Cyber Dialogues
A Conversation with Professor Makane Moïse Mbengue on
The Common African Position on the Application of International Law to the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in the Cyberspace
This is an In-Person Only Event | Light snacks will be served after the session
11 April 2024, Thursday, 9:30am - 10:30am
Classroom 3-7 @ NUS Bukit Timah Campus Block B
Level 3, 469 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259756
The Common African Position on the Application of International Law to the Use of Information and Communication Technologies in Cyberspace (CAP) was adopted by the African Union Peace and Security Council on 29 Jan 24 and subsequently endorsed by the Assembly of the African Union on 18 Feb 2024. The publication of the CAP is a rich addition to the growing number of published statements by States examining the application of international law to cyberspace. It is a significant development that has attracted a lot of interest and attention at the recent 7th Session of the Open Ended Working Group on the security of and use of ICTs held in New York in March 2024.
Prof Mohamed Helal, Special Rapporteur of the AU on the Application of International Law in Cyberspace and Member of the AU Commission on International Law, has described the CAP, which was negotiated and adopted by 55 member states of the African Union, as a “a rich source of evidence of opinio juris on a broad range of rules and concepts of international law”. This includes general principles of international law such as territorial sovereignty, the peaceful settlement of dispute, non-intervention and due diligence. In addition the CAP also examines specialised regimes of international law eg international human rights law, the jus ad bellIum and jus in bello.
The CAP, being the result of a multi-stage, multistakeholder process, is also notable as a collaborative lawmaking process. Prof Makane Moïse Mbengue, was one of the leading African jurists who were invited to participate in the process.
Join us in a conversation with Prof Makane Moïse Mbengue, moderated by Danielle Yeow, CIL’s lead on cyber law and governance, where we will explore the substantive and the normative law making aspects of the CAP, as well as the political and policy considerations that drove this development. Dr. Nilufer Oral, CIL Director, will be giving the welcome remarks and His Excellency Ambassador Ahmed Mostafa Abdelaal Mohamed, Ambassador to Singapore of the Arab Republic of Egypt, will be giving an introductory statement.
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Makane Moïse Mbengue is a Professor of International Law at the University of Geneva. He is Director of the Department of International Law and International Organization and teaches General International Law, International Environmental Law, International Investment Law, Climate Change and International Dispute Settlement. He is also an Affiliated Professor at Sciences Po (School of Law) where he teaches General International Law, the Law of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and International Dispute Settlement. Since 2017, Professor Mbengue is the President of the African Society of International Law (AfSIL). He is also a Member of the Institut de Droit International and of the Curatorium of The Hague Academy of International Law.
Professor Mbengue has acted and acts as expert for the African Union, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Conference and Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), the League of Arab States and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) among others. He also acts as a Professor for courses in International Law organised by the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs (OLA) and by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
Professor Mbengue acts as counsel in disputes before international courts and tribunals (in particular, before the International Court of Justice and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea), as arbitrator (in investment and trade cases) and as advisor for governments. He is involved in the negotiations of several International Investment Agreements in Africa.
Ambassador Ahmed Mostafa Abdelaal Mohamed is a career diplomat with 30 years of experience in the foreign service. Ambassador Mohamed had served in the Egyptian Embassies in Singapore, Ukraine, the UAE, and Ireland. Throughout his career, he had assumed many responsibilities, including working with the Disarmament Department, International Organisations Department, Economics Department, and African Department of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Before assuming his Ambassadorial post in Singapore, he was Deputy Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs responsible for Egypt’s relations with the Nile Basin countries. He had also served as Egypt’s Ambassador to Zambia and Permanent Representative to the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.
Registration Form (places are limited)
Please note that attendance is limited. Confirmation of registration will be sent out closer to the event.
Registration is closed as of 11am, 10 Apr 2024