Professor Armand de Mestral, CM, who passed away on June 16, 2023 at aged 81, was a prominent legal scholar and professor at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, and a deeply respected founder of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law.
He was well-known for his expertise in international trade and investment law and his commitment to sustainable development, as well as his key contributions to European law, humanitarian law, and the law of the sea. He was a member of the Faculty of Law at McGill for many years, where he held the position of Jean Monnet Chair in the Law of International Economic Integration and played a pivotal role in the development and teaching of international trade law and related subjects.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Professor de Mestral was actively involved in research, writing, and consulting on matters related to international trade law and policy. He published extensively on various aspects of international trade, including trade agreements, dispute settlement mechanisms, regional trade integration, and the interaction between trade and other areas of law, earning him widespread recognition and respect. His leading work included Sustainable Development, International Aviation, and Treaty Implementation co-edited alongside Paul Fitzgerald, Md. Tanveer Ahmad, and part of the acclaimed Cambridge University Press Series Treaty Implementation for Sustainable Development. His work has influenced both academia and the practice of law, and he continues to be a highly regarded authority in the field.
He served as a consultant to governments, international organizations, and private entities, providing legal advice and analysis on trade-related issues. He was also involved in trade negotiations for Canada and participated in the resolution of trade disputes. For his contributions, he was made Member of the Order of Canada in December 2007. In February 2018, he was appointed to Canada’s Chapter 19 (Trade Remedies) NAFTA Rosterfor a ten-year mandate. In December 2018, he was appointed to the CETA Chapter 24 (Trade and Environment) Roster for the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
Professor de Mestral – Armand – was a founding member of the CISDL Board of Governors as well as being active in the International Law Association, and many other international law institutions and initiatives. He was a significant voice of reason and understanding for the Centre’s fledgling decades, regularly providing sage advice and guidance. With others including the International Law Association, we remember him as someone who inspired and supported young scholars, not just by setting an example from afar, but in nurturing and collaborating with talented researchers around the world.
Armand will be very much missed in our community, in international law generally, and beyond.
We offer our sincerest condolences to his family and all those who loved him,
CISDL Board of Governors