Dr Oral spoke at the session on “Rising Sea Levels: The Role of International Organizations”.

Ecocidal proclivities of human societies have resulted in several pressing global challenges, like biodiversity loss and climate change. Such debacles make the goal of environmental sustainability appear largely unattainable. Global warming and the resultant rise in sea levels pose unconventional challenges to many areas of international law, such as those related to the law of the sea, statehood and the protection of persons affected by sea-level rise. As a result of this slow-onset phenomenon of sea-level rise, more than 70 States are likely to see their territories partially or completely inundated. Such inundation, apart from impinging on continuity of statehood or maritime zones and the exercise of sovereignty and jurisdiction, jeopardizes the habitability of densely populated areas and puts lives and livelihoods at risk. 

The AALCO membership is constituted of several coastal States and some island nations. Therefore it is timely that the Organization provides a platform to the Member States to explore the perils of the rising sea levels, and to collaborate to advance an Asian-African perspective in seeking climate justice. The adversities emanating from sea-level rise call for an early seeking for avenues of international cooperation. This seminar aspired to solicit viewpoints and suggestions from experts, to facilitate further deliberations among the Member States on the legal implications of rising sea levels in the Asian-African region. 

At its seventy-first session, in 2019, the International Law Commission decided to include the topic “Sea-level rise in relation to international law” in its programme of work, on the basis of the recommendation of the Working Group on the long-term programme of work. The Commission also decided to establish an open-ended Study Group on the topic. The Commission further received and took note of a joint oral report of the Co-Chairs of the Study Group on its consideration of an informal paper on the organization of its work containing a road map for 2019 to 2021. The topic has merited the attention of the International Law Association (ILA) as well. Dr Oral was joined by Professor Davor Vidas of the Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Chair of ILA Committee on International Law and Sea-Level Rise.