Researchers' Activities

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.