First Congress of the RIEK Network – 2026
“Hans Kelsen and the Vienna School: Public Law, Peace, and Democracy”
Description
The First Congress of the RIEK Network – 2026, entitled “Hans Kelsen and the Vienna School: Public Law, Peace, and Democracy,” brought together researchers and scholars in legal theory from the Latin American and European spheres with the aim of reflecting on the contemporary relevance of the thought of Hans Kelsen and other representatives of the Vienna School in current debates on public law, peace, and democracy.
The First RIEK Conference 2026 constituted a forum for rigorous academic exchange, promoting dialogue and scientific cooperation among universities and research centers.
The Congress represented a decisive milestone in the institutional consolidation of the Ibero-American Network for the Study of Hans Kelsen and the Vienna School of Legal Theory (RIEK).
As part of the event, the Inaugural Meeting of the RIEK was held, during which the foundations of its federated structure and its international academic projection were presented. Reunión Inaugural de la RIEK, en la cual se presentaron las bases de su articulación federada y de su proyección académica internacional.
Venue and Dates
Day 1 – February 4, 2026
Bogotá D.C., Universidad Externado de Colombia – Room I 604
Day 2 – February 5, 2026
Medellín, Plaza de la Libertad Civic Center – Main Auditorium
Day 3 – February 6, 2026
Medellín, Plaza de la Libertad Civic Center – Main Auditorium
Organizing Universities
- Universidad Externado de Colombia
- Universidad Autónoma Latinoamericana
- Universidad de Antioquia
- Universidad EAFIT
Academic Cooperation and Institutional Support
The Conference benefited from the academic cooperation of:
It also received support from:
- Embassy of Austria in Colombia
- Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Colombia
- DAAD Colombia
- Faculty of Law and Administration, University of Łódź (Poland)
- City of Medellín – District of Science, Technology and Innovation
- Alexander von Humboldt Cultural Institute
- Goethe-Institut
- Palestra Publishing House
Organizing Committee
General Coordination
Gonzalo Villa-Rosas (RIEK)
Academic Coordination and Regional Articulation
David Sierra Sorockinas (Universidad Autónoma Latinoamericana – UNAULA)
Local Coordination – Bogotá
Jorge Camilo Restrepo Ramos (Centro de Investigación en Filosofía y Derecho – Universidad Externado de Colombia)
Local Coordination – Medellín
Ana María Londoño Agudelo (Universidad de Antioquia)
David Orrego Fernández (Universidad de Antioquia)
Juan David Franco Daza (Universidad EAFIT)
Nataly Vargas Ossa (Universidad Autónoma Latinoamericana – UNAULA)
Web Development
Research Groups: Administrative Law & INGECO – UNAULA
RIEK — 2026
Responsable técnico del sitio web:
Luis Felipe Ortiz-Clavijo
Medellín, Colombia
Institutional Dossier of the First RIEK Conference – Spanish Version (PDF)
Photographic Record
The following images correspond to the activities held on February 4, 2026, at Universidad Externado de Colombia, within the framework of the First RIEK Congress and the Inaugural Meeting of the Ibero-American Network for Studies on Hans Kelsen and the Vienna School of Legal Theory.
I. First RIEK Conference
The following images document various academic and institutional moments of the Conference held at Universidad Externado de Colombia.
Opening Session of the First RIEK Conference.
Universidad Externado de Colombia, Bogotá, February 4, 2026.
Opening Session of the First RIEK Conference.
Universidad Externado de Colombia, Bogotá, February 4, 2026.
Organizing Committee of the First RIEK Conference.
Universidad Externado de Colombia, Bogotá, February 4, 2026.
II. Inaugural Meeting of the RIEK Network
The following images correspond to the Inaugural Meeting of the RIEK Network, during which the institutional architecture of the project was presented and the letters of intent for the international establishment of the RIEK Network and for the establishment of the RIEK-Colombia Chapter were signed.
Inaugural Meeting of the RIEK Network.
Universidad Externado de Colombia, Bogotá, February 4, 2026.
Signatories of the Letter of Intent for the Establishment of the RIEK Network.
Universidad Externado de Colombia, Bogotá, February 4, 2026.
Universidad Externado de Colombia, Bogotá, February 4, 2026.
All photographs: © Santiago Sánchez, Communications Office, Universidad Externado de Colombia, 2026.