Researchers' Activities
12 April 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral Was Invited by the University of Miami School of Law to Speak at their “International Law & COVID-19 SYMPOSIUM”
COVID-19 has upended our reality in many ways, exposing systemic failures and highlighting injustices. At the same time, it has provided an opening to consider new approaches. The International Law and COVID-19 Symposium, hosted by the University of Miami School of Law International and Graduate Law Programs and Human Rights Clinic, in collaboration with the Human Rights Society, Health Law Association, and University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review —will examine the impact of COVID-19 on international law. In particular, the symposium will focus on intersections of COVID-19 with human rights and public health, including state obligations towards vulnerable populations, rights restrictions to protect public health, environmental aspects, reactions by international and regional human rights bodies, and public health responses.
A recording of this session, entitled “COVID-19 and Human Rights Law”, is available at:
https://echo360.org/media/122fa347-f362-48d5-a9ec-df08c5962ea3/public
9 April 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral Was Invited by Jindal Society of International Law to Give a Lecture Entitled: “International Law Commission – A Catalyst for the Development and Codification of International Law”
The recording of the lecture was telecasted live on YouTube :
7 April 2021: Research Associates Nivedita S and Manisha Regalla Participate in Webinar on Environmental Governance in the Financial Sector
CIL Research Associates Nivedita S and Manisha Regalla participated in a webinar on Environmental Governance in the Financial Sector held on 7 April 2021, organised by the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL).
26 March 2021: Amiel Ian Valdez presented on International Environmental Law before the lawyers and legal staff of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines
Amiel Ian Valdez was invited to speak on 26 March 2021 before the lawyers and legal staff of the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Legal Affairs Service, and representatives of the DENR Climate Change Division and International Affairs Office. The event is part of the continuing legal education programme of the DENR for its staff.
26-28 March 2021 Research Associate Chan Sze-Wei judged Malaysia Model ASEAN Meeting
Research Associate Chan Sze-Wei judged the inaugural Malaysia Model ASEAN Meeting (MYMAM).
25 March 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at ASIL 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting: “Reconceiving International Law: Creativity in Times of Crisis.”
As part of its 2021 Annual Meeting (March 24-26), the American Society of International Law invited members and colleagues from around the world to participate in a special series of sessions focusing on regional issues of international law and policy that will be affected by the new Biden-Harris Administration.
Annual Meeting Theme:
In these extraordinary times, dramatic shifts in global health, the global economy, and geopolitical power structures are forcing human beings to adapt and evolve. These shifts require us to revisit the operation of the legal, political, and conceptual structures of our international order, and to examine the possibility — and perhaps necessity — of creating new norms, tools, and paradigms.
Today’s health, economic, and racial justice crises are having a profound impact on the rule of law, human security, and the environment; human rights and gender equality; international business and trade; and virtually all other aspects of society. These effects are being exacerbated by the differing approaches that governments, international organizations, and private actors have taken toward international problem-solving. Although some may hope for a return to “normalcy” in all these areas, the current moment offers both the challenge and the opportunity to reconsider and potentially to reshape international law and international institutions.
The 2021 Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law provided a forum to think critically and creatively about all fields of international law. Sessions presented a broad range of perspectives on innovative ways to address emerging issues, to improve global governance, and to tackle international problems.
Session Tracks:
- International Human Rights, Humanitarian Law, and Criminal Justice
- Transnational Litigation, Arbitration, and Dispute Resolution
- International Trade, Investment, and Finance
- International Organizations, Global Governance, and Global Health
- Security, Foreign Relations, and Use of Force
- Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development
Dr Nilufer Oral spoke at the session titled “We Are All Climate Change Lawyers Now” on 25 March 2021. This session is part of the Environment, Sea, Space, and Sustainable Development Track at the ASIL 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting.
Panelists include:
- Carmen Gonzalez, Loyola University Chicago School of Law
- Sailesh Mehta, Red Lion Chambers
- Nilufer Oral, UN International Law Commission
- Hermann Ott, Client Earth
- Margaret Young, University of Melbourne Law School
- Rob Verchick, Loyola University New Orleans
24 March 2021: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at CNA’s Virtual Conference on “High Seas Resources, Ocean Security, and the Great Powers”.
This event was a timely discussion about the legally binding instrument on biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) currently under negotiation at the UN and its security implications. In recent years, heavy high seas fishing and the race for deep-sea living resources have emerged as geopolitical concerns. The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea provides no robust governance for these resources, raising the spectre of contested or depleted commons. As a new US administration eager to tackle challenges with more multilateralism settles into office, how will this new dimension to UNCLOS intersect with well-publicized concerns about Chinese fishing and genetic experiments? And how might the BBNJ treaty offer new tools for responsible oceans management and encourage more cooperative engagement among the great powers?
Other speakers at the conference include:
Dr. Catherine Blanchard, Lecturer, University of Utrecht
Dr. James Kraska, Charles H. Stockton Professor of International Maritime Law, U.S. Naval War College
The event is moderated by:
Mr. Cornell Overfield, Analyst, Strategy and Policy Analysis Program, CNA
A recording of the event can be accessed at the link:
15 March 2021: Research Fellow Arron N. Honniball on ‘Pandemics, Procedure and Participation: Hybrid Hearings in the Mauritius/Maldives Maritime Boundary Dispute
https://www.ejiltalk.org/pandemics-procedure-and-participation-hybrid-hearings-in-the-mauritius-maldives-maritime-boundary-dispute/
Amiel Ian Valdez and Charalampos Giannakopoulos judged the Philippine national round of the Jessup Moot Competition
Jessup is the world’s largest moot court competition, with participants from roughly 700 law schools in 100 countries and jurisdictions.
25 February 2021: Research fellow Arron N Honniball at the 2020 DILA International Conference: Reshaping International Law in the Asian Century
Research fellow Arron N Honniball presented a draft paper, ‘Traditional Fishing Rights and a Customary Law Right of Access to Port: Arbitral Awards from Eritrea – Yemen to the South China Sea’.