Researchers' Activities

Research Fellow Arron N Honniball gave a presentation on the progress of and challenges to ASEAN’s regional cooperation in maritime safety and security at the Third ASEAN-India Workshop on Blue Economy, held in Bangkok on 12 September 2019. In his presentation, Dr Honniball focussed on the jurisdictional rights and responsibilities of states concerning maritime safety and security as well as the opportunities and necessity of deeper cooperation to help maintain the blue economy.

Robert Beckman participated in the UNESCAP Roundtable on 22 August 2019 at the MPA Academy in Singapore, giving a presentation on ‘Tsunami Monitoring from Ships, Offshore Structures and Submarine Cables: Legal And Jurisdictional Issues’.

The Roundtable was organised by UNESCAP, the MPA, the IMO, the SSA and the Global Compact Network Singapore in collaboration with 14 other organisations. The title of Roundtable was Maritime Sector Strategies to Augment Tsunami Monitoring with Economic, Safety and Environmental Benefits. The Roundtable discussed the potential public sector–private sector partnerships to augment tsunami-warning systems by placing warning devices on offshore platforms, ships and submarine cables.

CIL researchers participated in the Asian Society of International Law conference in Manila on 21–23 August 2019.

At the Junior Scholars’ Conference, Dita Liliansa presented on ‘Protection of Sea Turtles in the Seas of Southeast Asia: An ASEAN Way?’, offering an ongoing investigation on the relationship between ASEAN law, policy and guidelines, and the development of international instruments in the context of the protection of sea turtles in Southeast Asia. Dr Arron Honniball presented on ‘The Role of Nationality Jurisdiction in Combating IUU Fishing: Recent Developments for the Asian Region’, addressing the evolution of the state of nationality in international fisheries law.

The panel on ASEAN Integration and International Law was filled by the CIL’s ASEAN team and chaired by Professor Damian Chalmers, Co-Director (Research) of CIL’s ASEAN Law and Policy Programme. The panellists presented the papers below.

• Dr Melissa Loja: ‘Regionalisation of Venture Capital Investments and the Compatibility of Regulatory Regimes in Southeast Asia: A Case Study of Fintech regulations in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Philippines’
• Dr Heejin Kim: ‘The Laws and Politics of Data localization in Southeast Asia—Competing Regulatory Goals and Diverging Legal Development
• Loo Jing Xi Gloria: ‘Institutional Design and Models of Asian Capitalism’
• Dr Marija Jovanovic: ‘Trade-Labour Linkage: ‘From Social Clause Deniers to Trump as the Champion of Labour Rights in Free Trade Agreements and Back’

In addition, Professor Antony Anghie, Head of CIL’s Teaching and Researching International Law in Asia, convened a popular workshop on teaching and researching in international law. He also spoke on a book panel by the Oxford University Press and a forum on ‘Junior Scholars’ Guide to the Nuts and Bolts of How to Make It Past Rejection Slips’.

Research Fellow Arron N Honniball presented a paper at the conference on Governing Science at Sea: The Legal Framework for Marine Scientific Research, held in Busan, South Korea. The conference was organised by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and the Law of the Sea Institute, UC Berkeley.

Dr Honniball presented his paper titled ‘Rights and Responsibilities for Marine Scientific Research by Private Entities on the High Seas’ in the first panel, which was tasked to explore the context for marine scientific research. The presentation was based on a paper co-authored by Dr Honniball and Associate Professor Robert Beckman.

Research Fellow Amber Rose Maggio participated in the International Conference on Regulatory Governance with the theme ‘Unpacking the Complexity of Regulatory Governance in a Globalising World’ at the Chinese University of Hong Kong on 4–6 July 2019. She presented her paper entitled ‘Climate Change Regulation, Shipping and the WTO: Conflicting Obligations?’ in a panel on challenges relating to transnational environmental regulation.  

At the 24th session of the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy, Associate Professor Robert Beckman and Captain Ashley Roach (CIL Visiting Senior Principal Research Fellow) were lecturers, and Research Associate Dita Liliansa was a participant. 

Attended by 52 participants from different countries, the Rhodes Academy addressed the foundations and various topics of the law of the sea. The Rhodes Academy is a cooperative undertaking sponsored by the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (COLP) at the University of Virginia School of Law, CIL at the National University of Singapore, and other institutions.

On 17 and 18 June 2019, CIL Researchers Youna Lyons and Vanessa Lam participated in the Working Group on Marine Litter of the Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA) as observers and contributing experts. Ms Lyons also gave a presentation outlining the scope and findings of NUS research on the ‘Status of Research on Marine Plastics in Southeast Asia: Who Does What?’

Research Fellows Amber Rose Maggio and Dafina Atanasova participated in the 16th ASLI (Asian Law Institute) conference on ‘The Rule of Law and the Role of Law in Asia’. Dr Maggio gave a presentation on ‘Regional Cooperation for the Protection of the Marine Environment in Southeast Asia: Can Other Regions Provide Inspiration?’ She presented CIL’s work on this topic and some ideas about best practices and shared experiences.

Dr Atanasova presented her paper titled ‘Investment Treaties Viewed from Inside the Lion City’. The paper is part of the broader research project on ‘Investment Treaties and National Governance’ (headed by CIL Research Associate Professor Jansen Calamita), studying the extent to which the administrations of Asian states take investment treaties into account in their decision-making processes. Based on a series of interviews with government officials in Singapore and documentary research, the paper opens the ‘black box’ of the Lion City and looks at the impact of investment treaties on its governance. A unitary compact state, Singapore is considered to work as a well-oiled machine and provides a very fruitful terrain for testing some of the core tenets of arguments on investment treaties’ impacts on governance.

Research fellow Arron N Honniball was invited to sit on the Committee of Appointed Judges for the inaugural Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS) Moot Court Competition, which was organised by Utrecht University. This competition is the first moot court that simulates proceedings under Part XV of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Judges graded the memorials submitted by the teams, which pleaded the Case Concerning Certain Activities in the DeGroot Sea before ITLOS. The final rounds of the competition took place on 22–24 May 2019.

CIL was an Associate Sponsor of the 43rd Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law & Policy (COLP) of the University of Virginia, which was held at World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden, from 15 to 16 May 2019. The title of the conference was Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction: Intractable Challenges and Potential Solutions.

CIL sponsored the participation of four people at the conference. Ms Rena Lee, the President of the UN Intergovernmental Conference on BBNJ, was the keynote speaker. Associate Professor Robert Beckman served as a moderator in one of the sessions, and two of CIL’s external consultants, Captain J Ashley Roach and Professor Nilufer Oral, gave presentations. The Conference Programme and PowerPoint presentations are available on the COLP website.

Dr Tara Davenport participated in the Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) held in Washington DC from 27 to 29 March 2019. On a panel titled ‘Deep Seabed Mining in Crowded Oceans’, she engaged in a discussion on the various challenges facing deep seabed mining 25 years after the International Seabed Authority was established.

CIL Ocean Law and Policy Programme Head, Robert Beckman, participated in a Submarine Cables Meeting in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 25 to 26 March 2019. The meeting was organised by the UNODC Global Maritime Crime Programme and the government of Sri Lanka. Associate Professor Beckman presented on causes of submarine cable faults and chaired a session on the legal issues that must be addressed to protect submarine cables.

Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited as a speaker and moderator to the ASEAN Regional Forum Workshop: Implementing UNCLOS and Other International Instruments to Address Emerging Maritime Issues. The workshop included three main themes: traditional security; issues relating to the sustainable management of natural living resources and conservation of the marine environment; and climate change impacts.

Ms Youna Lyons was a moderator on the second theme and presented on the third theme on the topic of international and regional legal and institutional framework applicable to environmental threats in the Asia Pacific, including from climate change and greenhouse gas emissions from shipping. She distinguished legal instruments and regulations applicable to mitigation of greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere and in the ocean from those applicable to adaptation from climate change. She also argued that climate change affects all maritime activities. Finally, the presentation of the regional bodies that form the regional institutional framework highlighted the number of bodies concerned with climate change impact and the need for robust cooperation to ensure adequate mitigation and adaptation. The presentation is available here.

Research Fellow Amber Maggio participated in the UNODC Contact Group on the Sulu and Celebes Seas: Mapping and Responding to Global Maritime Crime, which was held in Manila, Philippines.

The meeting focussed on the recommendations from the previous contact group meeting in August 2018 and their implementation, particularly challenges, responses and the need for information sharing. In addition, the shipping industry and humanitarian organisations shared their perspectives on working with victims of maritime crimes and their families.

Dr Maggio participated in the operations working group, where the possibility of a maritime law enforcement cooperation (or agreement) was discussed.

Research Associate Dita Liliansa was invited to speak at the 6th Global Fisheries Enforcement Training Workshop on 18–22 February 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop gathered about 135 experts and monitoring, control and surveillance practitioners from around 37 countries, to discuss best practices as well as innovative tools and technologies to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Ms Dita Liliansa delivered a presentation on ‘Implementation of Port State Measures Agreement in Southeast Asia’. The presentation offered a comparison of the regional bodies dealing with the implementation of the Port State Measures Agreement in Southeast Asia and discussed possible cooperation forward. The presentation slides can be downloaded here.

Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited as a keynote speaker to the International Conference on Plastics in the Marine Environment (ICPME) 2018, hosted by the National University of Singapore on 5–7 December 2018. The programme of the conference provided a comprehensive discussion of issues related to the introduction of plastic in the marine environment from the perspectives of plastic chemists and biochemists, marine ecologists, oceanographers, human health, pollution monitoring, and research on marine ecological and socio-economic impacts. It also included a discussion of the international legal framework and possible paths to tackle the issue, including the development of a circular economy and other solutions for the future.

Ms Lyons presented the status and prospects of the international legal framework to manage marine plastics in Southeast Asia. The presentation identified the possible angles of an ocean law and policy approach to the issue of marine plastic pollution and provided an overview of the international legal framework. It emphasised relevant provisions from the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which can be used to frame scientific research on marine plastic in order to inform the content of states’ obligation to protect and preserve the marine environment in this context. Ongoing working groups in different international and regional bodies and their respective importance were also highlighted. The presentation slides can be downloaded here.

CIL sponsored a panel on ’Legal and Institutional Mechanisms to Manage the Marine Environment in the Seas of Southeast Asia: Status and Way Forward’ at the Sixth East Asian Seas Congress (EAS Congress) in Iloilo, Philippines on 27 November 2018. The theme of the EAS Congress this year was ‘25 Years of Partnerships for Healthy Oceans, People and Economies: Moving as One with the Global Ocean Agenda’. The event is co-organised every three years by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) and includes a Ministerial Forum on the last day of the meeting.

This CIL-sponsored session aimed to investigate and discuss the extent to which regional institutions can and may foster a common understanding of applicable international law and facilitate implementation. An underlying question in this investigation was to assess the possibility of following an ASEAN way and bypassing the need for a regional, binding and overarching agreement for the protection of the marine environment.

The CIL panel session comprised presentations by CIL researchers—Amber Rose Maggio, Dita Liliansa and Youna Lyons—followed by comments by Raphael Lotilla, former Director of PEMSEA and Somboon Siriraksophon, SEAFEC Project Director. The three speakers focussed on the following topics:

• principles and rules of international marine law applicable to the seas of Southeast Asia;
• regional institutions and the protection of the marine environment in Southeast Asia; and
• application of international marine law to the seas of Southeast Asia, with the examples of sensitive marine areas, the IOSEA Marine Turtle Memorandum of Understanding and Fisheries Refugia.

The speakers brought together the overarching international legal framework, comparisons of regional cooperative mechanisms and specific examples of application of the international legal framework by regional bodies. Click here for the session’s highlights.

This comparison of regional institutions and coordination mechanisms is part of an ongoing study of regional cooperation mechanisms for the protection of the marine environment in Southeast Asia. It will be updated as CIL’s research progresses. Click on the links below for more information on the panel. 

• Table of international environmental law treaties applicable to the protection of the marine environment in Southeast Asia 
• Diagram of regional bodies involved in the protection of the marine environment in Southeast Asia 
• Map of sensitive marine areas in Southeast Asia under international law
• Session brochure

Head of Ocean Law and Policy Robert Beckman and Research Associate Millicent McCreath participated in the NUS-Sweden Arctic Roundtable on 21 November 2018 at the National University of Singapore (NUS). The Roundtable was organised by the Embassy of Sweden and the NUS Energy Studies Institute. Speakers included the Swedish Ambassador for Arctic Affairs, the Director-General of the Swedish Polar Institute and the Swedish Ambassador to Singapore. Representatives from several NUS research institutes outlined their research activities on the Arctic.

Associate Professor Beckman gave a brief presentation on CIL’s research on the Arctic, including the recently revised CIL Arctic Guide prepared by Captain J Ashley Roach.

Youna Lyons and Dita Liliansa participated in the Indonesian Centre for the Law of the Sea (ICLOS)  Conference on Artificial Islands Beyond National Jurisdiction. The conference was organised by Universitas Padjadjaran in Bandung, Indonesia.

Ms Lyons was invited as a speaker and gave a presentation on ‘Artificial Islands, Installations and Related Activities by Non-State Actors in Area Beyond National Jurisdiction’.

Ocean Law and Policy Programme Head Robert Beckman participated in the 10th South China Sea International Conference organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. The conference was held from 7 to 9 November 2018 in Da Nang, Vietnam. The 10th conference in this series was attended by more than 200 participants from Vietnam, the region and many countries. A/P Beckman chaired one session, gave a presentation in another session, and was a panellist in the final wrap-up session. His presentation was entitled ‘Noncompliance and Integrity of Maritime Legal of the Maritime Legal Order’. Click on the links for the abstract and PowerPoint slides.

Dr Tara Davenport participated in the Second Workshop on ‘Developing Options for the Implementation of the Due Regard and Reasonable Regard Obligations under UNCLOS’ held in Bangkok, Thailand on 29–30 October 2018. The workshop was the second one organised by the International Seabed Authority (ISA) and the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) to address the coexistence of submarine cables and deep seabed mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The workshop brought together representatives from the ISA, the ICPC, the cable industry, the mining industry, academia, and government representatives to discuss practical solutions to minimise interference with these two important uses of the oceans. Dr Davenport served as facilitator for the round-table discussions between the cable industry and deep seabed mining industry.

Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons attended the 73rd meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). The meeting took place from 22 to 26 October 2018. Ms Lyons was head of delegation of the Advisory Committee for the Protection Sea, an NGO with a consultative status at the IMO. In addition to most plenary meetings, she took part in three working groups on marine plastics, underwater noise and biofouling.

Ocean Law and Policy Programme Head Robert Beckman participated in a Law of the Sea Workshop in Kuala Lumpur on 18 October 2018. Organised by the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) and the Japanese Embassy in Malaysia, the workshop was on a rules-based order for the oceans and issues pertaining to activities in the South China Sea. Associate Professor Beckman gave a presentation on ‘UNCLOS as a Rules-Based Order for the Oceans’.

CIL researchers presented papers at the conference ‘International Law in Asia: Challenges and Opportunities’ in Beijing. The conference was organised by the Asian Society of International Law and Renmin University of China Law School

Research Fellow Amber Rose Maggio presented a paper entitled ‘Regional Cooperation for Protection of the Marine Environment in Southeast Asia’. The paper focussed on cooperation in the South China Sea and explored current trends in regional cooperation in Southeast Asia, including the challenges faced and future prospects in the region. Dr Maggio highlighted particularities of the region with regard to cooperative efforts, in order to understand the best way to approach the analysis.

Research Associate Millicent McCreath presented a paper entitled ‘UNCLOS Legal Framework for Cooperation in East and Southeast Asia on the Reduction of Marine Plastic Pollution from Land-Based Sources’. In her paper, Ms McCreath sought to clarify the content of the UNCLOS obligations on land-source pollution and regional cooperation, to encourage states to take active measures to prevent marine plastic pollution, and to work together to that end. The paper also addressed the legal implications of failing to meet these obligations, particularly the risk of compulsory dispute settlement procedures under UNCLOS.

At The Legal Regime of Underwater Cultural Heritage and Marine Scientific Research Conference in Bodrum, Turkey, Research Fellow Sun Zhen presented a paper titled ‘Protecting Underwater Cultural Heritage in the EEZ and on the CS—Could the Marine Scientific Research Regime Play a Role?’ The conference was organised by the Research Center of the Sea and Maritime Law, DEHUKAM, Ankara University, and co-organised by the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (COLP), University of Virginia. Click here for the abstract.

Research Fellow Amber Rose Maggio and Postdoctoral Fellow Marija Jovanovic presented papers at the International Law and Universality Conference in Manchester organised by the European Society of International Law.

Dr Maggio’s paper was entitled ‘Marine Environmental Protection, Regional Cooperation and Universality: The Particular View from Southeast Asia’. The paper explored the preference for universality in environmental standard setting with regard to marine environmental protection, how regionalism and regional cooperation may be replacing universalism in the implementation of measures for the protection and preservation of the marine environment, and what the implications are for states in Southeast Asia. The paper discussed the legal framework and possible move away from universality, regional cooperation mechanisms, the particular view from Southeast Asia with a focus on the South China Sea, and future prospects.

Dr Jovanovic presented a paper entitled ‘Europe, Trade Deals and Forced and Child Labour in Developing States: Towards a More Principled Approach’. She explored the extraterritorial reach of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in cases of forced and worst forms of child labour when these practices occur within the supply chains of companies domiciled in European states. Exposing an unprincipled gap in the current ECHR jurisprudence, the paper argued that the absence of any state responsibility pertaining to activities of business enterprises domiciled in their territory, especially in countries with well-known and severe governance gaps, undermines the universal reach of the absolute prohibition of slavery and forced labour and effectively encourages and facilitates such practices outside the European espace juridique. The paper then presented reasons for and ways of framing states’ positive obligations in these circumstances that are consistent with the principles of interpretation of the ECHR and with the growing international recognition of such duties by international organisations and established precedents in some domestic jurisdictions.

Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun participated in the ‘ReCAAP Capacity Building Workshop’ in Yangon, Myanmar, on 3–6 September 2018. ReCAAP is the first Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP). The workshop brought together 25 ReCAAP Focal Point Officers from 14 ReCAAP member states, and other law enforcement officers from Myanmar. The workshop focussed on sharing knowledge and experiences among the Focal Points, and on discussing challenges faced by the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre and the Focal Points in dealing with piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia.

Dr Sun gave a lecture on ‘Basics of International Law of the Sea’. In the lecture, Dr Sun gave an overview of the current legal framework of the law of the sea, discussed the differences between the definitions of piracy and armed robbery against ships, and the relevant international regulations of both activities. To access the presentation, click here.

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’.  

Associate Professor Robert Beckman participated in the 2018 APOLIA-KIOST Conference: Area-Based Marine Protection in the Asia-Pacific on 18–19 August 2018 at the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The Conference was organised by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST) and the Asia Pacific Ocean Law Institutions Alliance (APOLIA). Assoc Prof Beckman gave a presentation in the session on ‘Regional Initiatives in the South China Sea’ and Chaired the discussion in the session on ‘State Practice in Southeast Asia’. For copy of his presentation, click here.

Oceans Law and Policy Programme Head Robert Beckman participated in the 2018 APOLIA-KIOST Conference: Area-Based Marine Protection in the Asia-Pacific on 18–19 August 2018 at the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. The conference was organised by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST) and the Asia Pacific Ocean Law Institutions Alliance (APOLIA). Associate Professor Beckman gave a presentation in the session on ‘Regional Initiatives in the South China Sea’ and chaired the discussion in the session on ‘State Practice in Southeast Asia’. For copy of his presentation, click here.

Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was a lecturer in the 23rd Session of the Rhodes Academy, an annual three-week course on principles of contemporary oceans law and policy. Ms Lyons lectured on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), international law, and the protection and preservation of the marine environment. Her presentation slides are available here.

CIL Research Fellow Zhen Sun participated in ‘ASEAN-China Workshop on Marine Environmental Protection in the South China Sea’ in Phuket, Thailand, on 12–13 July 2018. The workshop brought together government officials and academics from ASEAN member states and China to discuss means to deepen cooperation on the marine environmental protection and marine search and rescue in the South China Sea.

Dr Sun gave a presentation on ‘Legal Framework of Marine Environmental Protection in the South China Sea’. In the presentation, Dr Sun emphasised that states bordering the South China Sea, a semi-enclosed sea as defined under UNCLOS, should cooperate with each other in the implementation of their rights and duties with respect to the protection and preservation of the marine environment. To access the presentation, please click here.

Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited as a lecturer in the 3rd Training Programme by International Ocean Institute on ‘Regional Ocean Governance Framework, Implementation of the UNCLOS and Its Related Instruments in the Southeast Asian Seas and the Indian Ocean’. The course took place on 1–28 July 2018 in Hua Hin, Thailand.

Ms Lyons’s lecture was on UNCLOS and international law, and regional legal and institutional governance in Southeast Asia. The presentation slides are available here.

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.

Associate Professor Robert Beckman and Visiting Senior Principal Research Fellow Captain Ashley Roach participated in the 42nd Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law and Policy of the University of Virginia, which was held in Beijing on 24–25 May 2018. The title of the conference was ‘Cooperation and Engagement in the Asia Pacific Region’. Captain Roach gave a presentation on the BBNJ Discussions, and Assoc Prof Beckman gave a presentation on ‘The Legal Regime Governing Passage on Routes Used for International Navigation through Indonesian Waters’. To see Assoc Prof Beckman’s PowerPoint presentation, click here.

Associate Professor Robert Beckman participated in 2018 Global Ocean Regime Conference organised by the Korea Maritime Institute at the Hyatt Regency, Jeju Island, Korea, from 16 to 18 May 2018. The title of the conference was ‘Promoting Cooperation in Overlapping Maritime Areas’. Assoc Prof Beckman gave a presentation on ‘Joint Arrangements in the South China Sea: Problems and Prospects’. To see his presentation, click here.

At the 2nd Conference on Maritime Security and Coastal Surveillance Indonesia in Jakarta, Dr Zhen Sun spoke on ‘Fostering More Effective Non-Traditional Maritime Security Cooperation in Southeast Asia’ to an audience consisting of government officials, industry representatives, academics and members of other private sectors.

Dr Sun said that as non-traditional maritime security threats (eg, trafficking of drugs and humans, piracy and armed robbery against ships, etc) pose challenges to all Southeast Asian countries, coordinated efforts are required from various sectors on the national, regional and international levels. To use legal tools to address these threats, Southeast Asian countries will need to ratify and implement relevant international agreements. 

Click here to learn more about Dr Sun’s presentation.

Members of the CIL Ocean Law and Policy Programme participated in a workshop organised by INTERPOL on 17 April in Singapore entitled ‘Operation 30 Days at Sea: Asia Pacific Operational Planning Meeting’. The workshop was held as part of a year-long global project to enforce the international rules regulating marine pollution from ships. Associate Professor Beckman gave a presentation on ‘The Global Legal Regime Governing Ship-Source Pollution’. Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun and Research Associate Ms Millicent McCreath also participated in the workshop, along with representatives from governments throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

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.

CIL and the K.G. Jebsen Centre for the Law of the Sea (JCLOS), UiT The Arctic University of Norway held a side event at Arctic Frontiers 2018 in Tromsø, Norway on 24 January 2018 to launch the book entitled Governance of Arctic Shipping: Balancing Rights and Interests of Arctic States and User States. The book was a collaborative effort of CIL and JCLOS. The book sets out the legal framework that governs Arctic shipping, giving specific consideration to the roles of the International Maritime Organization and the Arctic Council, and compares the rights, interests, positions and practice of Arctic coastal states with those of user states, with particular emphasis on China, Japan and South Korea.

At the side event of Arctic Frontiers 2018, Associate Professor Robert C Beckman, CIL’s Head of Ocean Law Policy and Programme, presented a lecture on ‘The Cooperative Mechanism in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore: A Model for the Arctic?’.

Three members of the CIL Ocean Law and Policy team—Head of Programme Associate Professor Robert Beckman, Dr Zhen Sun and Ms Millicent McCreath—attended the 2018 Arctic Frontiers Conference in Tromso, Norway from 21 to 25 January 2018. The CIL team met with staff and students from the Jebsen Centre for Law of the Sea at the University of Tromso (UiT), and Assoc Prof Beckman gave a guest lecture at the UiT. The book Governance of Arctic Shipping was officially launched at a side event at the conference, and Assoc Prof Beckman, one of the book editors, spoke at the book launch. The book was edited by staff from UiT and CIL and was published by Brill. The CIL team also stopped in Oslo to visit the Scandinavian Institute for Maritime Law, where Assoc Prof Beckman gave a guest lecture to graduate students and faculty members at the University of Oslo law school.

Head of CIL Oceans Law and Policy Programme Associate Professor Robert Beckman participated in the 9th South China Sea Conference organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam on 27–28 November 2017 in Ho Chi Minh City. The title of the conference was ‘Cooperation for Regional Security and Development’. Assoc Prof Beckman made a presentation to lead the panel discussion in the final session on the code of conduct for the South China Sea. He also chaired the session on Legal Dimensions in the South China Sea.

Head of CIL Oceans Law and Policy Programme Associate Professor Robert Beckman was invited to give a presentation during a plenary session of the ASEAN Conference on Reducing Marine Debris in ASEAN Region. The conference was held in Phuket, Thailand from 22 to 23 November 2017. Assoc Prof Beckman’s presentation was entitled ‘Legal Perspective: Transboundary Issues of Marine Debris’. CIL Research Associate Millicent McCreath also attended the conference and participated in the workshop on the second day on developing a project for the management of the plastic value chain to reduce plastic marine litter.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons participated in the KIOST/JVDI 2017 Regional Conference on the Ocean Policy for the East Asia and the Pacific Islands in Nadi-Fiji on 16–18 Nov 2017. The theme was ‘SDG 14 and Ocean Issues for the Pacific Islands and the East Asia’. She presented on the topic of ‘UNCLOS as the Cornerstone in the Implementation of SDG 14: A Central, Integrative and Framing Role’.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan was invited to speak at the 5th East Asia Maritime Security Forum on ‘Maritime Security and Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges in Asia-Pacific and the Arctic’ on 26–27 October in Edmonton, Canada. Dr Hao Duy Phan delivered a presentation on ‘Addressing Maritime Security Challenges in the South China Sea: The Role of ASEAN’. The Forum was co-organized by the China National Institute for South China Sea Studies and the China Institute at the University of Alberta.

From 20 to 22 October, CIL Research Associate Zoe Scanlon participated in the 8th annual conference on ‘Global Commons and the Governance of Unappropriated Spaces’ organised by the German-Southeast Asian Centre of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance in Bangkok. Ms Scanlon presented an invited paper on ‘Maritime Activities Beyond National Jurisdiction: Governance and Enforcement Challenges’ on a panel addressing issues of governance of global commons in oceans.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons was invited as a resource speaker by the European Union to the 4th ASEAN-EU High Level Dialogue on Maritime Security, which was held in the Philippines on 5–6 October 2017. Her presentation, titled ‘Moving beyond competing narratives on the status of the marine environment in Southeast Asia through data’, is available here.

On 28–29 September CIL Global Associate Tara Davenport and CIL Research Associate Zoe Scanlon participated in a Legal Working Group on liability for deep seabed mining activities in ‘the Area’. This was the first meeting of the Legal Working Group, formed to complete a project on liability for environmental harm from deep-sea mining activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction. This meeting, of an expert group of international lawyers specialising in oceans law, met in London to discuss key legal issues relating to seabed mining in international waters. The meeting was co-convened by the International Seabed Authority, the Centre of International Governance Innovation and the Commonwealth Secretariat. The work undertaken by this group will be directed to providing the International Seabed Authority Secretariat and the Legal and Technical Committee of the International Seabed Authority with a foundational understanding of the potential legal avenues for establishing a sector-specific liability regime for deep seabed mining.

CIL Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun was invited to deliver a guest lecture on ‘Regulation of Shipping in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore’ at the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmö, Sweden, on 27 September 2017. The lecture was part of the module ‘Multilateral Diplomacy and Negotiation’, which is designed for students enrolled in the MSc in Maritime Affairs Programme on Ocean Sustainability, Governance and Management at WMU. In the lecture, Zhen unfolded the dynamic relationship among Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore to cooperate in maximising governance and management strategies for issues relating to the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The presentation can be downloaded here.

CIL Research Associate Ms Millicent McCreath presented a poster at the international conference organised by the Max Planck Institute Luxembourg and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. The conference was held in Luxembourg on 25 and 26 September and was entitled ‘A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Dispute Resolution in the Law of International Watercourses and the Law of the Sea’. Millicent’s poster was on ‘Standing and State Responsibility for Breaches of UNCLOS Environmental Obligations: Access to Compulsory Binding Procedures Marine Pollution from Land or International Watercourses’.

CIL Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun participated in the fourth biennial 2017 Arctic Energy Summit, ‘Bringing Together Arctic Energy Expertise, Innovation and Solutions’, in Helsinki, Finland, on 18–21 September 2017. The summit was organised by the Institute of the North and Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment of Finland as a project endorsed by the Sustainable Development Working Group of the Arctic Council. Zhen delivered a presentation on ‘Regulatory Gaps in Offshore Activities in the Arctic: Concerns and Lessons from Southeast Asia’ under the panel on ‘Sustainable Development and the Southeast Asian Experience’. The presentation can be downloaded here.

CIL participated in the 6th Biennial Conference of the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL) on 25–26 August 2017 in Seoul, Korea. The conference was organised by the AsianSIL, the Korea Chapter of the AsianSIL, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea. The theme of the conference was ‘Asia and International Law in Times of Uncertainty’. CIL Director Professor Lucy Reed chaired the session on ‘New Proposals for Investment Dispute Resolution Mechanism’. Head of CIL’s Ocean Law and Policy Programme Associate Professor Robert Beckman chaired the session on ‘New Voices in International Law’, which featured presentations from two CIL Research Associates (see below). He also gave a presentation on the implications of the South China Sea arbitral award.

CIL Director, Professor Lucy Reed, represented the Centre and spoke at the inaugural colloquium on International Law of the Asian Academy of International Law (AAIL) in Hong Kong on 7-8 July 2017. The theme of the colloquium was ‘Common Future in Asia’, with panels on ‘One Country Two Systems: Interaction with International Law’, ‘Investment Collaboration: Opportunities and Challenges for Asia’, and ‘Interpretation of Treaties and UNCLOS: The Regime of Islands, Rocks and Offshore Archipelagos’. The welcome and keynote speakers included the new Hong Kong Chief Executive Mrs Carrie Lam, GBM, GBS; Mr Rimsky Yuen, GBM, SC, JP, Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong; Professor Teresa Cheng SC, Chairman of the AAIL; Dr Li Shishi, President of the Chinese Society of International Law; Professor Zhang Yuejiao, Former WTO Appellate Body Member and Chair; Mr Liu Zhenmin, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of China (by video); and Mr Xie Zhenhua, Special Representative for Climate Change Affairs of China.

CIL Research Fellow Zhen Sun participated in the 6th World Congress for Korean Politics and Society 2017 organized by the Korean Political Science Association, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea Foundation and Korea Maritime Institute. The conference was held in Yonsei University, Seoul on 22-24 June on ‘Rebuilding Trust in Peace and Democracy’. Zhen delivered a presentation on ‘Non-Traditional Maritime Security Cooperation in Southeast Asia‘ under the panel on ‘How to Promote Peaceful Uses of the Seas in Asia’.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons participated in the 2017 Global Ocean Regime Conference of the Korea Maritime Institute. The conference was held in Seoul on 19-21 June 2017 on the theme of the role of international law and its limits, in particular the maritime order in Asia after the South China Sea Arbitration. Youna presented on the ‘Protection of the Marine Environment after the SCS Arbitration Award‘.

On 16–17 June 2017, CIL Head of Ocean Law and Policy Programme Assoc Prof Robert C Beckman and CIL Research Associate Hadyu Ikrami participated in the Asia-Pacific Ocean Law Institutions Alliance (APOLIA) Conference on ‘Maritime Law Enforcement: Asia-Pacific State Practice’ and the ‘South China Sea Workshop on South China Sea Arbitration and Incidental Maritime Issues’. The conference and workshop took place in Da Nang, Vietnam and were organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and The Development of International Law in Asia-Korea (DILA-Korea).

CIL Senior Visiting Research Fellow Dr Lynn Kuok recently participated in the IISS-Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence summit of defence ministers and delegates from over 50 countries, as a Southeast Asian Young Leader. The Dialogue was held in Singapore from 2-4 June 2017. Dr Kuok contributed two opinion editorials on recent developments in the South China Sea to The Straits Times and the Wall Street Journal.

CIL research associates (below) participated in the 14th Asian Law Institute Conference on “A Uniting Force? – ‘Asian Values’ and the Law” on 18–19 May 2017 in Manila, Philippines. The conference was organised by the Asian Law Institute of the National University of Singapore and College of Law at the University of the Philippines. The conference was attended by over 200 legal scholars and practitioners.

CIL Research Associate and Practice Fellow Elsa Sardinha and NUS Faculty of Law Assistant Professor Vincent-Joël Proulx presented a work-in-progress paper entitled ‘Requiem for a Deal, or the End of American Influence in the Investment Chapters of Asia-Relevant FTAs? Can Asian Trade and Investment “Values” Carry the RECP in the Wake of the TPP’s (Potential) Death?’

CIL Research Associate Millicent McCreath presented on ‘Burgeoning Practice of the Establishment of Marine Protected Areas in Southeast Asia to Target the Impacts of International Shipping’.

CIL Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun presented on ‘ASEAN Framework to Enhance Maritime Security’.

CIL Research Associate Hadyu Ikrami presented on ‘Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines Cooperation in Combating Maritime Crimes: Lessons from the Malacca Straits Patrol and the Role of ASEAN’. 

CIL Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun participated in a Conference on ‘The Russian Far East, Arctic, and China: Reshaping Northeast Asia in the 21st Century?’ on 25-26 May 2017 in Cambridge, the United Kingdom. The Conference was organised by the Center for Rising Powers and took place at the Scott Polar Research Institute at the University of Cambridge. Dr Sun delivered a presentation on “Navigation Rights under UNCLOS: Application in the Arctic Ocean” under the Panel on UNCLOS. To download her presentation slides, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons participated in the Meeting of the Scientific Group of the London Convention and Protocol on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter as an observer member of the delegation of the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea. The meeting was held at the International Maritime Organization in London on 27-31 March 2017.

Professor Robert Beckman (Head of CIL’s Ocean Law and Policy Programme), Dr Hao Duy Phan (CIL Senior Research Fellow) and Dr Lynn Kuok (CIL Senior Visiting Research Fellow) were invited to participate in the workshop on “Understanding Freedoms of Navigation-ASEAN Perspectives” on 7 March 2017 in Singapore. The workshop was organized by the Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS) under the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. Professor Beckman presented an “Overview of the International Navigational Regimes”, and Dr Hao Duy Phan spoke about “Vietnam’s Regulations on Navigational Rights of User States in its Maritime Zones”. To see Professor Beckman’s PowerPoint presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited as a speaker to the 9th ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-sessional Meeting on Maritime Security (ARF ISM on MS), held in Tokyo on 8-9 February 2017. Her presentation was titled ‘Developing Cooperative Mechanisms for the Management of the Marine Environment in the South China Sea’ and can downloaded here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited as an expert speaker at the 3rd Meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on Marine Environmental Protection, held in Tokyo on 6-7 February 2017. Her presentation was titled ‘Establishing MPAs in the Region: Some Considerations’ and can be downloaded here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan was invited to participate in the 3rd ASEAN-EU High Level Dialogue on Maritime Security Cooperation on 15-16 September 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Dialogue was jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the European Union. Hao Duy Phan made a presentation on ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation to Address Maritime Security Challenges: The Role of ASEAN’. To download his presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation in Jakarta, Indonesia on 17 March 2016 entitled ‘The Philippines v China Case and the South China Sea Disputes’. The one-day forum was organised by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) in collaboration with The Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta, and was entitled ‘ASEAN Dialogue on International Law: Strengthening the Rule of Law in the Region on International Law of the Sea’. For Prof Beckman’s presentation, click here.

Professor Robert Beckman, Head of CIL’s Ocean Law and Policy Programme, participated in the 8th South China Sea International Conference organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, which was held on 14-15 November 2016 in Nha Trang, Viet Nam. Professor Beckman chaired a panel session on ‘Mechanisms for Managing South China Sea Tensions’ and made a presentation in the panel session on The Arbitral Award and Legal Implications for the Claims of Parties in the South China Sea. His presentation was entitled ‘The New Status Quo and Prospects for Cooperation in the South China Sea’. To see his PowerPoint presentation, click here.

The CIL Ocean Law and Policy team participated in the panel discussion on the marine environment chaired by Professor Robert Beckman at the 20th Anniversary Celebrations of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL), held at the National University of Singapore on 10 November 2016. The theme of the conference was ‘Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals – Environmental Law, Policy and Management’. The panel made the following three (3) presentations: (1) ‘The International Legal Framework for the Protection and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity’ by CIL Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons (2) ‘International Law and the Protection of the Giant Clams in the South China Sea’ by CIL Research Fellow Ms Denise Cheong (3) ‘IMO Measures to Protect Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction – The Sargasso Sea’ by CIL Research Fellow Dr Sun Zhen.

CIL Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun participated in the Conference on Ocean Issues for the Pacific and East Asia. The conference was hosted by the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong, Australia and Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), the Republic of Korea, on 2-4 November 2016 in Wollongong, Australia. The conference was attended by around 30 participants of academics and PhD students. Dr Sun presented on ‘Polar Code and Its Implementation in the Panel on New Frontiers’. To view her presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons participated in the 70th Session of the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), at the IMO Headquarters in London, from 24-28 October 2016, as the Head of Delegation of the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS).

Assoc. Professor Robert Beckman, Head of CIL’s Ocean Law and Policy Programme; Mr Anthony Wetherall, Senior Research Fellow; and Ms S Nivedita, Research Associate, participated in the KIOST International Seminar on Ocean Sciences Diplomacy (ISOSD): A Novel Approach to Establishing a Cooperative Regime in the Asian Waters through Ocean Sciences to Promote Regional Peace held in Ansan, Republic of Korea, on 24-27 October 2016. The seminar was organised by Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST). Assoc. Prof Beckman presented on the ‘Global Legal Regime Governing Pollution of the Marine Environment from Offshore Installations and Structures’ while Mr Wetherall presented on the ‘Future Deployment of Transportable Nuclear Power Plants: Legal and Regulatory Issues and Challenges’, as jointly prepared by Mr Wetherall and Research Fellow Ms Denise Cheong, based on on-going research as part of the ESI-CIL Nuclear Governance Project. Ms S Nivedita took the role of discussant during the panel discussion on coastal nuclear power plants. To download Assoc Prof Beckman’s presentation, click here. To download Mr Wetherall’s presentation, click here. [View photo]

CIL Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons was invited to speak at the International Seminar on ‘Environmental and Maritime Security for a Blue South China Sea’ held in Hai Phong City, Viet Nam, on 10-12 October 2016. She presented a paper titled ‘A path towards Marine Protected Areas in the South China Sea following the Arbitral Award’, in the first session on Environmental Security in the South China Sea (Bien Dong Sea) after the Hague Award. To download her presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons attended the 38th Conference of the Parties to the London Convention and Protocol on the Prevention of Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other Matters as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Protection of the Sea (ACOPS) delegation. The meeting was held at the International Maritime Organization Headquarters in London from 19-23 September 2016.

On 29 August 2016, Professor Robert Beckman, Head of CIL’s Ocean Law and Policy Programme delivered the Keynote Address at an international conference on ocean governance and security at the Mandarin Orchard Hotel, Singapore. The title of the conference was ‘Resolving the Complex Challenges of Ocean Governance and Security for Secure and Sustainable Oceans in the Southeast Asian Region’. The organisers were the Mitsubishi Research Institute and the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Public Policy, with support from IHS Jane’s and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. A copy of Professor Beckman’s Keynote Address is available here.

Professor Robert Beckman, Head of CIL’s Ocean Law and Policy Programme and Ms Youna Lyons, Senior Research Fellow participated in the Asian International Symposium 2016: The Contemporary Maritime Security Issues in Asian Region in Jakarta, Indonesia on 21-22 August 2016. The Conference was organised by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) Indonesia. Professor Beckman chaired a panel session on The Role of UNCLOS and its Dispute Settlement Regime, and Ms Lyons made a presentation in the panel session on Marine Environmental Protection for Sustainability. For a copy of her PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr. Hao Duy Phan was invited to speak at the International Workshop on “Legal Status of Islands and Rocks in International Law and Practice in the South China Sea” on 17-18 August 2016 in Nha Trang, Vietnam. The Workshop was co-organized by Nha Trang University and Pham Van Dong University. Hao Duy Phan delivered a presentation on “The Philippines v. China Arbitration: The Bindingness of the Award and Its Significance”. To download Hao Duy Phan’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

On 3-4 August 2016, Prof Robert Beckman, CIL Head of Ocean Law and Policy Programme, participated in an international conference on the South China Sea that was organised by the Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines and held at the Manila Hotel, in Manila. Prof Beckman made a presentation in Plenary Session Four, which was entitled ‘International Norms and Rules: The Code of Conduct and other Remedies in the South China Sea’. To see his presentation, please click here. To view his paper, click here.

On 29 June 2016, CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman made a dinner speech on the South China Sea Disputes in New York at a meeting of the US-China Dialogue on Maritime Disputes and International Law. This is a Track Two mechanism between the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS), Hainan, and the US National Committee on US-China Relations (NCUSCR), New York.

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 Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun participated in the 4th Asia Pacific Ocean Law Institutions Alliance (APOLIA) Conference on ‘Regulation on Navigation of Foreign Vessels: Asia-Pacific State Practice’ in Zhoushan, China on 22-23 June 2016. The Conference was hosted by the Centre for Ocean Law and Governance of Zhejiang University, and co-organised by Inha University and the University of Wollongong. Dr Sun delivered a presentation on ‘Regulation on Navigation of Foreign Vessels – Singapore’s Practice’ in which she reviewed Singapore’s maritime legislation on foreign vessels and discussed its practice relating to the regulation of navigation in the Singapore Strait. To view Dr Sun’s presentation, please click here. CIL Research Associate Shaun Kang also attended the Conference.

CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman was invited to participate in the EU-DAV High-Level Workshop: Maritime Security and Development: International Cooperation and European – Asian Experience Sharing, which was held on 8-9 June 2016 in Ha Long, Vietnam. The Workshop was jointly organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the European Union. Prof Beckman was unable to attend, but his PowerPoint presentation was distributed to participants and presented by another speaker. His presentation was entitled ‘UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Regime & Philippines v China Arbitration’. He has submitted a draft paper to the organisers on the same topic. To view the draft paper, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman attended the 2016 IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, the 15th annual Asia Security Summit, organised by the International Institute for Security Studies, which was held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore from 3-5 June 2016. Prof Beckman participated in a panel discussion on ‘Managing South China Sea Tensions’, together with defence officials from China, Vietnam and the European Union.

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.

On 18 May 2016, CIL Research Associate Hadyu Ikrami participated in the International Seminar on the Establishment of a Regional Convention against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF) and Its Related Crimes. The Seminar took place in Bali, Indonesia, and was organised by the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs. It was attended by approximately 120 participants from 13 countries. The speakers of the Seminar were representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), European Union (EU), Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) of the West African Countries, as well as representatives of the governments of Thailand, Australia, the Philippines and the United States. Another speaker was a New Zealander official who delivered a presentation on how Interpol has assisted New Zealand in combatting IUU fishing.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the 11th Japan-Singapore Symposium, which was held in Tokyo, Japan on 25-26 April 2016. Prof Beckman made a presentation on ‘Security Outlook in the Asia-Pacific: Roles of Maritime Nations’.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Assistant Anjali Sugadev attended the Third Hamburg International Environmental Law Conference 2016 in Hamburg, Germany from 15-16 April 2016. Professor Beckman gave an invited presentation on ‘Submarine Cables & Pipelines under UNCLOS’. To view his presentation, click here. Ms Sugadev participated in the conference and was a member of the Working Group on ‘Ocean Bed Pipe and Cable Systems’. [View photo]

CIL Director Robert Beckman and Research Assistant Anjali Sugadev attended the annual Plenary Meeting of the International Cable Protection Committee in Hamburg, Germany from 12-14 April 2016 (view photo). At the open session of the plenary, Professor Beckman gave an invited presentation on ‘Potential Impact of BBNJ Negotiations on Cable Industry’. To view his presentation, click here. Ms Sugadev presented a paper on ‘India’s Practice on Cable Repairs: An Appraisal’. To view her presentation, click here.

CIL Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun and Research Assistant Anjali Sugadev participated in the DEHUKAM International Workshop – “Legal Status of Submarine Cables, Pipelines and ABNJ” on 7-8 April 2016 in Ankara, Turkey. The Conference was jointly organized by the Ankara University Research Center of the Sea and Maritime Law, Center for Oceans Law and Policy, University of Virginia and the International Cable Protection Committee. At the Conference, Dr. Sun spoke at a panel on the Law of the Sea and delivered a presentation on “Submarine Cables in the Sargasso Sea – Lessons for the Prep-Com”. To download her PowerPoint presentation, click here. Anjali Sugadev spoke at the second session of the panel on “Submarine Pipelines, Cables and ABNJ under the Law of the Sea, especially UNCLOS” and gave a presentation on “Cables and Pipelines under UNCLOS: Similarities, Differences and Gaps”. To download her PowerPoint presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited by the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines as a resource speaker at the 8th ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-sessional Meeting on Maritime Security, held 6-7 April 2016, in Makati City, Philippines. She made a presentation on ‘Marine Environmental Governance in Southeast Asia: A Review of Status and Gaps’. To download her presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited by the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) – Singapore to participate in the 1st Meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on Marine Environmental Protection, which was held on 3-5 April 2016 at the Marco Polo Ortigas Hotel in Manila, Philippines. She made a presentation on ‘Challenges to the Marine Environment and Gaps in Regional Cooperation’. To download her presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in a conference hosted by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) in Hainan, China from 17-19 January 2016. The conference was the Second Conference on the Partnership for Regional Peace: Operationalising ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in Southeast Asia under a project headed by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Indonesia and the NISCSS to try to find a resolution to the issues in the South China Sea. Prof Beckman served as the Co-Chair of the Working Group on Legal Principles, one of four working groups established under the project.

Following the 16th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on the Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME), CIL Director Robert Beckman, CIL Global Associate Captain J Ashley Roach and CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons were invited to address members of the AWGCME, together with invited representatives of Singapore government agencies, at a seminar held on 10 June 2015 in Singapore, on issues under UNCLOS and other international legal frameworks governing the protection of the coastal and marine environment. As the Designated Resource Persons at the seminar, Professor Beckman made a presentation on ‘Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs)’ (download in PDF), Captain Roach made a presentation on ‘Access-Benefit Sharing Scheme for Marine Genetic Resources in areas beyond National Jurisdiction’ (download in PDF) and Ms Lyons made a presentation on ‘Prioritisation and the Protection of Sea-Space’ (download in PDF). To view the Agenda, click here.

CIL Senior Non-Resident Fellow, retired Navy Captain J. Ashley Roach addressed the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on Regional Confidence Building and the Law of the Sea, which was held in Tokyo, Japan on 4 December 2015, and convened by the Division of Maritime Security of the Japanese Foreign Ministry. The seminar was co-chaired by Japan, Vietnam and India. Captain Roach suggested that the ARF members review carefully the Award on the Merits in the Philippine-PRC arbitration expected by mid-June 2016, and the Final Report of the International Law Association’s (ILA) Committee on Baselines under the International Law of the Sea (chaired by Captain Roach) expected to be adopted at the ILA’s biennial conference in August 2016. He suggested the documents be reviewed in light of the ARF members’ maritime claims that are inconsistent with the Law of the Sea Convention.

CIL Research Fellow Zhen Sun participated in the 5th AsianSIL Biennial Conference – “International Law and the Changing Economic & Political Landscape in Asia” on 26-27 November 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Conference was organised by the Asian Society of International Law. At the Conference, Dr Sun was a panelist on a Law of the Sea panel and delivered a presentation on “Sustainable Maritime Security Measures in South-East Asia”. To download her presentation, click here.

CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman and CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan were invited to participate in the 7th South China Sea International Conference on “Cooperation for Regional Security and Development” on 23-24 November 2015 in Vung Tau, 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 made a presentation on “The South China Sea: Prospects for Cooperation to Manage the Disputes”. To download his presentation, please click here.

CIL Research Fellow Denise Cheong presented on “The balance between legal and administrative measures – Singapore’s implementation of international conventions on marine spill contingency planning” at the EAS Congress 2015 organised by Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA), which was held in Danang City, Vietnam from 16-21 November 2015. To download her presentation, please click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons presented a paper on ‘Shared Resources in the South China Sea and the Management of Transboundary Environmental Risks’ at the RSIS Maritime Security Programme Workshop on Assessing the Future Maritime Environment in Asia, which was held in Singapore on 12 November 2015. To download her paper summary, please click here. To download her presentation, please click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons made a presentation on ‘Ocean Governance, Ocean Conservation and Ocean Industries’ at the Sustainable Ocean Summit organised by the World Ocean Council in Singapore from 9-11 November 2015. To download her presentation, please click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons attended the 8th ABLOS Conference 2015 in Monaco – UNCLOS: Advances in Managing the Blue World. Youna presented a paper on ‘States International Rights and Obligations in the Race for Giant Clams in the South China Sea’, which was co-authored by Ms Neo Mei Lin, Research Fellow, NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute, CIL Research Fellow Denise Cheong and CIL Research Assistant Hiu Fung Wong. To download the presentation, please click here.