3rd International Conference of the Jean Monnet Module on European Union Insurance Law: Challenges in the SDG Era
10–11 July 2025 | NOVA School of Law
The main objective of this annual conference is to provide a forum where academics, professionals, non-governmental organisations, the cooperative and social sector, and government agencies with an interest in insurance can meet to discuss topics of mutual interest, with particular emphasis on public policy recommendations regarding the role of insurance in promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This initiative seeks to generate knowledge and raise awareness of the role of insurance in safeguarding the equal enjoyment of human rights and achieving SDGs, in line with the core values of the European Union.
In 2025, this annual conference will be dedicated to SDG 1: Eradicating Poverty.
Insurance plays a crucial role in the fight against poverty, offering financial protection against unforeseen events such as illness, accidents and natural or human-made disasters. Access to insurance enables vulnerable populations to maintain a basic standard of living and avoid falling into cycles of poverty. However, a range of legal, economic, social or geographical barriers can limit access to insurance products. Strengthening public policies and creating legal frameworks that promote the provision and accessibility of insurance can be effective solutions to extending this financial protection and making a meaningful contribution to global poverty reduction. Insurance can also serve as an important tool in protecting populations most vulnerable to the economic and financial impacts of climate change, while fostering resilience and adaptation practices, thereby contributing to a society better prepared to face climate challenges.
Therefore, contributions exploring the intersections between SDG 1 and other SDGs – particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) – are especially welcome.
Organization
Coordinators: Margarida Lima Rego, Maria Elisabete Ramos.
Scientific Committee Members: Claire Bright, Fabrizio Esposito, Joana Campos Carvalho, Martinho Lucas Pires and Soraya Nour-Sckell.
Location and date
The main conference will be held in a hybrid format, with in-person sessions being held at NOVA School of Law. The conference will take place on 10 July 2025.
On 11 July 2025, a series of additional and related discussion panels featuring young scholars and practitioners will take place at the auditorium of the Autoridade de Supervisão de Seguros e Fundos de Pensões (ASF). All conference participants are welcome to attend these sessions either online or in person at no additional cost
Programme
10 July
Location: Amphitheatre A, NOVA School of Law
8:30 am – 9:00 am | Welcome desk and accreditation
9:00 am – 9:30 am | Opening ceremony
- Welcome: Margarida Lima Rego, Dean NOVA School of Law
- Guest of honour: Margarida Corrêa de Aguiar, President of the Board of Directors of the Insurance and Pension Funds Supervisory Authority (ASF)
Preferred language of communication: Portuguese
9:30 am – 10:30 am | 1st keynote speaker
«Insurance as an instrument for the prevention of poverty in a post-catastrophic scenario»
- Francisco S. Espejo Gil, Deputy Manager, Studies and International Relations, Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros (Spain)
- ASF’s perspective: TBA
Preferred language of communication: Portuguese/ Spanish.
Debate and Q&A
Coffee break and poster session
11:30 am – 12:30 pm | 1st Discussion Roundtable
The point of view of the market
Moderator: Maria Elisabete Ramos
- António Castanho, CA Vida
- Rui Leão Martinho, MPS)
- Virgílio Lima, Montepio
Preferred language of communication: Portuguese.
1:00 pm – 1:30 pm | Paper presentation
«Microinsurance as an instrument for socioeconomic development»
- Lídia Maria Ribas and Fernanda Ramos Konno, Master student, Univ. Federal Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Preferred language of communication: Portuguese.
Debate and Q&A
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm | Lunch break
2:30 pm – 3:30 pm | 2nd keynote speaker
«Using insurance for natural catastrophe loss prevention»
- Franziska Arnold-Dwyer, University College London
Discussant: Lucila de Almeida, NOVA School of Law (to be confirmed)
Preferred language of communication: English.
Debate and Q&A
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm| Paper presentations and young scholars conference prize
Moderator: Margarida Lima Rego
PhD candidates:
«From mutuality to risk contracting: why insurance can help eradicate poverty»
Elise Nicoleta Valcu and Bogdan Radu, Romania
«ODS 3, conceção jurídica e novas tecnologias nos seguros de vida e saúde»
Anthony Novaes da Silva, Brazil; Carlos Acosta Olivo, Peru
Conference Awards Ceremony
- Margarida Lima Rego, Dean NOVA School of Law
Debate and Q&A
Coffee Break
5:00 pm – 5:30 pm | Saúde e bem-estar: a voz da AIDA Europa
- Maria Luísa Muñoz Paredes, AIDA Europe
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm | 2nd Discussion roundtable
The point of view of the market
Moderator: Maria Elisabete Ramos
(to be confirmed)
6:30 pm – 7:30 pm | 3rd keynote speaker
«O resseguro como um direito humano»
- Christina S. Ho, Rutgers University
Debate and Q&A
14 July
Location: Auditorium ASF: Autoridade de Supervisão de Seguros e Fundos de Pensões, Av. da República, 76, 1600-205 Lisbon
9:00 am – 1:00 pm | Presentations by PhD and Master Students
Moderator: Maria del Val Bolivar Oñoro
PhD candidates:
- «Pessoas com deficiência e acesso aos seguros de saúde privados: Desenvolvimentos recentes em Espanha, Willbemis Jerez Rivero
- «Proteger a biodiversidade, proteger a saúde: o papel dos seguros na proteção da vida na terra», Vítor Boaventura Xavier
Master students:
The adoption of measures to combat exclusion from health care by the insurance sector:
- «Combater a exclusão em razão da idade», Ana Sofia Pereira
- «Combater a exclusão no domínio da saúde mental», Rita Calado e Ana Carolina Silva
Ongoing debate and Q&A
Instructions for submission: abstracts, papers and posters
Attention: in 2024, for the main conference on 11 July, the organizers will only consider submissions specifically related to insurance and SDG 8. We also welcome interventions exploring links between SDG 8 and other SDG, notably 7, 9, 11, and 12. With the aim of increasing the links between young and senior scholars and professionals worldwide, all posters related to Insurance Law and any SDG will be considered.
Timeline
- Deadline for submission of abstracts: 31 March 2024
- Successful applicants will be informed no later than 31 May 2024
- Deadline for submission of full papers and posters: 1 July 2024.
- Conference publication (keynote speakers and communications): December 2024.
All submissions should be sent by email to EUInsLSDG@novalaw.unl.pt
For more information, selection criteria and submission instructions, please click on the button below.
Registration
The standard conference fee is 100 euros.
For remote participants, this fee is reduced to 50 euros.
Members of AIDA benefit from a special reduced fee of 50 euros.
Registration is free for students and persons with disabilities (proof of status required).
All selected speakers must register for the conference, but their participation will be free of charge.
The conference does not cover expenses for travel and accommodation, except for keynote speakers.
Conference Prize for Oral Presentations
This award is intended for early-career researchers, including PhD students and those who have obtained their doctorate within five years of the conference date. The prize consists of €500 and a certificate. One prize may be awarded per edition of this annual conference, at the discretion of the judging panel, and may be shared in the event of a tie. The panel reserves the right not to award a prize if entries do not meet the expected standard.
Applicants must indicate their interest in the prize when submitting an abstract and provide the date of enrolment in their doctoral programme or the date of their doctoral defence. The winner must provide official proof of enrolment in the PhD programme or of the date of their doctoral defence.
If accepted to the competition, candidates must submit an anonymised version of their full thesis by 15 June 2025.
Contacts
To register and/or request more information, please contact info@aida-portugal.org
Funding: This Conference forms part of the Jean Monnet Module “EU Insurance Law: Challenges in the SDG Era” (ref. no. 101085125), funded by the European Union (Erasmus+ Programme)
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