Researchers' Activities

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.