Jubilee: The Public Debt Dilemma

On March 31, 2026, NYU Law will host “Jubilee: The Public Debt Dilemma,” a one-day conference on the escalating global public debt and development crises. Inspired by the 2025 Jubilee Report commissioned by Pope Francis, the event features prominent economic and legal thinkers, including Martín Guzmán, Lee Buchheit, Anna Gelpern, and Robert Howse, who will discuss current issues with and needed reforms to the international financial architecture.

The program consists of three panels, moving from the history of the sovereign debt crisis, to near-term improvements like legislation pending in the New York State Assembly, to movements for debt relief and climate justice.

By bringing civil society voices together with legal scholars and practitioners, the conference will make the international public debt system legible to a broad audience of law students, attorneys and members of the general public – and uplift the Jubilee Report’s recommendations for how global finance can serve people more sustainably.

Time: Tuesday, March 31st, 2026, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM

Place: Lipton Hall, D'Agostino Hall, NYU Law, 110 W. 3rd St., New York, NY 10011

Welcome Keynote: Martín Guzmán, co-author of the Jubilee Report

Time: 10:30 AM–11:00 AM

Panel I: How We Got Here (History & Current Dilemmas)

Time: 11:00 AM–12:30 PM

Exploring the historical and contemporary trajectory of the sovereign debt system and paths not taken, from the origins of contemporary sovereign finance to the current crises in the Global South. It centers on the 2025 Jubilee Report and the reforms it proposes while addressing issues related to debt transactions and restructurings, transparency and the role of international public law.

• Martín Guzmán (Former Minister of Economy, Argentina)
• Anna Gelpern (Georgetown University Law Center)
• Lee Buchheit (University of Edinburgh)
• Avinash Persaud (Inter-American Development Bank)
• Moderated by Robert Howse (NYU Law)

Lunchtime Plenary: Lee Bucheit (1:15–1:45 PM)

Panel II: Tools on the Table (Legislative Policy Reform)

Time: 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

Diving into the policy tools already on the table, and especially addressing how the New York jurisdiction—the choice of law for most sovereign debt contracts—can be leveraged for the international public interest through specific legislation and contractual innovations, with attention to their impact on the sovereign debt bar and their clients.

• Ignacio Lagos (Cleary Gottlieb)
• Gregory Makoff (CIGI)
• Damon Silvers (Jubilee USA Network)
• Moderated by Ana Demel (NYU Law)

Panel III: Better Futures (Movements & Global Transformation)

Time: 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM

"Does just debt exist?" This panel shifts from technical fixes to long-term systemic change. It explores the moral principles of debt relief, jubilee, and reparations as organizing tools to break cycles of debt and sustainably fund climate adaptation.

• Sienna Merope-Synge (Global Justice Clinic, NYU Law)
• James Thuo Gathii (Loyola University Chicago School of Law)
• Alvin Velazquez (Maurer School of Law, Indiana University, Bloomington)
• TBD (New York Communities for Change)
• Moderated by Ashley Nemeth (The Earth Rights Research and Action Clinic, NYU Law)

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New York CLE credit is pending. If approved, the credit will be appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys.

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