Researchers' Activities

At the online regional conference on Securing the Limits of the Blue Pacific organised by Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) on 9–11 September 2020, CIL Director Nilüfer Oral presented a paper titled ‘Legal Options and Institutional Responses to the Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Maritime Zones in the Context of International Law’.

In her presentation, Dr Oral spoke of a platform that will allow PIF members to examine the leaders’ commitment to preserving members’ existing rights stemming from maritime zones in the face of sea level rise. The conference outcomes will form the basis of recommendations to leaders on various legal options and institutional responses, to guide the region towards a collective effort to securing the Blue Pacific.

Senior research fellows Youna Lyons and Vu Hai Dang were invited to participate in the Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation Meeting under the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Expert Group (AHEG) on marine litter and microplastics established by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). The consultation meeting was held online from 26 to 27 August 2020 and hosted by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the government of Japan. At the meeting, about 100 representatives from the AHEG Asia-Pacific Group Member States, UNEP and NGOs exchanged views on existing measures and potential options to deal with the marine plastic pollution issue.

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.

Dr Nilüfer Oral, CIL Director, and Robert Beckman, Head, CIL Ocean Law & Policy, were invited to attend the online Adoption Ceremony of the Model Agreement between Singapore and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on 11 June 2020. Disputes referred to the ITLOS can now be heard in Singapore under the agreement signed by Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam and ITLOS President, Judge Jin-Hyun Paik.

Dr Tara Davenport, CIL Senior Research Fellow, participated at the ASEAN Regional Forum Workshop on Dispute Resolution and Law of the Sea held in Dili, Timor-Leste from 27 to 28 February 2020. The workshop was hosted by Timor-Leste and co-chaired by Malaysia and Australia. Dr Davenport presented on ‘Compulsory Conciliation under UNCLOS: Prospects for Future Use‘ and also moderated a panel on resolving disputes in relation to maritime boundaries.

Youna Lyons, Senior Research Fellow in the Ocean Law and Policy Programme of CIL, participated in the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) Meeting on the assessment on sources, pathways and hazards of litter including plastic litter and microplastics pollution. She was nominated by Singapore government and confirmed by UNEP as an expert in the SAC. The meeting took place on 25–27 February 2020 in Nairobi, Kenya.

The main purpose of the meeting was the drafting of an assessment on sources, pathways and hazards of marine litter and microplastic and its presence in the rivers and oceans, scientific knowledge about adverse effects on ecosystems, potential adverse on human health and environmentally sound technology innovations. This report will be presented at Lisbon UN Ocean Conference in June 2020 and submitted to inform UNEA 5 in 2021.

Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons participated in the Expert Workshop organised by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity to Identify Options for Modifying the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) and Describing New EBSAs. She was appointed by Singapore government to attend this workshop, which took place on 3–5 February 2020 in Brussels, Belgium. The workshop report will provide a basis for preparation of a proposal by the Secretariat on the topic of the Expert Workshop, for submission to the next meeting of the scientific body, SBSTTA.

Senior Research Fellow Vu Hai Dang participated in the workshop by China-Southeast Asia Research Center (CSARC) on Regional Cooperation on Marine Environmental Protection in the South China Sea in Bali, Indonesia. Dr Vu Hai Dang presented on sensitive and protected marine areas under international law and the value of MPA network in the South China Sea. In particular, he spoke on CIL’s research on area-based management tools in the South China Sea: map of sensitive marine and coastal areas in the South China under international law, ‘Moving from MPAs to Area-based Management Measures in the South China Sea’, ‘National MPA Laws in the South China Sea: A Comparison and Suggestions for MPA Law Reform in China’.

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’.

Research fellow Arron N Honniball presented a co-authored draft paper, ‘The Next Bastion in Combating IUU Fishing: The Role of Nationality Jurisdiction in CCAMLR & Beyond’, at the 12th Polar Law Symposium held at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (Hobart, Australia).