Researchers' Activities

Her presentation discussed the applicability of IMO regulations in regard to reducing greenhouse gas emissions from fishing vessels and possible ways forward.

Participants discussed the mapping of regional biogeography in the Indian Ocean, as well as explored ways forward for IORA member states regarding the implementation of area-based management tools in the BBNJ Agreement.

She presented her draft article about informal lawmaking in ASEAN. Professor Natalie Klein from UNSW served as a commentator for her article.

This workshop invited contributors to the APEC OFWG White Paper on Microplastics in Coastal Aquaculture Systems: Development of Regulatory Frameworks, Practices and Mitigation Efforts in APEC Economies to further discuss a mitigation/prevention plan for microplastics in the coastal aquaculture input chain in APEC economies.

The theme of the conference was ‘Future of Environmental Law in ASEAN and Beyond.’ On August 17^th, 2023, Dita presented on the topic of ‘Ocean Equity.’

The details of the presentation are available at here. 

Youna Lyons from CIL Ocean Law and Policy Programme was invited to speak to the Plastics Research Network (PlaReNet) Conference, which was held 6-7 December 2022 in a hybrid format; it was co-presented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines, and Embassy of Japan in Manila.

They made a presentation titled Development of a Dynamic and Searchable Catalogue of Experts and Expertise in Research on Marine Plastic Pollution in ASEAN +3, which was jointly prepared by them and Cheng Ling Lim.

Youna made a presentation on Identifying Marine Sensitive Areas in the SCS under International Law where she emphasised the development and adoption of scientific and technical criteria under 15 instruments applicable in the South China Sea. She demonstrated their consistency and mutually-reinforcing content and application. The presentation can be downloaded here.

This virtual meeting is a process of preparing for the white paper output of an APEC OFWG project on microplastics in coastal aquaculture and food security. To contribute to this white paper, CIL researchers Youna and Yulu will collaborate and coordinate with Mei Lin, Adjunct Associate Professor Joseph Chun from Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL), NUS, and Associate Professor ‪Karina Yew-Hoong Gin, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NUS.

Yulu Liu and Cheng Ling Lim and Youna Lyons from CIL Ocean Law and Policy Programme presented at the 7th International Marine Debris Conference (7IMDC), held in Busan South Korea, 18-23 September 2022. 

Youna Lyons was invited to observe the 49th GESAMP annual session held at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) headquarters in London, United Kingdom, from 5 to 9 September 2022, on the delegation of Advisory Committee on the Protection of the Sea Advisory Committee (ACOPS).

Yulu Liu also attended the workshop of GESAMP WG 40 (as a representative of ACOPS) to develop a risk assessment framework for land and sea-based sources of marine litter and microplastics, which was held in Busan, South Korea from 26-30 October.

The Workshop introduced the results of the Common Fisheries Resources Analysis of skipjack tuna in the South China Sea, a joint research initiative implemented by scientists from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines and Viet Nam with support from the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.

The Conference was organised by the United Nations Environment Programme, Viet Nam Administration of Seas and Islands – Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Australian Centre for Ocean Resources and Security – University of Wollongong, Centre for International Law of Sea and Maritime Law – National University of Viet Nam in Hanoi.

The Faculty at the Rhodes Academy is comprised of leading experts in the law of the sea, including current and past judges from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). The Faculty in 2022 included two current ITLOS judges, Albert Hoffman of South Africa, the current President and Judge Tomas Heider of Iceland as well as two former Presidents of ITLOS – Rudiger Wolfrum of Germany and Vladimir Golitsyn of the Russian Federation.

The title of his presentation was “Reduction of Emissions from Commercial Shipping: The Global Context and Singapore Initiatives”.

She made a presentation on ‘Enforcement of Coastal State Jurisdiction over Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone,’ and provided a case study on Indonesia.

Youna, Cheng Ling and Yulu’s presentation was on intervention policies and regulations on single-use plastics restrictions in the ASEAN +3 region and their effectiveness.

The title of her presentation was “A Quest for Meaning: Interpretation of Article 73(3) of UNCLOS by Indonesian Supreme Court”

She spoke in Session 6 on Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing alongside Prof. Natalie Klein (University of New South Wales) and Ms. Francesca Caonero (Global Maritime Crime Programme, Latin America and the Caribbean, U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime).

The Conference was organised by the Centre for Public Policy Research of India in collaboration with Monash University and support from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to support ASEAN-Australia-India Indo-Pacific Cooperation.

This regional consultation was organised on 20 April 2022 via Zoom by COBSEA as part of the project ‘Reducing marine litter by addressing the management of the plastic value chain in South-East Asia’ (SEA circular). COBSEA member States, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, RO Korea, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam participated to the consultation.

Dita Liliansa, CIL Research Associate, spoke at the ARIEL Webinar on Ocean Governance in Southeast Asia: Regional Approaches and National Action, 29 September 2021, organised by Asian Research Institute for Environmental Law (ARIEL). The webinar discussed various aspects of regional ocean governance for the protection of marine environment in Southeast Asia.

Senior research fellows Youna Lyons and Vu Hai Dang took part in the online 4th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Expert Group on Marine Litter and Microplastics (AHEG) as observers. The meeting was hosted by UNEP in Nairobi, Kenya, from 9 to 13 November 2020. Participants to this intergovernmental meeting included 200+ representatives from States, international organisations and NGOs. This is the last AHEG meeting before the 5th UN Environment Assembly (UNEA 5), scheduled to take place in February 2021. The meeting discussed the implementation of UNEA Resolutions 3/7 and 4/6 on marine litter and microplastic, which require the AHEG to assess existing measures to combat plastic pollution and submit potential response options to UNEA 5.

At the end of the meeting, delegates agreed that existing measures in dealing with plastic pollution are not sufficient and a range of response options will be submitted to UNEA 5 for consideration, including the development of a new global instrument to facilitate actions against plastics.

The Norway-Singapore Science Week, which took place from 26 October to 6 November, is an important platform for developing and enhancing research and academic cooperation in key areas of interest to Norway and Singapore. During the Science Week, 70 professors, researchers, institution representatives and company executives presented and discussed research and technology development in the field of sustainable urban development, decarbonisation and ocean space.

A member of the organising committee, Professor Robert Beckman assisted in organising and co-chairing a webinar on Ocean Policy on 6 November 2020, Friday. The other co-chair was Professor Tore Henriksen, Director of the Norwegian Center for Law of the Sea, UiT, the Arctic University of Norway.

The Ocean Policy session covered two topics. The first topic, ‘Sea-Level Rise: Connecting Singapore to the Arctic’, was focussed on the impact of climate change in the Arctic on sea-level rise in Singapore and Southeast Asia. The speakers were Professor Benjamin Horton, Director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore; Dr Kristin Richter of Norwegian Research Center in Bergen, Norway; and CIL Director, Dr Nilüfer Oral. Dr Oral spoke about the implications of sea-level rise for international law and policy, in particular for maritime entitlements of States.

The second topic in the session was ‘Biodiversity in the Marine Environment of the Arctic’ and was focussed on the global challenges in protecting and preserving the marine environment. The speakers were Associate Professor Vito De Lucia of UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, and CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons. In her presentation, Youna Lyons compared the regimes governing the marine environment in the Arctic Ocean with those governing the marine environment in ASEAN and the South China Sea.

The webinar participants concluded that there was scope for continued collaboration in researching issues of common interest, given that Singapore is an Observer in the Arctic Council. A collaboration between the CIL and the Norwegian Center for Law of the Sea at UiT resulted in the co-edited book Governance of Arctic Shipping published in 2017.