Researchers' Activities

On 9 August 2022, Dita delivered two presentations, covering the status of maritime boundaries in Southeast Asia, the ongoing requests for advisory opinions on sea level rise, and UNCLOS dispute settlement mechanisms in the Southeast Asian context.

CIL researchers Tara Davenport, Millicent McCreath and Christine Sim recently participated in the International Law Association Biennial Conference in Sydney. CIL organised a panel on ‘The Inherent Changeability of the Due Diligence Principle: Challenges for the Development of International Environmental Law’, which was chaired by Professor Rosemary Rayfuse.

Ms Tara Davenport spoke on this panel on ‘The Inherently Changeable Due Diligence Principle and the Protection of the Marine Environment’. Other speakers on this panel were Justice Nicola Pain of the Land and Environment Court of NSW, Dr Aline Jaeckel from Macquarie University and Professor Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger of the University of Waterloo/ University of Cambridge.

Ms Millicent McCreath was a speaker on the panel on ‘The Tide of Change: New Responses to Environmental Challenges in the Pacific Ocean’, organised by the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law. The topic of her presentation was ‘PSIDS Request for an ITLOS Advisory Opinion on the Content of UNCLOS Climate Change Obligations’.

Ms Christine Sim spoke on a panel on ‘Investment Disputes and Challenging Boundary Issues over Land and Sea’. Her topic was ‘Investment Disputes in Areas of Uncertain Sea Boundaries: Ghana/Cote d’Ivoire’.  

The Centre for International Law successfully organised the second CIL-ANCORS Workshop on the Negotiation of Maritime Boundaries on 3 to 5 July 2018. The workshop was held in coordination with the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum. The workshop combined interactive lectures and supervised practical exercises, in which participants negotiated a maritime boundary between two fictitious states.

Thirty-four participants, including government officials, geographers, academics and practitioners, completed the three-day training led by renowned legal and technical experts in the negotiation of maritime boundaries.

For more information on the event, please click here.

CIL Research Associate Millicent McCreath attended the conference ‘New Knowledge and Changing Circumstances in the Law of the Sea’, which was organised by the Law of the Sea Institute of Iceland and Korea Maritime Institute. The conference was held in Reykjavik from 28 to 30 June 2018. The main themes of the conference were biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, the continental shelf regime, deep seabed mineral resources, dispute settlement in the law of the sea, climate change and the legal effects of sea level rise, and the Central Arctic Ocean Fisheries Agreement. Approximately 130 participants from all over the world attended the conference.

Research Associate Ms Melissa Loja presented her research paper at the New Voices Panel at the 112th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law in Washington DC. Ms Loja’s paper was about international agreements between non-state actors. Her paper discussed international agreements that national petroleum corporations such as Petronas, PetroVietnam, PetroleumBrunei and China National Offshore Oil Corporations enter into to manage disputes over petroleum resources that are shared by states across maritime zones and boundaries.

Professor Laurence Helfer, Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of International Law, remarked that her paper makes a concrete contribution to international law, because it presents primary data that have not been made known before, and it enables a granular examination of actual practices in international law.

On 27-28 June 2016, CIL actively participated in the 40th Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law and Policy of the University of Virginia that was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman made a presentation in Panel 3 on the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The title of his presentation was ‘Maritime Boundary Disputes and Compulsory Third Party Dispute Settlement Mechanisms: Unresolved Issues’. For Professor Beckman’s presentation, please click here. CIL Visiting Senior Principal Research Fellow Captain Ashley Roach made a presentation in Panel 1 entitled ‘Update on the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Negotiations’. To download Captain Roach’s presentation, please click here. In addition, Ms Rena Lee of the Attorney-General Chamber’s, Singapore made a presentation in Panel 2 entitled ‘Exploration and Exploitation of Ocean Mineral Resources: the Role of Sponsoring States’.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Non-Resident Fellow Captain J Ashley Roach participated in the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum Workshop on Maritime Boundaries, which was held at the Hanoi Hilton Opera Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam from 31 May to 3 June 2016. The full title of the Workshop was the EAMF International Law and Best Practices in Maritime Boundary Delimitation and Provisional Arrangements of a Practical Nature. The Workshop was organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) and the US Department of State. CIL and the Australian Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) were supporting organisations. Prof Beckman and Captain Roach each made two presentations at the Workshop. CIL Research Associate Christine Sim attended the Workshop as an observer.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr. Hao Duy Phan was invited to speak at an international conference on ‘Maritime Boundaries and the Law of the Sea’ on 19 May 2016 in Dili, Timor-Leste. Hao Duy Phan delivered a presentation on ‘UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Mechanisms and the Timor Sea’. The Conference was organised by the Government of Timor-Leste. More than 500 international and local participants attended the Conference. To download Hao Duy Phan’s presentation, click here.

CIL was a sponsoring organisation at the 39th Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (COLP) of the University of Virginia, which was held in Shanghai, China from 24-26 June 2015. The title of the Conference was ‘International Marine Economy: Law and Policy’. CIL Director Robert Beckman chaired a panel on grey areas in international boundary delimitation. CIL sponsored the participation of four speakers: CIL International Advisory Panel Member Arif Havas Oegroseno, Dr Clive Schofield, CIL Non-Resident Fellow Captain Ashley Roach and CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard. CIL Research Fellow Zhen Sun also attended the conference. To download Capt. Roach’s presentation, click here. To download Dr Schofield’s presentation, click here.

CIL Researchers Leonardo Bernard, Harpreet Kaur Dillon, Hao Duy Phan, Sun Zhen and Ranyta Yusran participated in the 12th Annual Asian Law Institute Conference – “Law 2.0: New Challenges in Asia” on 21-22 May 2015 in Taipei, Taiwan. The Conference was jointly organised by the National University of Taiwan and the Asian Law Institute. At the Conference, CIL researchers made various presentations on different topics of international law and chaired different panels. Dr Zhen Sun and Mr Leonardo Bernard spoke at a panel on international law with a particular focus on the law of the sea. Dr Zhen Sun made a presentation on “A Hot Land in A Cold Place: Opportunities and Challenges for Singapore in the Arctic” (download in PDF) and Mr Leonardo Bernard made a presentation on “Historic Fishing Rights and the EEZ” (download in PDF). Dr Hao Duy Phan and Ms Harpreet Dhillon participated in two different panels on international law and spoke about “ASEAN’s Legal Personality and its Treaty-Making Power” (download in PDF) and “Consolidation of Claims Arising under an International Investment Agreement: What is at Stake?” (download in PDF) respectively. Ms Ranyta Yusran was a panellist at the panel on cross-border issues. She made a presentation on “Mapping the ASEAN Framework on Transnational Crime” (download in PDF).

CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard presented at the International Workshop on the Legal Aspects of the Establishment of the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf, held in Tokyo, Japan on 26-27 March 2015. The workshop was organised by the Japan Hydrographic Association and the Nippon Foundation. Leo was part of the third session on the Legal Regime of the Continental Shelf – Regional Experience, where he presented an overview of the maritime claims in the South China Sea. To view a photo from the event and access his presentation, click here.

CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman, CIL Global Associate Captain J Ashley Roach and CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan were invited to participate in the 6th South China Sea International Conference on ‘Cooperation for Regional Security and Development’ on 17-18 November 2014 in Da Nang, Viet Nam. The Conference was jointly organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam, the Viet Nam Lawyers Association and the East Sea Foundation. Professor Beckman and Dr Phan co-authored a paper on ‘Air Defence Identification Zones: Implications for Freedom of Overflight and Maritime Disputes’. Captain Roach presented a paper on ‘Conforming Maritime Claims to the Law of the Sea’. Professor Beckman also chaired a session at the Conference on ‘Confidence Building and Preventive Diplomacy’. To download Prof Beckman’s presentation, click here. To download Capt Roach’s presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the ‘International Symposium on the Philippines v. China Arbitration Case: The Efficacy of the Annex VII Tribunal in Resolving Complex Territorial/Maritime Disputes’ from 21-22 August 2014 in Beijing, China. The Symposium was organised by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies in cooperation with the China Center for Collaborative Studies of the South China Sea. He presented a paper on ‘Offshore Geographic Features and their Significance to Sovereignty and Maritime Claims’. For his paper, click here. For his presentation, click here.

CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard participated in the Summer Academy on the Continental Shelf, held at Torshavn, Faroe Islands on 21-28 June 2014. The Academy was organized by the University of the Faroe Islands. The Academy focused on the intricate legal and technical conditions governing the entitlement to and establishment of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, and on the delimitation of overlapping entitlements to such areas.

CIL Director Robert Beckman visited the International Boundaries Research Unit (IBRU) of Durham University in order to discuss continued links between IBRU and CIL. While at the University, Prof Beckman also met with members of the Faculty of Law.

CIL Director Robert Beckman chaired a panel on Boundary Disputes Involving Oil & Gas Fields at the Oil & Gas Asia Dispute Resolution Conference at the Shangri-la Hotel in Jakarta on 5 June 2013. The conference was organized by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). The other members of the panel were Will Thomas of the Paris Office of Eversheds, Dominic Roughton of the Tokyo office of Herbert Smith Freehills, and Wesley Harris of the Malaysian office of Royal Dutch Shell.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on The Significance of Islands to Maritime Claims on 4 June 2013 at the 26th Annual International Military Law and Operations (MILOPS) Engagement at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok. The Conference was organized by the US Pacific Command, Hawaii. The Panel on Developments applicable to Regional Maritime Security was chaired by Prof Pete Pedrozo of US Naval War College and included speakers from China, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam. For his presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman attended the London International Boundary Conference at the Royal Geographic Society in London from 18-19 April 2013. The Conference was organized by the UK Hydrographic Office, Volterra Fietta and King’s College London and was held at the Royal Geographic Society. Prof Beckman spoke on a panel on the South China Sea and presented on the topic of “The Philippines v China Case and the South China Sea Disputes”. For a copy of his PowerPoint Slides in PDF format, click here.

CIL sponsored a Panel at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) in Washington DC on 5 April 2013, titled “Challenges for ASEAN: The South China Sea, Investment Protection and Myanmar”. Prof Michael Ewing-Chow opened the Panel with discussion on ASEAN legalization, institutionalization and economic law issues facing ASEAN, followed by Ambassador Arif Havas Oegroseno who talked about ASEAN and the South China Sea disputes. CIL’s Research Fellow Tara Davenport then talked about the approach of ASEAN Member States in negotiating and settling maritime boundaries (download her presentation in PDF format). Finally, CIL’s Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li closed the Panel with a discussion of ASEAN’s approach to the human rights situation in Myanmar. The Panel was chaired by Edmund Sim of Appleton & Luff, and co-sponsored by the ASIL Law in Pacific Rim Interest Group and the ASIL International Economic Law Interest Group.

CIL Research Associate Leonardo Bernard participated in the International Conference for the 30th Anniversary of UNCLOS with the theme “China and the Law of the Sea” from 22-24 November 2012 at Qingdao, China. Leo delivered a presentation titled “Effect of Islands on Maritime Delimitation: A Look at the Recent Judgments of ITLOS and ICJ”. The Conference was hosted by the Ocean University of China. To download the presentation in PDF format, click here. To download his paper on “The Role of Islands on Maritime Boundaries Delimitation: A Look at the Recent Decision of ITLOS”, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the Fourth International Workshop on the South China Sea organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Vietnam Lawyers Association. The workshop was held from 18-21 November 2012 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and its theme was “The South China Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development”. Prof Beckman presented a paper on “The Significance of the Status of Offshore Geographic Features to Maritime Claims in the South China Sea” (download paper here; download presentation in PDF format here). He also did an oral presentation on the implications for the South China Sea of the 19 November 2012 decision of the International Court of Justice in The Territorial and Maritime Dispute (Nicaragua v. Colombia) (download in PDF format).

CIL Patron Prof S Jayakumar, Chairman of CIL’s International Advisory Panel (IAP), delivered the keynote address on “International Law and the South China Sea – Claims and Joint Development” at the Blue South China Sea, Green Joint Development Conference in Xiamen, China, on 3 November 2012. Prof Jayakumar was invited by the Xiamen University South China Sea Institute. For the text of the speech, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on 17 October 2012 at the Offshore Patrol & Security Asia Pacific Conference at the Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Prof Beckman’s presentation was on “Territorial Disputes, Unresolved Maritime Boundaries & Maritime Security – Case Study: The South China Sea”. For the PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman delivered the Keynote Address at the 7th ABLOS Conference in Monaco on 1-5 October 2012. ABLOS is the Advisory Board on the Law of the Sea of the International Hydrographic Organization. The theme of the 7th ABLOS Conference was “UNCLOS in a Changing World”. Prof Beckman’s Keynote Address was on “Maritime Claims in the South China Sea: Issues & Challenges”. For the PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in an International Seminar on “Geographical Features in the East Asian Seas and the Law of the Sea” from 20-21 September 2012 at Academia Sinica in Taiwan. Prof Beckman presented a paper on the “Legal Status of Low-Tide Elevations and Submerged Features”. The seminar was co-hosted by the Society of Ieodo Research, Jeju, Korea and the Center for Asia-Pacific Area Studies, Academia Sinica. For the PowerPoint presentation, click here. For the draft paper, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Researchers Tara Davenport and Leo Bernard participated at the 7th Annual International Conference of the Law of the Sea Institute (LOSI) on “Securing the Ocean for the Next Generation” on 21 May 2012 – 24 May 2012, Seoul, Korea. The LOSI Conference was jointly organized by LOSI at the University of California, Berkeley and the Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute (KORDI). Director Beckman and Tara Davenport co-authored a paper on “The EEZ Regime: Reflections After Thirty Years” which was presented by Director Beckman. CIL Research Associate Leo Bernard was among four panelists who received the 2012 LOSI Research Competition Award for Early Career Researchers and presented his paper on “The Effect of Fisheries on Maritime Boundary Delimitation”. To download Director Beckman’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here. To download Leo Bernard’s PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here.

The Asian Society of International Law held its 3rd NUS-AsianSIL Young Scholars Workshop 2012 – Asian Approaches to International Law on 23-24 February 2012 at NUS, Bukit Timah Campus. CIL Research Fellow Tara Davenport presented her paper “Southeast Asian Approaches to Maritime Delimitation.” CIL Director Robert Beckman and Research Fellow Youna Lyons chaired the panels on Oceans Law and the Environment respectively. Research Fellow and Executive Director of the CIL ASEAN ITL Project Dr Tan Hsien-Li, CIL  co-chaired the Workshop, along with Dean of the Faculty of Law, Simon Chesterman. More information on the Young Scholars Workshop can be found here.

The Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) of the Faculty of Law, University of Wollongong, Australia hosted the sixth Law of the Sea Institute (LOSI) Conference “The Limits of Maritime Jurisdiction” on 28 November to 2 December 2011 in Wollongong, Australia. The LOSI Conference was sponsored by LOSI, which is based at the School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, USA, and the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI), South Korea. CIL Director Robert Beckman gave a presentation on “Maritime Security and Jurisdiction over Pirates and Maritime Terrorists.” CIL Research Associate Tara Davenport was among five panelists who received the 2011 LOSI Research Competition Award for Early Career Researchers and presented on “The Negotiation of Maritime Boundaries in the East China Sea: Legal and Practical Issues.” CIL Research Associate Leo Bernard also attended the Conference. To download Director Beckman’s PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here. To download Tara Davenport’s PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper entitled “CLCS Submissions and Claims in the South China Sea” (download PDF version) at the Second International Workshop on the South China Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development, 10-12 November 2010 in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. The paper was co-authored by CIL Research Associate Tara Davenport. To download the PowerPoint presentation in PDF format, click here.