CIL Dialogues
An International Law Blog
CIL Dialogues is the re-imagination of the existing blog of the Centre for International Law (CIL) of the National University of Singapore (NUS). The editorial team’s approach to CIL Dialogues reflects two shared commitments. First, we share a generalist perspective of international law, viewed as raising shared foundational questions across specialised fields, institutions, regions, and inquiries. Secondly, we are appreciative that CIL Dialogues is not based in (the virtual space of), or associated with institutions in the ‘Western European and Others States Group’. The blog will therefore be interested in international law broadly conceived and seek to be attentive to regional perspectives to questions of universal and general relevance, particularly relating to Asia Pacific, as well as the views and voices that may have been traditionally excluded. More...
Featured Blogs ...
Benefit v Consent: CJEU’s Front Polisario II Judgment and the Law of Self-Determination
by Andrea Maria Pelliconi and Jed Odermatt
Organised by the NUS Centre for International Law (CIL), together with the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Singapore Cooperation Programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Second Singapore Trade Dialogue on 30 October 2013 gathered more than 55 participants, including senior officials from the WTO, government officials and trade and investment policy experts from Asia Pacific.
Professor S Jayakumar and Professor Tommy Koh hosted the penultimate session of the 2013 CIL Fireside Chat Series on 11 October 2013. Four distinguished panelists gave their views on the topic "ASEAN and Human Rights”.
CIL would like to congratulate our hardworking administrators Ms Sadhna Rai and Ms Jocelyn Cruz on their elevation to Executive & Professional status.
CIL extends its congratulations to Mr Chan Sek Keong, the former Chief Justice of Singapore, on his appointment as NUS Faculty of Law's first Distinguished Fellow.
CIL's publication "Beyond Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea: Legal Frameworks for Joint Development of Hydrocarbon Resources" was launched by the Chairman of CIL's International Advisory Panel Professor S Jayakumar on 27 September 2013.
CIL congratulates its Chairman, Professor Tommy Koh, on being named as the 2014 Great Negotiator by the Program on Negotiation, an inter-university consortium comprising Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tufts University and the Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard Kennedy School.
On 25-27 September 2013, the Centre for International Law (CIL) and the International Boundaries Research Unit (IBRU) of Durham University organised the third annual run of the International Maritime Boundary Delimitation Workshop in Singapore.
The third installment of the 2013 CIL Fireside Chat Series on International Law & Diplomacy, focusing on "International Humanitarian Law: A Singapore Perspective", took place on 6 September 2013.
CIL Research Associate, Junianto James Losari, participated at the International Law Association Regional Conference 2013 held in Cape Sounion, Greece, on 29-31 August 2013. The conference was hosted by the Hellenic Branch of the ILA and was held at the premise of the European Public Law Organization. This year’s conference took the theme Imperium Juris: …
Participation at International Law Association Regional Conference 2013, Greece Read More »
Academics and officials from Thaksin University, Thailand, visited CIL on 28 August 2013. CIL Deputy Director, Dr R. Navin, received the delegation and briefed them about NUS, CIL and its activities.
On behalf of CIL, IPS and ST Press, CIL Deputy Director Dr R. Navin hosted the launch of the book "Malaysia and Singapore: The Land Reclamation Case – From Dispute to Settlement", by authors Ambassador-at-Large Professor Tommy Koh, Dr Cheong Koon Hean, CEO of Housing Development Board (HDB), and Judicial Commissioner Lionel Yee, and jointly published by the Centre for International Law, The Straits Times Press and the Institute of Policy Studies at NUS on 5 August 2013.
The Centre for International Law recently concluded the third Plenary of the ASEAN Integration Through Law Project with the theme "The ASEAN Way in a Comparative Context: Plenary on the Rule of Law in the ASEAN Community" on 25 August 2013.
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CIL and the Faculty of Law for the first time co-organised an International Law Week (ILW) at the Bukit Timah Campus from 23 to 27 Aug 2013.
CIL is pleased to announce its partnership with Malaysia’s CIMB ASEAN Research Institute (CARI) to research into and present a report on lifting the barriers for ASEAN’s aviation industry. The report, authored by Prof. Alan Tan, Head of CIL’s Air Law and Policy programme, is to be presented at the inaugural Network ASEAN Forum (NAF) …
CIL Partners with Malaysia’s CARI for Aviation Research Read More »
On Thursday 15 August 2013, Professors Joseph Weiler and Michael Ewing-Chow, CIL colleagues and some of the World Trade Law class from the Faculty of Law visited PSA International and were shown around the Port of Singapore.
The Centre for International Law (CIL) and Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) organised the 2nd Plenary of the ASEAN Integration Through Law Project on 29 July 2013 in Jakarta, Indonesia. This session focused on the theme "ASEAN Governance, Management and External Relations" which is deemed to be critical for the success of the ASEAN integration efforts.
CIL Researchers Ms. Ranyta Yusran and Ms. Harpreet Kaur Dhillon attended the Hague Academy of International Law’s Summer Programme on Public International Law, held at the Peace Palace from 8 July 2013 to 26 July 2013.
CIL is pleased to announce that our Research Fellow Dr. Hao Duy Phan has won the Best Oralist Award at the 18th session of the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy, which took place from 30 June -20 July 2013 in Rhodes, Greece.
CIL launched the findings of one of its flagship research projects "ASEAN Integration Through Law: The ASEAN Way in a Comparative Context" on 4 July 2013. This Plenary on "The General Architecture of ASEAN" focused on the political and economic aspirations of ASEAN and the domestic and regional institutions which play a part in the region's community-building.
Students from the Graduate School of Politics, Government and Communication, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies (HUFS), South Korea, visited CIL on 26 June 2013.
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Mr Youri van Logchem, a PhD Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS), received the 2013 ICPC-Rhodes Academy Writing Competition on Submarine Cables and International Law award from the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC).
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CIL hosted a visit by Mr Evan Rogerson, Director of Agriculture and Commodities Division of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on 19 June 2013.
The NUS Centre for International Law is pleased to announce that it has been accepted as a full sponsor of the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy.
CIL is pleased to announce that one of its Researchers, Ms. Harpreet Kaur Dhillon, is the recipient of the first prize in an essay competition jointly organised by the Singapore branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and Thirty Nine Essex Street Chambers. The competition targets young practitioners working or resident in Singapore, giving them an opportunity to air their views on a critical issue which has arisen in the developing field of international arbitration.
CIL hosted a visit by the students and lecturers of Udayana University, Faculty of Law, Bali, Indonesia on 23 May 2013.
Senior Principal Research Fellow Mr. Christopher Thomas, QC, was invited by Thailand’s Department of International Economic Affairs to participate in a panel discussion on 27 March 2013 organised by the Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Royal Thai Embassy in Brussels and the Mission of Thailand to the European Union, on the issue of investor-state dispute settlement under the current EU investment regime.
A 20-member delegation from Office of the Council of State of Thailand headed by Deputy Secretary-General Mr Chukiert Ratanachaichan visited CIL on 23 April 2013.
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Prof Surya Subedi, the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Cambodia, visited CIL on 8 April 2013.
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The January 2013 edition of the prestigious American Journal of International Law (AJIL) features an Agora on the South China Sea Disputes. One of the articles in the Agora is by CIL Director, Professor Beckman, entitled "The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the Maritime Disputes in the South China Sea".
The second installment in the 2013 CIL Fireside Chat Series focused on the topic of "The Practice of International Law by Government Officials".
CIL was honoured to welcome members of its International Advisory Panel (IAP) from 17-19 February 2013.
CIL has prepared a Report on the Proceedings of the 3rd Annual Singapore International Investment Arbitration Conference, highlighting the relevant issues raised in each session, and the discussion it generated.
Assoc Prof Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme was interviewed on Laos' competitiveness in the global economy with Haslinda Amin on Bloomberg Television's "On The Move Asia".
Assoc Prof Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme was interviewed on Laos’ competitiveness in the global economy with Haslinda Amin on Bloomberg Television’s “On The Move Asia” on 8 February 2013.
The CIL Fireside Chat Series continues in 2013 with an installment on "The South China Sea Disputes: A Role for International Law?".
CIL would like to extend its congratulations and best wishes to the newly-appointed Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court, Mr Lionel Yee SC. The appointment which begins on 1 February 2013 was announced by the Prime Minister’s Office. Mr Yee is currently the Second Solicitor-General at the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC). Early this year, he was …
Mr Lionel Yee appointed Judicial Commissioner of Supreme Court Read More »
CIL and British Institute of International & Comparative Law (the Institute) are engaged on a joint project to carry out training and research on treaty law and practice.Based on the discussions at the Workshop, CIL and the Institute issued a Workshop Report which provides a summary of the proceedings and discussions at the Workshop as well as a set of recommendations designed to improve treaty practices in the region.
CIL congratulates Mr. Lionel Yee, Second Solicitor-General and the former Director-General of the International Affairs Division of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, on his appointment as Senior Counsel. Mr Yee has been a friend and supporter of CIL since it was established at NUS in 2009.
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The Centre for International Law's 3rd Annual Singapore International Investment Arbitration Conference was held on 12 December 2012 at the Shangri-La, Singapore. This is the 3rd in a successful run of Arbitration Conferences that the Centre for International Law has organized.
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On 23 November 2012, CIL Director Prof Robert Beckman met with H. E. Mr Bagas Hapsoro, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for Community and Corporate Affairs, with their respective staff to discuss future cooperation and collaboration with the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC).
The inaugural Singapore International Arbitration Academy was launched on Monday, 26 November 2012 as the National University of Singapore's Centre for International Law (CIL) opened its doors to private sector and public sector lawyers and officials from Singapore, the ASEAN member states, Hong Kong, India, Kenya, New Zealand, Spain, and Tanzania.
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CIL and the Tropical Marine Science Institute (TMSI), also an NUS research centre, together signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) on 7 November 2012. This unprecedented collaboration with UTP of Malaysia is designed to foster joint and multi-disciplinary research encompassing engineering, marine sciences and ocean law and policy.
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The International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) is pleased to announce that the 2013 Rhodes Academy Submarine Cables Award is open for applications.
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CIL is pleased to announce the publication of Piracy and International Maritime Crimes in ASEAN: Prospects for cooperation, the first book in the NUS Centre for International Law Series published by Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., The book is edited by CIL Director Prof Robert Beckman and Captain J Ashley Roach, JAGC , United States Navy (ret’d), both renowned experts in the field of maritime security.
CIL celebrated the third anniversary of its official launch on 30 October 2012 with a lively seminar by CIL's overseas interns who had returned from their attachments to international institutions and monitoring missions in Geneva, Phnom Penh and Bangkok. Director of CIL Robert Beckman welcomed the participants and hosted a tea reception following the seminar.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has recognized CIL’s home, the NUS Bukit Timah Campus, with the URA Architectural Heritage Award (AHA).
The Corruption and Economic Crime Branch of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), based in Vienna, Austria, is seeking interns for up to 6 months.
The final session of the CIL Fireside Chat Series for 2012 was held on 12 October 2012. It brought together leading international lawyers and diplomats to share their experiences as Singapore’s negotiators for key bilateral and multilateral agreements. The discussion provided a unique insight into how Singapore, as a small State, advances its national interests in bilateral or multilateral negotiations and can play a role in the development of international law.
CIL was pleased to a host a visit to the Centre by Andrew Cayley QC, the United Nations Chief International Co-Prosecutor of the ECCC, the Khmer Rouge Tribunal on 5 October 2012.
CIL’s 3rd Annual Singapore International Arbitration Conference, which will be held in conjunction with the Centre’s inaugural run of the Singapore International Arbitration Academy (SIAA), has been accredited with 5.5. CPD points by the Singapore Institute of Legal Education (SILE).
CIL was proud to once again partner with the International Boundaries Research Unit (IBRU) of Durham University to organise the second Maritime Boundary Delimitation Workshop in Southeast Asia. The Workshop was held on 26-28 September 2012 at the NUS Bukit Timah Campus.
CIL hosted a visit by Mr David Unterhalter SC, Chairman of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), on 19 September 2012.
CIL is pleased to announce that Prof Stuart Kaye, Dean of the University of Western Australia (UWA) Law School, visited the Centre on 30 August 2012.
This penultimate session of the CIL Fireside Chat Series for 2012, brought together diplomats who have represented Singapore at the UN and a leading expert on the UN to share their perspectives on how the UN operates and how Singapore, as a small state, can influence decision making at this complex body.
CIL Director Robert Beckman has been appointed as a member of the Management Committee for the newly set up Maritime Institute@NUS (MI@NUS) for a 2-year term commencing on 1 August 2012.
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CIL continued its third year of association with the prestigious Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy which convenes annually in Rhodes, Greece, at the 17th Session this year, held from 1-20 July 2012.
At General Meeting of SIEL held during the SIEL 2012 conference in Singapore, Assoc Prof Michael Ewing-Chow, WTO Chair and Head, Trade/Investment Law & Policy, CIL, was elected to the Executive Council of SIEL. He will serve a term of 3 years from 13 July 2012.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) became the first University in the Asia-Pacific region to host the biennial conference of the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL) last week. SIEL is the leading global association of international economic law academics and practioners. Organised by the Centre for International Law (CIL) and hosted by the Faculty of Law (NUS Law), the conference took place at the Bukit Timah Campus from 12-14 July 2012. 272 delegates representing more than 150 institutions from over 50 countries took part.
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CIL Patron Prof S Jayakumar, CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons participated in the 36th Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (COLP) In Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 21-22 June 2012. Prof S Jayakumar delivered the Opening Address at the Conference with a paper entitled “The Continental Shelf Regime under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: Reflections after Thirty Years”. Prof Beckman made a presentation on the “Global Legal Regime on the Decommissioning of Offshore Installations and Structures” and Youna Lyons made a presentation on “Abandoned Offshore Installations in Southeast Asia and the Opportunity for ‘Rigs-to-Reefs’.”
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CIL was pleased to host the visit of the students and lecturers from Atma Jaya University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on 15 June 2012.
CIL hosted a visit by the Commission for External Relations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam on 6 June 2012.
TV coverage: Singapore to develop arbitration sector by Channel NewsAsia, 11 June 2012 Singapore to host world-class International Arbitration Academy in Channel NewsAsia Online, 11 June 2012 Shanmugam: Singapore will continue to develop the arbitration sector and be pro-arbitration in 938LIVE Online, 11 June 2012 Singapore to continue developing arbitration sector in Global Times Online, …
Media Coverage of the Singapore International Arbitration Academy 2012 Read More »
NUS & CIL will host the inaugural Singapore International Arbitration Academy from 26 November to 14 December 2012. The Singapore International Arbitration Academy is slated to become Asia’s premier arbitration training programme.
The National University of Singapore (NUS) is pleased to announce that Mr J. Christopher Thomas, Q.C. will join its Centre for International Law (CIL) as a Senior Principal Research Fellow and the NUS Faculty of Law as a Visiting Professor.
CIL has recently launched a new TREATY STATUS DATABASE to complement its documents database.
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CIL Director Robert Beckman took part in the first edition of Channel NewsAsia’s Perspectives programme at 8.00 PM on 29 April 2012. The panel discussed issues such as the rise of China and the South China Sea territorial disputes.
CIL Director Robert Beckman took part in the first edition of Channel NewsAsia’s Perspectives programme at 8.00 PM on 29 April 2012. Perspectives presents a panel of distinguished thinkers from Singapore’s top institutions and think tanks who are expected to gather every month to dissect current events with in-depth analyses. Hosted by Debra Soon, the Managing …
The Centre for International Law is pleased to announce the selection of the first batch of CIL Overseas Interns. Law Year 3 and Year 4 students Ms Sadhana Rai, Mr Alvin Yap, Ms Dharshini Prasad and Mr Ramu Nachiappan have been given the opportunity to intern with leading international institutions.
CIL was pleased to host the visit of Judge Rudiger Wolfrum, Director of the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, Germany. Judge Wolfrum delivered a talk on the dispute concerning the delimitation of the maritime boundary between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal on 17 April 2012 as part of the CIL Distinguished Speaker Series.