Researchers' Activities
Sea-level rise: what are the implications for international law? On 26 October 2021
26 October 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral Was One of the Invited Speakers at Freshfields’ Public International Law Seminar, Titled “Sea-level rise: what are the implications for international law?”
During this year’s Sixth Committee (Legal) of the United Nations General Assembly, Freshfields hosted its annual Public International Law Seminar. In keeping with Freshfields’ past events, a distinguished panel of speakers was invited to explore a topical question of international law of interest to States, international organisations and businesses, judges, practitioners, and academics.
The subject of this year’s seminar was ‘Sea-level rise: what are the implications for international law?’
Professor Nilüfer Oral (Member of the International Law Commission and Director of the Centre of International Law (CIL) at the National University of Singapore),
Daphne Hong (Director-General, International Affairs Division, Attorney-General’s Chambers of Singapore),
Professor Jean-Marc Thouvenin (Secretary-General of the Hague Academy of International Law and Professor agrégé at the University Paris Ouest Nanterre-La Defense), and
Alexandra van der Meulen (Counsel at Freshfields),
joined Will Thomas QC, head of Freshfields’ public international law group, in an hour-long interactive discussion.
The speakers covered a wide range of issues, including:
- What impact will sea-level rise have on existing maritime entitlements, features and boundaries?
- How will sea-level rise affect the statehood of vulnerable island States?
- Is existing international law ‘fit for purpose’ when it comes to addressing the potential impact of sea-level rise on the global community; or, is material change to the current legal regime necessary?
- What progress has the International Law Commission made in considering these issues?
What is the view of vulnerable, low-lying States?
Listen to Dr Nilüfer Oral as she speaks with Leigh Giangreco at Humanities Matter by Brill’s Survival by Degrees on Climate Change, Oceans and Gender.
Listen to Dr Nilüfer Oral as she speaks with Leigh Giangreco at BRILL’s Survival by Degrees on Climate Change, Oceans and Gender.
Humanities Matter by Brill “Survival by Degrees” Episode 3: Climate Change, Oceans and Gender with Prof. Nilufer Oral. Podcast on 20 Oct 2021
20 October 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral Was Invited to Share Her Work on “Climate Change, Oceans and Gender” Through Humanities Matter by Brill Podcast.
Oceans are inextricably linked to the climate. Today, oceans are warming far more rapidly than they have in the past 65 million years, placing the spotlight on the important nexus between climate change and the ocean.
While there’s no doubt that climate change affects all people across the board, its effect is manifold among socioeconomically vulnerable communities, and among women in particular.
In the third episode of our new themed series Survival by Degrees, Prof. Nilufer Oral, Director of the Center for International Law, National University of Singapore, and member of the United Nations International Law Commission, took a closer look at the place of gender in relation to climate change and oceans, in the context of her work “Climate Change, Oceans and Gender”, published by Brill.
Towards a New BBNJ Agreement: Negotiating a New Treaty for the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction on 4 October 21
4 October 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral Was Invited to Speak at Macquarie University’s Law and Nature Dialogue Webinar Series, Titled “Towards a New BBNJ Agreement: Negotiating a New Treaty for the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction”
As a step to consolidate its status as a globally leading hub for biodiversity law and governance, the Centre for Environmental Law (CEL) at Macquarie University launched its first ever webinar series “Law & Nature Dialogue” earlier this year. It is planned to welcome a prominent speaker to share their expertise once a month during the semester. Dr Nilufer Oral was the invited speaker in October.
In her lecture, Nilufer discussed the history and current developments of the negotiation at the United Nations for a new international agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The lecture reviewed the key topics of marine genetic resources, areas-based management tools including marine protection areas, environmental impact assessment, capacity building, technology development and transfer, and other cross-cutting issues.
Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: Legal Consequences from the Law of the Sea, Statehood and Affected Persons Perspectives On 1 October 2021
1 October 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral Was Invited to Speak at the Webinar Organized by the University of Trento, Titled “Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise Legal Consequences from the Law of the Sea, Statehood and Affected Persons Perspectives”
The University of Trento, Faculty of Law hosted a webinar, entitled, Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise: Legal Consequences from the Law of the Sea, Statehood and Affected Persons Perspectives on 1 October 2021, via Zoom.
Marmara Urban Forum (MARUF) on 1-3 October 2021
3 October 2021: : CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral Was Invited to Speak at the Marmara Urban Forum (MARUF) at the Session “Habitat Matters: Preserving Biodiversity for Sustainable Ecosystems”
Marmara Urban Forum (MARUF) is a biennial international urban forum organized with the motto of “Cities Developing Solutions” by Marmara Municipalities Union (MMU), which is a local government association in the Marmara Region of Turkey with over 190 members. MARUF strives not only to discuss the challenges that cities face but also to seek solutions to them and multiply good practices at a global scale.
MARUF19, which was organized for the first time on 1-3 October 2019 in Istanbul, attracted over 5440 participants. With the contributions of 66 partners, 50 sessions were held, and different approaches on urban services and urban management were discussed by 250 speakers from 25 countries. MARUF19 hosted plenary sessions, parallel sessions, roundtable meetings, workshops, networking events, exhibitions, field trips, cultural events, booths, film screenings for 3 days.
This year, MARUF21 was organized as a “virtual event” on the theme of “Re-Think, Co-Act” and brought together urban thinkers around passionate debates on how to make cities more liveable, sustainable, resilient, creative, inclusive, innovative, and healthy. It gathered all stakeholders including professionals from cities, national, regional and local governments, private sector, NGOs, universities and other stakeholders that play a crucial role in the design, transformation and governance of cities.
22 July 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral Was Invited by the Washington College of Law to Speak at the Webinar Titled “Global Health Law and the Role of the World Health Organization and the International Law Commission”
The experts who spoke at this webinar included:
Steven Solomon, Principal Legal Officer, World Health Organization (WHO).
Moderator: Claudio Grossman, Member, United Nations International Law Commission (UN ILC). Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus R. Geraldson Scholar for International and Humanitarian Law, AUWCL.
Patrícia Galvão Teles, Member, United Nations International Law Commission (UN ILC). Professor, Autonomous University of Lisbon. Co-Director, Singapore CIL Academy International Law.
Nguyen Hong Thao, Member, United Nations International Law Commission (UN ILC). Professor Associate in Law, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and National University of Hanoi.
Charles Jalloh, Member, United Nations International Law Commission (UN ILC). Professor of Law, Florida International University.
Nilufer Oral, Member, United Nations International Law Commission (UN ILC). Director, Centre for Intl Law National University of Singapore (NUS).
A recording of the webinar can be accessed here: Event Recording
12 July 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral Was Invited to Speak at the United Nations – Universiti Teknologi Mara (UN-UiTM) Webinar Series on “International Law and Its Impact After a Year of COVID-19”
The other speaker at the webinar was Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. Professor Dato’ Dr. Rahmat Mohamad, the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Professor of International Law and Human Rights (UiTM) moderated the webinar.
A recording of the webinar can be assessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVmIh1HVdC8
9 July 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral Was Invited to Give a Lecture at the Rhodes Academy 2021.
The Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy is an international collegial institution dedicated to fostering a better understanding of the modern law of the sea. Through education on the principles of contemporary oceans law and policy, the Rhodes Academy seeks to promote adherence to the rule of law in the world’s oceans. Founded in 1995, the Academy held its inaugural session in the summer of 1996 and operates on an annual basis.
This year’s Rhodes Academy was conducted virtually from 4-14 July 2021. Dr Nilufer Oral was invited to give a lecture on “Climate Change and Law of the Sea” on 9 July 2021. There were 16 lectures plus three question and answer periods at this year’s academy.
Please click the link to find out more about the Rhodes Academy: https://marine.unh.edu/academics/rhodes-academy
30 June 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at the Women and the International Law Webinar Organized by the Minerva LAW Network
Dr Nilüfer Oral was invited to speak at the Women and the International Law Webinar organized by the Minerva LAW Network. In this panel session, the current and former women of the International Law Commission discussed their experiences in the Commission and their work on the progressive development of international law and its codification.