Researchers' Activities

CIL Director Nilüfer Oral spoke at an International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL) side-event briefing on strengthening cooperation for international environmental law on 27 October 2020. The event was cohosted by ICEL, the Permanent Missions of Costa Rica and France to the United Nations, the Observer Mission of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to the United Nations, and the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL).

At the online event, distinguished scholars of international environmental law presented their expertise on options for opportune ‘next steps’ in the progressive development of international environmental law and organisation, to provide essential foundation for attaining the Sustainable Development Goals. Besides Dr Oral, other speakers included Professor Chikosa Banda from the University of Malawi, Professor Sergio Ugalde from the University for Peace (Costa Rica), Professor Christina Voigt from the University of Oslo, and Dr Lucien Chabason from the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations. The session was moderated by Professor Nicholas A Robinson from Pace University (New York).

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Associate Nivedita S participated in the Singapore International Energy Week 2020, a week-long hybrid event held from 26-30 October.

The Norway-Singapore Science Week, which took place from 26 October to 6 November, is an important platform for developing and enhancing research and academic cooperation in key areas of interest to Norway and Singapore. During the Science Week, 70 professors, researchers, institution representatives and company executives presented and discussed research and technology development in the field of sustainable urban development, decarbonisation and ocean space.

A member of the organising committee, Professor Robert Beckman assisted in organising and co-chairing a webinar on Ocean Policy on 6 November 2020, Friday. The other co-chair was Professor Tore Henriksen, Director of the Norwegian Center for Law of the Sea, UiT, the Arctic University of Norway.

The Ocean Policy session covered two topics. The first topic, ‘Sea-Level Rise: Connecting Singapore to the Arctic’, was focussed on the impact of climate change in the Arctic on sea-level rise in Singapore and Southeast Asia. The speakers were Professor Benjamin Horton, Director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore; Dr Kristin Richter of Norwegian Research Center in Bergen, Norway; and CIL Director, Dr Nilüfer Oral. Dr Oral spoke about the implications of sea-level rise for international law and policy, in particular for maritime entitlements of States.

The second topic in the session was ‘Biodiversity in the Marine Environment of the Arctic’ and was focussed on the global challenges in protecting and preserving the marine environment. The speakers were Associate Professor Vito De Lucia of UiT, the Arctic University of Norway, and CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons. In her presentation, Youna Lyons compared the regimes governing the marine environment in the Arctic Ocean with those governing the marine environment in ASEAN and the South China Sea.

The webinar participants concluded that there was scope for continued collaboration in researching issues of common interest, given that Singapore is an Observer in the Arctic Council. A collaboration between the CIL and the Norwegian Center for Law of the Sea at UiT resulted in the co-edited book Governance of Arctic Shipping published in 2017.

CIL Director Nilüfer Oral was invited to speak at the 2020 Seoul Academy of International Law Lectures. Dr Oral delivered an online lecture on the law of the sea.

CIL Director Nilüfer Oral spoke on the panel on climate change and the law of the sea, at the American Bar International Law Association (ABILA) International Law Weekend. The panel explored how international law, especially the law of the sea, should account for sea-level rise, including regarding issues such as baselines and maritime entitlements, status of features, protection of the marine environment, and statehood of low-lying States and the rights of their nationals.

The panel was moderated by Aimee-Jane Lee from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. Other speakers on the panel were Professor David Freestone from George Washington University, Ms Nicola Swan from Chapman Tripp, and Ambassador Nguyễn Hồng Thao from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

Co-Director (Teaching) ASEAN Law and Policy Dr Tan Hsien-Li, Research Associate Chan Sze-Wei and Research Assistant Yvette Foo attended the 35th ASEAN Roundtable ‘The COVID-19 Crisis: Impact on ASEAN and the Way Forward’, an online event organised by the Yusof-Ishak Institute for Southeast Asian Studies ASEAN Studies Centre. The programme included sessions on ASEAN’s management of the pandemic and health emergencies in general, and the economic and geopolitical impact on ASEAN.

At an online event titled ‘Legal Implications of Pandemics: A Ten-Month Assessment’ on 16 October 2020, CIL Director Nilüfer Oral presented the topic ‘Is There a Need for Convention?’ The event was co-organised by the Permanent Missions of Chile, Portugal, Sierra Leone, Turkey and Vietnam, and moderated by Ambassador Francisco Duarte Lopes, Permanent Representative of Portugal. Speakers were members of the International Law Commission, which besides Dr Oral, included Professor Patrícia Galvão Teles, Professor Claudio Grossman, Professor Charles C Jalloh and Ambassador Nguyễn Hồng Thao.

CIL Director Nilüfer Oral spoke on ‘International Law and IUU Fishing’ at a webinar on ‘Fishing on the High Seas and Marine Protected Areas’ on 13 October 2020. The webinar was organised by the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, in partnership with the Inter-American Institute on Justice and Sustainability. Globally renowned experts at this webinar provide perspectives on cooperation and legal responses for enforcement of international marine protection in exclusive economic zones.

The challenges of international illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing on the high seas is one of the most urgent issues for the global community seeking to protect marine reserves and the integrity of exclusive economic zones. IUU fleets that cross protected boundaries create problems for environmental security, international governance, and the livelihoods of local communities that depend on their marine resources.

On 9 October 2020 CIL Director Nilüfer Oral spoke at an online conference, UN at 75: Effective Multilateralism and International Law, which was jointly organised by the Office of Legal Affairs of the United Nations and the German Federal Foreign Office. The conference examines the evolution of international law since the UN’s establishment in 1945, the achievements of the UN in advancing international law, and its future in supporting multilateralism.

Dr Oral presented on ‘United Nations in International Law at 75: The Role of the General Assembly and Its Subsidiary Organs (ILC, Sixth Committee) and the Importance of Academia’.

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Associate Nivedita S participated in an online panel discussion on ‘Practices, Policies, and Plans in Civilian Nuclear Energy in ASEAN’.

At the online UN side event The Role of the Ocean in Climate Change and Sea Level Rise on 8 October 2020, CIL Director Nilüfer Oral spoke on ‘Ocean Acidification: A Conundrum for International Law?’ The event was organised by NGO Sustainability Inc and co-hosted by the UN Permanent Missions of Kenya, Portugal and Sri Lanka, the UN Division of Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, and UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

The Centre for International Law announces the release of the APEC Handbook on Obligations in International Investment Treaties. Written by the Centre’s Head of Investment Law & Policy, N Jansen Calamita, with the support of the Australian Government, the APEC Handbook is designed to help non-specialist government officials understand investment treaty obligations and the way they are applied to the day-to-day business of government. It is the first international resource of its kind and provides a valuable tool to help host economies manage their international obligations and take steps to avoid investment treaty disputes.

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Associate Nivedita S participated in OECD Nuclear Energy Agency’s (NEA) online expert roundtable on ‘International School of Nuclear Law: Hot topics, expert views’.

On 1 October 2020, CIL Director Nilüfer Oral delivered an online lecture on sea-level rise and the law of the sea at the annual ITLOS-Nippon Capacity-Building and Training Programme. The programme helped participants, who were junior to mid-level government officials and researchers from mainly developing countries, to develop their legal skills and deepen their practical knowledge of dispute settlement in the law of the sea under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Dr Neha Mishra presented her postdoctoral research on the interface of cybersecurity and international economic law at the online Geneva Trade Week. The session she participated in was titled ‘Competition and Innovation in the Digital Age: Pro Innovation Domestic and International Governance for Digitally Enabled Services’, and was sponsored by the Institute for International Trade at the University of Adelaide, and Trade and Investment in Services Associates. Her co-panellists were Jane Drake-Brockman (moderator), Hildegunn Nordas, Pascal Kerneis and Bryan Mercurio.

Her presentation focussed on two points:
(i) Trade and cybersecurity can share a symbiotic relationship, but the economic costs to digital trade is very high when countries impose restrictive unilateral cybersecurity laws, regulations and policies. Such measures are also dangerous for global cybersecurity governance.
(ii) International trade agreements have an impact on both the domestic and global cybersecurity regulatory framework. International trade agreements can check protectionism by ‘disguised cybersecurity measures’ and thereby create more open, competitive conditions for global digital trade. International trade agreements can play a facilitative role based on the symbiotic relationship of trade and cybersecurity.

Dr Mishra highlighted that trade institutions can facilitate international regulatory cooperation and create a more robust environment for digital trade, by encouraging interoperability of data regulations and standards, and transparent, open, representative, globally competitive and market-driven cybersecurity standards and best practices.

CIL Director Nilüfer Oral was a panellist at the webinar ‘Galapagos at Risk: International Marine Protection, Challenges and Legal Options’ on 17 September 2020. The webinar was organised by the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law, in partnership with the Inter-American Institute on Justice and Sustainability. Globally renowned experts at this webinar provided perspectives on cooperation and legal responses for enforcement of international marine protection in exclusive economic zones.

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Associate Nivedita S participated in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) webinar on ‘Cutting Emissions for Good: What Role for Nuclear?’ and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) Webchat on the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant in the UAE, previously described as the gold standard for nuclear power development.

CIL Director Nilüfer Oral presented a paper titled ‘First Issues Paper on Sea Level Rise in Relation to International Law: Key Issues and Gaps’ at the UN Diplomacy Clinic organised by New York University’s Law Faculty on 10 September 2020. Dr Oral is the Co-Chair of the International Law Commission’s Study Group on Sea Level Rise in Relation to International Law.

At the online regional conference on Securing the Limits of the Blue Pacific organised by Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) on 9–11 September 2020, CIL Director Nilüfer Oral presented a paper titled ‘Legal Options and Institutional Responses to the Impacts of Sea Level Rise on Maritime Zones in the Context of International Law’.

In her presentation, Dr Oral spoke of a platform that will allow PIF members to examine the leaders’ commitment to preserving members’ existing rights stemming from maritime zones in the face of sea level rise. The conference outcomes will form the basis of recommendations to leaders on various legal options and institutional responses, to guide the region towards a collective effort to securing the Blue Pacific.

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Associate Nivedita S attended a webinar on ‘Opportunities and Challenges in Deploying Small Modular Reactors in ASEAN’ organised by the Energy Studies Institute of the National University of Singapore.

Senior research fellows Youna Lyons and Vu Hai Dang were invited to participate in the Asia-Pacific Regional Consultation Meeting under the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Expert Group (AHEG) on marine litter and microplastics established by the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA). The consultation meeting was held online from 26 to 27 August 2020 and hosted by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the government of Japan. At the meeting, about 100 representatives from the AHEG Asia-Pacific Group Member States, UNEP and NGOs exchanged views on existing measures and potential options to deal with the marine plastic pollution issue.

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Associate Nivedita S attended the International Atomic Energy Agency’s webinar on ‘Responsibilities and Functions of a Nuclear Energy Programme Implementing Organization (NEPIO)’.

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Associate Nivedita S participated in the Ninth Meeting of the Working Group on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

On 6 August 2020, the Embassy of Vietnam in Singapore held a ceremony to officially present the decision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam to nominate Emeritus Professor Robert Beckman, Head of Ocean Law and Policy of CIL, as an Arbitrator under Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Her Excellency Tao Thi Thanh Huong, Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of Vietnam to Singapore, along with all Heads of Section of the Embassy, attended the event.

At the ceremony, Ambassador Huong presented the decision to Professor Beckman, emphasising that this is the first time in history that Vietnam has nominated a foreign national to this important position. This proves not only the recognition of the knowledge and experience of the nominee but also his impartiality to and support of the peaceful resolution of disputes based on international law.

Postdoctoral Fellow Neha Mishra has been awarded the 2020 University of Melbourne Chancellor’s Prize for her doctoral thesis, ‘When Data Flows Across Borders: Aligning International Trade Law with Internet Policy Objectives’. The prestigious prize is awarded for scholarly excellence, international recognition and impact of the research, and the University of Melbourne confers the annual award to six PhD graduates from different disciplines. Dr Mishra was supervised by Professors Tania Voon and Andrew Mitchell.