Researchers' Activities

Prof Beckman spoke on the role of the dispute settlement system in clarifying ambiguous provisions and responding to technological developments.

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

Research fellow Arron N Honniball presented a draft paper, ‘Traditional Fishing Rights and a Customary Law Right of Access to Port: Arbitral Awards from Eritrea – Yemen to the South China Sea’.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of South Korea held the Fifth International Conference on the Law of the Sea from December 3 to 4, 2020. The International Conference on the Law of the Sea has been held since 2016 to discuss the latest trends and progress in the research on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which regulates the peaceful usage of the sea and fair and effective utilization of its resources, and on the jurisprudence of relevant international organizations.

The theme for this year’s conference is Regional Cooperation and Marine Environmental Protection under the UNCLOS Regime. The first session of the conference covered the topic on “Duty of Cooperation under the UNCLOS Regime”. Dr Oral spoke on “The duty to cooperate under Part XII of UNCLOS and the protection and conservation of biological diversity beyond national jurisdiction”.

Other speakers who spoke alongside with Dr Oral include Amb. Markiyan Kulyk (ITLOS), Prof LEE Seok-Woo (Inha University), Judge Oscar Cabello Sarubbi (ITLOS) and Prof KIM Hyun Jung (Yonsei University).

This conference is co-organised with International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea and The Korean Society of International Law. For more information on the conference: https://www.icls.or.kr:43722/main/index.php

CIL Director Nilüfer Oral was invited to speak at the 2020 Seoul Academy of International Law Lectures. Dr Oral delivered an online lecture on the law of the sea.

CIL Director Nilüfer Oral spoke on the panel on climate change and the law of the sea, at the American Bar International Law Association (ABILA) International Law Weekend. The panel explored how international law, especially the law of the sea, should account for sea-level rise, including regarding issues such as baselines and maritime entitlements, status of features, protection of the marine environment, and statehood of low-lying States and the rights of their nationals.

The panel was moderated by Aimee-Jane Lee from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Other speakers on the panel were Professor David Freestone from George Washington University, Ms Nicola Swan from Chapman Tripp, and Ambassador Nguyễn Hồng Thao from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

On 1 October 2020, CIL Director Nilüfer Oral delivered an online lecture on sea-level rise and the law of the sea at the annual ITLOS-Nippon Capacity-Building and Training Programme. The programme helped participants, who were junior to mid-level government officials and researchers from mainly developing countries, to develop their legal skills and deepen their practical knowledge of dispute settlement in the law of the sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

On 6 August 2020, the Embassy of Vietnam in Singapore held a ceremony to officially present the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam to nominate Emeritus Professor Robert Beckman, Head of Ocean Law and Policy of CIL, as an Arbitrator under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Her Excellency Tao Thi Thanh Huong, Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of Vietnam to Singapore, along with all Heads of Section of the Embassy, attended the event.

At the ceremony, Ambassador Huong presented the decision to Professor Beckman, emphasising that this is the first time in history that Vietnam has nominated a foreign national to this important position. This proves not only the recognition of the knowledge and experience of the nominee but also his impartiality to and support of the peaceful resolution of disputes based on international law.

Senior Research Fellows Youna Lyons and Tara Davenport participated in a workshop on Informal-Law Making in the Law of the Sea organised by Professor Natalie Klein at the University of New South Wales from 9 to 10 December 2019 in Sydney, Australia. The workshop is part of a long-term research project on informal law-making and law of the sea led by Professor Klein under an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship Grant. Ms Lyons presented on ‘IMO Measures to Limit Impact from International Shipping’ and Dr Davenport presented on ‘Formal and Informal Lawmaking by the International Seabed Authority’.

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’.