Researchers' Activities

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, WTO Chair and Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme chaired Dialogue on Improving the Investor State Dispute System. Meg Kinnear, Secretary General, ICSID, Roberto Echandi, Director, Investment Programme, WTI, Anna Joubin-Brett, Partner, Foley Hoag and Chris Thomas Q.C., CIL Senior Principal Research Fellow, participated in the Dialogue. Ideas about how capacity could be built in developing countries and how fact finding could be improved during the arbitration process as were canvassed. Participants were also keen to encourage conflict management and mediation and conciliation as an alternative to immediate litigation.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh gave a talk on “Size is not Destiny” to the Forum of Small States at the Singapore Permanent Mission to the US, New York. To download the text of his talk in PDF format, click here.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of UNCLOS. To download it in PDF, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in an international conference on the South China Sea which was organized and hosted by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) in Haikou, Hainan, China from 5-7 December 2012. The theme of the conference was “Recent Development of the South China Sea Dispute and Prospects of Joint Development Regime”. Prof Beckman presented a paper entitled “Legal Framework for Joint Development in the South China Sea”. While he was in Haikou he also had discussions with NISCSS Director Dr Wu Shicun about possible collaboration between CIL and NISCSS. For a copy of his paper, click here. For a copy of his PowerPoint presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman contributed to the CSCAP Regional Security Outlook 2013 with a short article on “Increased Tension and Risk of Potential Conflict in the South China Sea”. CSCAP is the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific. It provides an informal mechanism for scholars, officials and others in their private capacities to discuss political and security issues and challenges facing the region. The CSCAP regional security outlook (CRSO) is an annual publication to highlight regional security concerns and to promote informed policy-relevant outputs to advance regional security cooperation at official (Track One) levels. To download the article in PDF, click here.

CIL Deputy Director Dr Navin Rajagobal participated in the United Nations Regional Course on International Law held in Thailand in November 2012. For more information and photos, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law and Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited by UNESCAP to advise Least Developed Countries on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Law and Policy at the Asia-Pacific FDI Network for Least Developed and Landlocked Developing Countries.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li presented her paper on “Legal Integration in the ASEAN Community” at the Congreso Internacional Sobre Globalizacion Juridica, Derecho Supranacional E Integracion Americana (International Conference on Globalization, Supranational Law and Legal Integration of the Americas) at the Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City, Mexico.

CIL Research Associate Leonardo Bernard participated in the International Conference for the 30th Anniversary of UNCLOS with the theme “China and the Law of the Sea” from 22-24 November 2012 at Qingdao, China. Leo delivered a presentation titled “Effect of Islands on Maritime Delimitation: A Look at the Recent Judgments of ITLOS and ICJ”. The Conference was hosted by the Ocean University of China. To download the presentation in PDF format, click here. To download his paper on “The Role of Islands on Maritime Boundaries Delimitation: A Look at the Recent Decision of ITLOS”, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited by the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Foreign Affair of Indonesia to 2nd International Conference on Liability and Compensation Regime for transboundary oil damage resulting from offshore exploration and exploitation activities and contributed to the expert discussion on the establishment of a new regime.