Researchers' Activities

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation to government officials in Brunei Darussalam on 26 January 2012 at the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (SHHBIDSS). Prof Beckman’s presentation was on “UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Mechanisms and the South China Sea”. His presentation was followed by a question and answer session. Prof Beckman was invited by SHHBIDSS as a Distinguished Speaker in its Southeast Asia Security Roundtable Series IV. The SHHBIDSS was established in 2007 and is within the Ministry of Defence.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, and five CIL Research Associates, Mr. Leonardo Bernard, Ms. Tara Maria Davenport, Ms. Liu Gehuan, Ms. Mayla Fermina Alonzo Ibanez, and Ms. Ranyta Yusran presented their papers on various fields of law at the 8th Asian Law Institute’s (ASLI) Conference held in Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. For more information and to download their papers, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated at a conference organized by the ASEAN Studies Centre (ASC) of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) on “Entering Uncharted Waters?: ASEAN and the South China Sea Dispute”. The main objective of the one-day conference was to discuss on how ASEAN, as an organization, should be handling the South China Sea dispute and through what channels and mechanisms. Prof Beckman presented his paper “The South China Sea Dispute: An International Lawyer’s View”  (download in PDF format) which was prepared for the Conference. For PDF version of his presentation, click here.

The Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) organized a Conference on the South China Sea: Recent Developments and Implications Towards Peaceful Dispute Resolution on 12 to 13 December 2011 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. CIL Director Robert Beckman presented his paper on “The UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Mechanisms and the South China Sea Disputes” in Session 3 on “The Way Forward: Options and Their Implications.” To download his paper in PDF format, click here. To download his PowerPoint presentation in PDF format, click here.

The US National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) and Indonesia’s Habibie Centre organized a Conference on Marine Energy Resources in Asia to launch NBR’s Research Project on Marine Energy Resources in Asia. CIL Research Associate Tara Davenport presented her paper on “Joint Development in Asia: Some Valuable Lessons Learned.” For a copy of her PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here.

The Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) of the Faculty of Law, University of Wollongong, Australia hosted the sixth Law of the Sea Institute (LOSI) Conference “The Limits of Maritime Jurisdiction” on 28 November to 2 December 2011 in Wollongong, Australia. The LOSI Conference was sponsored by LOSI, which is based at the School of Law, University of California, Berkeley, USA, and the Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute (KORDI), South Korea. CIL Director Robert Beckman gave a presentation on “Maritime Security and Jurisdiction over Pirates and Maritime Terrorists.” CIL Research Associate Tara Davenport was among five panelists who received the 2011 LOSI Research Competition Award for Early Career Researchers and presented on “The Negotiation of Maritime Boundaries in the East China Sea: Legal and Practical Issues.” CIL Research Associate Leo Bernard also attended the Conference. To download Director Beckman’s PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here. To download Tara Davenport’s PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here.

Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons has been invited by the Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment, on 23 November 2011, to make a presentation on the use of dispersants in response to oil spills under international law, at the Seminar on Registration Arrangements of Dispersant For Oil Spill Response at Sea organized in Bali. To download a copy of the presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the International Conference on ‘Cooperation for the Safety of Navigation in East Asia: Legal Arrangements and Political Implications’ in Haikou, China. The Conference was organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies. Professor Beckman was one of the Panellists on the panel focusing on Navigation in the South China Sea, where he talked about the use of Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) in the South China Sea. For a PDF version of the draft paper that he presented, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Associate Leonardo Bernard participated in the 3rd International Workshop on The South China Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development in Hanoi, Vietnam. The Conference was organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and Vietnam Lawyers Association. Prof Beckman made a presentation entitled “Disputed Areas in the South China Sea: Prospects for Adjudication or Arbitration”. To download his presentation in PDF format, click here. A paper titled “Disputed Areas in the South China Sea: Prospects for Arbitration or Advisory Opinion” was co-authored by Prof Beckman and Mr Bernard. For a PDF version of the draft paper, click here.

Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons made a presentation on Marine Pollution from Offshore Activities (environmental, socio and economic aspects) at the International Conference on Liability and Compensation Regime for Tansboundary Oil Damage Resulting from Offshore Exploration and Exploitation Activities organized in Bali by the Republic of Indonesia’s Ministry of Transportation and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on 21-23 September 2011. For a copy of the presentation in PDF format, click here.

On Wednesday 14 September 2011, CIL Director Robert Beckman made an official visit to the Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) at the University of Dundee. He met with Director Prof Peter Cameron and members of his staff to discuss possible collaboration. He made a presentation at a staff seminar on “The South China Sea Disputes: Prospects for Joint Development” and led a discussion with PhD students from CEPLMP on the International Regulation of Pollution from Offshore Installations. For a copy of the PowerPoint Presentation on the South China Sea Disputes, click here.

On Thursday 8 and Friday 9 September 2011, CIL Director Robert Beckman attended a book project meeting on Modern Piracy at University College London. Prof Beckman made a presentation on his draft chapter on Piracy in Southeast Asia and had discussions with other experts who are contributing chapters to the book on Modern Piracy which will be edited by Douglas Guilfoyle of the UCL Faculty of Law.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper at an International Workshop on Cooperation and Development in the South China Sea which was organized by the China Institute of Marine Affairs (CIMA) in Beijing from 29-31 August, 2011. Prof Beckman’s paper was on “Prospects for Joint Development in the South China Sea”. The Director of CIMA is Dr Gao Zhiguo, who is a judge on the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). For a copy of the paper, click here. For a copy of the PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper in the panel on Law of the Sea at the Third Biennial Conference of the Asian Society of International Law in Being on 26-27 August. Prof Beckman’s paper was on “China, UNCLOS and the South China Sea”. For a copy of the paper, click here. For a copy of the PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman held a seminar on “The South China Sea Disputes: Prospects for Adjudication or Arbitration” on 14 June 2011. This seminar was the seventh in a series of invitation-only seminars organized by CIL on the South China Sea disputes. For a copy of the presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman was a speaker at the International Maritime Security Conference (IMSC 2011) at Changi Exhibition Centre on 19 May 2011. The title of Prof Beckman’s presentation was “Developing an Integrated Approach to Ocean Management”. IMSC 2011 is a global forum organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies with the support of Republic of Singapore Navy. For a copy of Prof Beckman’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons presented a paper on Offshore oil and gas in the South China Sea and the protection of the marine environment at a seminar on Perspectives on Transboundary Environmental Governance in Australia and Beyond organized by the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security in Wollongong, Australia.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation in Brussels on 5 May 2011 at an Expert Roundtable on Maritime Security. The Roundtable was organized by the Embassy and Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the European Union, and EGMONT, the Royal Institute for International Relations of Belgium, and held in the Priory of Val Duchesse, Brussels. Professor Beckman and Dr Hasjim Djalal of Indonesia attended at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Republic of Indonesia. Professor Beckman spoke about maritime security in Southeast Asia. For a copy of Prof Beckman’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in an ASEAN Regional Forum Seminar in Manila on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Seminar was co-chaired by representatives from Australia and the Philippines and was attended by delegates from more than 20 AFR member countries.

Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons presented a paper on Climate Change and the Costal and Marine Environment (CME) of the ASEAN Region at a seminar organized by S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Maritime Security Program, “Dynamic Maritime Southeast Asia – An Overview” at Asia Shipping and Work Boat 2011, Singapore. For PDF version of her presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Associate Ms Tara Davenport participated in a Conference on Globalization and Law of the Sea in Washington, DC. The Conference was organized by the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (COLP) and the Netherlands Institute for Law of the Sea (NILOS). Prof Beckman made a presentation entitled “Maritime Terrorism and the Law of the Sea: Basic Principles and New Challenges”. For PDF version of his presentation, click here. A paper with the same title was co-authored by Prof Beckman and Ms Davenport. For a PDF version of the draft paper, click here. The paper will be revised, edited and submitted for publication as a chapter in the book containing the conference proceedings.

CIL Director Robert Beckman taught an intensive course on Law of the Sea in a UNITAR Training Course on Law of the Sea and International Environmental Law for officials from the Myanmar Government in Yangon, Myanmar.

CIL Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons presented a seminar titled “Territorial seas, EEZ, continental shelves and the protection of the coastal and marine environment in the ASEAN Region” (download in PDF format), in the MSc (Life Sciences) Environmental Science programme (NIE).

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on “The South China Sea Island Disputes” at a Workshop on Asia Pacific Security and Defence Policies which was organized by The International Institute for Strategic Studies – Asia at the Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper entitled “CLCS Submissions and Claims in the South China Sea” (download PDF version) at the Second International Workshop on the South China Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development, 10-12 November 2010 in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. The paper was co-authored by CIL Research Associate Tara Davenport. To download the PowerPoint presentation in PDF format, click here.