This seminar was moderated by Dr. Nilüfer Oral, Director of the NUS Centre for International Law
The words and actions of States have a significant influence on international law. But what of silence and inaction? In this lecture, Dr Danae Azaria focuses on ‘State Silence interpretation’. She argues that, as a default, State silence, in and of itself, does not have legal meaning or legal effect. Instead, State silence is interpreted in its ‘context’. She explains that, during the twentieth and twenty-first century, the framework of international law underwent profound transformation. As a result, the contexts in which State silence may be interpreted have become complex and are not well understood. In this lecture, Dr Azaria endeavours to provide a better understanding of how State Silence has been interpreted taking into account the hierarchy of norms, the rise of international organizations and multilateralism.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
DR. DANAE AZARIA is a general public international lawyer. She is Associate Professor at UCL’s Faculty of Laws, and the Principal Investigator of the European Research Council grant (ID: 850706) on State Silence, which supports her research and her research team on the legal effects of the silence of States in international law-making, responsibility and dispute settlement. The grant has led to the publication of 25 research outputs to date, including the recent book: State Silence Across International Law (OUP 2025).
She is a laureate of the Guggenheim Prize in Public International Law (2017) for her monograph, Treaties on Transit of Energy via Pipelines and Countermeasures (OUP 2015). She is the Chair of the ILA Committee on Submarine Pipelines and Cables in international law; member of the ILA Committee on Consent to Military Action; and member of the Advisory Panel of Public International Law of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL). She is the Book Reviews Editor and member of the Editorial Board of the British Yearbook of International Law, and Managing Editor of the American Journal of International Law Unbound. She regularly holds Visiting Professorships and Fellowships, including as Visiting Scholar, Harvard Law School (2023); Senior Global Hauser Fellow, NYU Law School (2023-2024); Senior Humboldt Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (2019-2021).
Dr Azaria is a qualified lawyer (Athens Bar, Greece) with significant practice in public international law. She regularly advises international organizations and governments on various issues of public international law, and in contentious proceedings before international courts and tribunals, such as the International Court of Justice, and arbitral tribunals. She is on the EU's list of potential Arbitrators and Experts on Trade and Sustainable Development in the EU’s bilateral disputes under trade agreements with third States. She regularly trains government officials, including in the regional courses on international law of the United Nations.
PROGRAMME:
4.50pm Registration
5.00pm Presentation by Dr. Danae Azaria
6.00pm Q&A session, moderated by Dr. Nilüfer Oral
6.30pm End of Seminar
1.0 Public CPD Point
Practice Area: Interntational Law
Training Category: General
Participants who wish to obtain CPD Points are reminded that they must comply strictly with the Attendance Policy set out in the CPD Guidelines. For this activity, this includes signing in on arrival and signing out at the conclusion of the activity in the manner required by the organiser, and not being absent from the entire activity for more than 15 minutes. Participants who do not comply with the Attendance Policy will not be able to obtain CPD Points for attending the activity. Please refer to http://www.sileCPDcentre.sg for more information.
REGISTRATION Registration closed at 19 Sep 2025, 5.45pm, Singapore Time.