systems, and knowledge governance. Professor Oguamanam explores how intellectual property law is fundamentally an access to justice issue , drawing on his lived experience in rural Africa, his...

In this episode of the Just Access podcast, host Dr. Miranda Melcher speaks with Luca Brocca , a master’s student in European Studies at KU Leuven and a long-time member of Just Access. Luca discusses his journey from academic theory to impactful practice in the human rights field through his work with Just Access. Luca has worn many hats in the organization over the past two years: from legal int...

In Part 2 of our compelling conversation, Professors Jane Bailey and Valerie Steeves continue to unpack the complex realities of surveillance, privacy, and children’s rights in the digital age. Building on their extensive research and advocacy through The eQuality Project, they explore how tech design, gender, and systemic bias intersect in online environments—and what it means for youth today. To...

In this thought-provoking episode, we speak with Professors Jane Bailey and Valerie Steeves, co-leaders of The eQuality Project, a pioneering initiative focused on young people’s experiences of privacy and equality in digitally networked environments. Part 1 of our conversation dives into how surveillance is normalized in educational and social media contexts, why that matters for youth, and what...

In this second part of our conversation with the Just Access Strategic Litigation team, Dr. Miranda Melcher continues her in-depth discussion with Dr. Tom Sparks and Dr. Lucas Sanchez about Just Access’s groundbreaking communication to four UN Special Rapporteurs. The communication addresses critical gaps in Germany’s climate change adaptation policies, specifically regarding children’s rights and...

In this powerful episode, Dr. Miranda Melcher is joined by Dr. Tom Sparks (Director of Just Access) and Dr. Lucas Sanchez (Head of Strategic Litigation at Just Access) for the first part of a two-part conversation exploring the intersection of climate change adaptation , children’s rights , and international law . Together, they break down a groundbreaking communication that Just Access is submitt...

🎙️ Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher 🎙️ Guest: Professor Elisa Morgera, UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change In this second part of our conversation with Professor Elisa Morgera, we dive deeper into the intersection of climate change and human rights, particularly focusing on the vulnerability of children. We also explore: 🌍 How industries contribute to climate change and the role of regulation 👶 The...

🌍 Episode Summary: In this episode of the Just Access Podcast , Dr. Miranda Melcher sits down with Professor Elisa Morgera to explore the critical intersections between climate change and human rights. As the UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change, Professor Morgera provides a deep dive into her role, the challenges of addressing climate change through a human rights lens, and the need for stron...

In this episode, Dr. Miranda Melcher continues her insightful discussion with Amy Rose, the Global Director of Litigation, Governance, and Legal Services at ClientEarth. Amy shares her expertise on the evolving landscape of climate litigation, the challenges of systemic change, and the innovative strategies used to address the world’s most pressing environmental issues. From groundbreaking human r...

In this episode of the Just Access Podcast, host Dr. Miranda Melcher speaks with Amy Rose , the Global Director of Litigation, Governance, and Legal Services at ClientEarth . ClientEarth is a world-leading environmental organization that uses the law to tackle pressing environmental challenges. In this first part of their conversation, Amy shares her journey into law—from her beginnings in politic...

Show Notes: Just Access Podcast, Season 3 Launch (Part 2) In this special episode of the Just Access Podcast, host Dr. Miranda Melcher dives into inspiring conversations with Dr. Tom Sparks, Director of Just Access, and Cvetanka Kiroska, Head of Projects. This episode continues the Season 3 launch in celebration of International Human Rights Day and the podcast's second anniversary. Highlights of...

🔔 Episode Summary: Welcome to Season 3 of Just Access ! As we celebrated our two-year anniversary and International Human Rights Day, we bring you a special two-part episode exploring the mission and origins of Just Access. In this first part, host Dr. Miranda Melcher sits down with Dr. Mark Somos , the founder of Just Access and a leading figure in human rights law. Mark shares his powerful jour...

In this insightful continuation of our conversation with Bora Un and Anna Schroeder from Art Works Projects (AWP), we delve deeper into the organization’s impactful work in human rights storytelling. Building on the foundation set in the previous episode, we explore their current projects, collaborative processes, and lessons learned from years of advocacy through visual storytelling. Key Highligh...

In this episode, Dr. Miranda Melcher sits down with Bora Un, the Managing Director, and Anne Schroeter, the Impact Consultant, from Art Works Project (AWP), a nonprofit dedicated to visual advocacy and human rights storytelling. Bora and Anne share their passion for visual storytelling as a tool for change and provide insights into how AWP works on various impactful projects. Key Highlights:: Intr...

In this episode, our host, Dr. Miranda Melcher, speaks with Dana Rösiger, a talented photographer and human rights advocate, who collaborates with NGO’s like DISCOVER FOOTBALL , Equal Playing Field or Women Win , fighting for a world in which girls and women can do sports without being discriminated against. Dana shares her unique perspective on documenting human rights issues through photography...

In this episode, our host, Dr. Melcher, is joined by Dr. Christopher Robertson, a professor at Boston University, and Dr. Louise King, an assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Together they explore groundbreaking research recently published by these two co-authors in the Emory Law Journal. The article, titled "Structural Sex Discrimination: Why Gynecology Patients Suffer Avoid...

In this episode, we continue the conversation with Ida Manton about her work as a trainer and scholar in the field of negotiations, mediation, and conflict management. In the first part of the interview, we discussed her career and work in this field, and in this episode we talk about where she sees the biggest gaps in access to justice and ways we can work to address them. Key Highlights: Negotia...

In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking to Ida Manton about her work as a trainer and scholar in the field of negotiations, mediation, and conflict management. In this first part of the interview, we discuss her career and work in this field, and in our second episode with Ida, we will talk about where she sees the biggest gaps in access to justice and ways we can work to address them. K...

In this episode, we have the pleasure of speaking to Mary Lawlor, who is currently Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in 2020. She is also the founder of Frontline Defenders and has had various positions with Amnesty International. We talk about her remarkable career and and everything she's done for human rights. Key Highlights: What are Human R...

In this episode, we have the pleasure of continuing the conversation with Dr. Ashfaq Kalfan, who is the Director of Climate Justice at Oxfam USA. We continue our conversation from the previous episode, where we talked more about his career, focusing on socio economic human rights, and moving into strategic climate litigation. And here we go into more detail about climate justice, what is happening...