ASEAN Law and Policy Academy 2026

The ASEAN Law and Policy Academy 2026 will take place from 27-31^st July 2026 at the National University of Singapore Kent Ridge campus. A flagship programme of Centre for International Law at NUS, the Academy is a cross-disciplinary master’s level intensive programme for policymakers, practitioners, and academics working in the fields of politics and governance, economics, and law. It is founded on twelve years of research at CIL on ASEAN legal integration and institution building, including the ASEAN Integration Through Law book series published by Cambridge University Press.

The Academy syllabus has been adapted to consider the volatile international security and geoeconomic context, focusing on ASEAN’s rules-based integration and its responses to external issues, emphasizing new opportunities and challenges for ASEAN, as well as dispute resolution modalities in ASEAN and international institutions. Other new content includes modules on energy in light of the present oil crisis, ASEAN’s external trade relations, and a broader perspective on law of the sea issues relevant to ASEAN.

2026 Academy Faculty

• Ms Ashwita Ambast | Permanent Court of Arbitration Representative in Singapore
• Professor Simon Chesterman | David Marshall Professor of Law and Vice-Provost, NUS
• Dr Tara Davenport | Co-Head of Ocean Law and Policy, CIL
• Dr Deborah Elms | Head of Trade Policy, Hinrich Foundation
• Dr Denis Hew | Senior Research Fellow, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy
• Professor Joel Lee | Professor of Negotiation and Mediation, NUS
• Ms Joanne Lin | Senior Fellow, ISEAS-Yusof-Ishak Institute
• Mr Yuichiro Omori | Legal Counsel, ICSID
• Mr Ong Chin Heng | Deputy Director-General, International Affairs Division, AGC
• Professor Mari Elka Pangestu | Presidential Special Envoy for International Trade and Multilateral Cooperation
• Ms Nivedita S | Senior Research Fellow, Energy Law and Policy, CIL
• Dr Phattharaphong Saengkrai | Head of International Law Centre, Thammasat University
• Mr Un Sovannasam | Head of Legal Agreements and Services Division, ASEAN Secretariat
• Professor Tan Hsien-Li | Associate Professor, NUS
• Mr Jason Tan | Senior Director, International Affairs Division, AGC
• Dr Ming Tan | Senior Fellow and Founding Executive Director, Tech for Good, Singapore
• Dr Julia Tijaja | Associate Senior Fellow, ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute
• Professor Joseph Weiler | University Professor, New York University/NUS
• Mr Kenneth Wong | Senior Director, International Affairs Division, AGC

Who Should Attend?

Practitioner Programme

• Officials from ASEAN Member States, external partners, and/or international organisations involved in ASEAN cooperation/policymaking
• Legal practitioners advising clients in the Asia-Pacific
• Company executives benefitting from ASEAN economic integration and trade agreements
• Legal background NOT required

Educator Programme

• Lecturers in tertiary institutions
• Postgraduate-level students
• Academics researching ASEAN or regional integration
• Legal background and prior teaching experience NOT required

Why Attend? Click here to read testimonials from past participants

Practitioner Programme

This Programme is designed for policymakers in governments and regional institutions of Southeast Asia and partner countries, as well as practitioners in the private sector and civil society. The Academy enables participants to keep abreast of ASEAN developments, engage in specialised content and practicums on key topics and interact with influential ASEAN researchers and educators. The Practitioner Programme is taught over 5 days between 27-31 July 2026. All participants will receive a certificate of attendance. See the Practitioner Programme details below.

Educator Programme

This Programme is for tertiary educators and/or researchers teaching and researching issues related to any aspect of ASEAN integration. The Academy’s Educator Programme has received acclaim from senior faculty as well as aspiring academics, especially those from the faculties of law, economics, political science, international relations and regional studies. The Educator Programme comprises the taught programme in-person from 27-31 July 2026, including a half-day workshop by Professor Joseph Weiler and Professor Tan Hsien-Li on academic publishing and teaching ASEAN Law on 31 July 2026. See the Educator Programme details below.

Educator scholarships. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available for academics and researchers only at Masters or Doctoral level or above, with a strong background in law, economics, political science, international relations and regional studies. Applicants from Southeast Asian countries and those with a background in ASEAN or Southeast Asian topics will be prioritised.

The full scholarship includes a waiver of Educator programme fees and a fixed travel stipend of SGD800 to support participants’ travel to Singapore. Please note that Singapore-based academic participants are not eligible for the travel stipend.

The partial scholarship includes a waiver of Educator programme fees.

Selection of Specialisations

For greater in-depth training in their area of interest, Academy participants (for both the Practitioner and Educator Programmes) are split into subject specialisations on
29-30 July 2026.

Specialisations offered in 2026 are:

1. The ASEAN Economic Community

• Implementing the ASEAN Economic Community, Dr Julia Tijaja
• ASEAN RTAs and Geo-economics, Dr Julia Tijaja
• ASEAN Investment, Dr Phattharaphong Saengkrai
• ASEAN Digital Economy, Dr Ming Tan and Dr Deborah Elms

2. ASEAN and Foreign Relations

• ASEAN External Relations, Mr Jason Tan
• ASEAN and Regional Architecture, Ms Joanne Lin
• ASEAN and Climate Change/the Environment
• ASEAN and the South China Sea, Dr Tara Davenport

Application

Participation in the Academy is by selection or invitation only. Applicants should be fluent in English, and should fulfil at least one of the following requirements:

• Familiarity with at least one aspect of ASEAN cooperation in either a practitioner or academic setting, OR
• Comparative expertise in law, public policy, political science or economics in one or more Southeast Asian countries, OR
• Has attended previous iterations of the Academy.