Researchers' Activities

CIL Research Associate Mark Huber attended the British Institute of International and Comparative Law Investment Treaty Forum’s Twenty-fifth ITF Public Conference, “The ICSID Convention at 50”, in London, England on 18 September 2015. This meeting of the Investment Treaty Forum, organised in partnership with the ICSID Secretariat, discussed the history of the ICSID Convention, the legal issues raised in its interpretation and application, and its continuing role in the investment treaty regime.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan and CIL Research Fellow Ranyta Yusran attended the 11th Annual Conference of the European Society of International Law in Oslo, Norway from 10-12 September 2015. The Conference was hosted by the PluriCourts Centre for the Study of the Legitimate Roles of the Judiciary in the Global Order, University of Oslo.

CIL Practice Fellow Ms Harpreet Kaur Dhillon was invited to act as one of four instructors in a workshop in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, from 6 to 8 July 2015 on ‘Public Policy and Investor State Dispute Settlement’, jointly organised by Myanmar’s Attorney-General’s Office and the International Commission of Jurists (Myanmar). It was attended by more than 60 government officials from across Myanmar, and presided over by Myanmar’s Attorney-General and Director-General. She taught in two 90-minute sessions on defences in investment treaty law, paying close attention to Myanmar’s existing investment treaties. She also developed, led and participated in exercises based on a simulation of an investor-state dispute that arises between Myanmar and investors of an ASEAN neighbour. To download Harpreet Kaur Dhillon’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

On 3-5 June 2015, the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL), together with the Ministry of Justice of Thailand and the Thailand Institute of Justice, held the AsianSIL Inter-Sessional Conference on ‘The Rule of Law and Development Nexus: A New Deal for Asia?’ in Bangkok, Thailand. A/P Michael Ewing-Chow was invited to speak on a panel on ‘International Law and ASEAN Integration’ and delivered his presentation entitled ‘Outcomes and Costs – Towards A Just Peace’. CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard, CIL Research Fellow Ranyta Yusran and CIL Research Associate Chang Ya Lan also attended the conference. To download A/P Michael Ewing-Chow’s presentation, click here.

Universitas Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) invited A/P Michael Ewing-Chow to speak at the ASEAN Economic Community Forum, which was held on 21-22 May 2015 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In the panel on ‘Full Integration into the Global Community: RCEP’, Michael delivered his presentation, ‘RCEP = ASEAN Plus Six Is the Whole Greater than the Sum of the Parts?’. He discussed the current context of the trade and investment landscape in RCEP negotiating countries. He also talked about the potential gains if RCEP could be concluded and the challenges that the negotiating parties will face during the negotiation based on the gap between some of the ASEAN and its Dialogue Partners as evidenced by the existing ASEAN+1 FTAs.

CIL Practice Fellow Ms Harpreet Kaur Dhillon was invited to speak at the 4th Conference for the Postgraduate and Early Professionals/Academics Network of the Society of International Economic Law on 16 and 17 April 2015 at the University of Milan in Milan, Italy. Harpreet delivered a paper on its Investment Dispute Settlement panel titled “The Makings of the Modern Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) Provision: the Case-Study of Singapore”, examining and critiquing the evolution of the ISDS provision in Singapore’s international investment agreements. More than 80 participants from around the world attended the Conference. To download her presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan, CIL Research Fellows Leonardo Bernard and Junianto James Losari and CIL Research Associate Harpreet Kaur Dhillon participated in the World Congress on International Law, held in New Delhi, India, from 9 to 11 January 2015. Organised by the Indian Society of International Law, the programme covered a wide range of areas in international law and practice. CIL researchers were invited to speak on panels addressing the law of the sea and international investment, trade and dispute resolution. To download their presentations, click here.

Senior Principal Research Fellow Christopher Thomas QC gave a speech at the 2014 Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC) Congress on “Investment treaty arbitration: Just another form of commercial arbitration?” as part of the Closing Plenary Session on “Investment Treaty Arbitration in Asia: The meeting of international commercial arbitration and public international law”.

Senior Principal Research Fellow Christopher Thomas QC taught a two-day intensive training course for Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) officials on dispute settlement under international investment agreements. This was the second part to a three-day intensive course taught in November 2013.

CIL Head of Trade and Investment Law and Policy Professor Michael Ewing-Chow was invited to the Global Georgetown Alumni Academic Program on 11 December 2014 in Singapore to share his views on the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations. He suggested that the slow progress must be understood in the context of the differences between the negotiating states, including the rule of law and the economic and social issues within each state. Further, the negotiating states also have different offensive and defensive interests. For example, the United States has an offensive interest in ensuring a better Intellectual Property (IP) regime, while Australia has the opposite. Similarly, Australia, Canada and New Zealand have an offensive interest in agriculture, while Japan seeks to protect this sector. These differences alone pose challenges for the negotiating countries in striking an agreement that can accommodate all their interests. In addition, he shared his view that it is likely that Multinational Companies (MNCs) who operate Global Value Chains (GVCs) will play a greater role in driving the negotiations. Another interesting interplay to watch will be China’s role, as it has announced its interest in joining the TPP.