Researchers' Activities

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Fellow S Nivedita participated in the meeting of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Nuclear Energy Experts Group held this year. This meeting was held virtually from 28 to 29 September 2021. Denise Cheong was invited to present as part of a panel session on the future of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in Asia where she provided the ASEAN context, touching on SMR development and potential deployment within Southeast Asia as well as efforts to foster international and regional cooperation in this area.

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong was invited to participate in the CSCAP Non-proliferation and Disarmament Study Group held virtually on 22 and 23 September 2021. Discussions on recent developments in non-proliferation and disarmament included the outlook for the upcoming Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and the Conference of the Parties to the Amendment to the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (A/CPPNM). Participants were also introduced to the “Nuclear Responsibilities Toolkit” a toolkit designed to help policy communities think, talk, and write about their nuclear responsibilities, and those of others, in a practical manner.

21 September 2021: CIL Research Associate Dita Liliansa at RSIS Roundtable on Defining Maritime Security: Regional Divergence and Commonalities.

The 65th General Conference (GC) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was held in a hybrid format this year from 20 to 24 September 2021. CIL Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong, Research Fellow Nivedita S and Research Associate Manisha Regalla participated in various virtual side events organised or co-sponsored by the IAEA including events related to (i) Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) which showcased the IAEA Platform on SMRs and their Applications, aimed at providing member states with coordinated support in the development and deployment of this emerging nuclear power technology through ‘one-stop shop’ access to IAEA’s expertise and resources on SMRs; (ii) the new IAEA generic roadmap towards implementing a deep geological repository (DGR), which is based on practices and experiences in a range of national DGR programmes; and (iii) the IAEA Milestones Approach for Responsible Deployment of Nuclear Technologies, which showcased the most up to date guiding materials and practices for countries embarking on or expanding their nuclear power programmes. Details of the events and speakers are available at the event website here and here.

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Fellow Nivedita S attended a webinar organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) entitled ‘Security of Nuclear Material in Transport’ on 30 August 2021.

Research Fellow Nivedita S participated in the 2021 virtual Annual Meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) International Nuclear Security Education Network (INSEN) held from 16 to 20 August 2021.

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong presented on ‘Enhancing Transboundary Consultation in the Context of Nuclear Power Development in Southeast Asia’ as part of the 2021 ILA-ASIL Asia-Pacific Research Forum on ‘International Law and Post-Pandemic Asia: New Economic Challenges and Opportunities.’ She was part of Panel 3 on Environment, Energy and Sustainability that was held on 5 August 2021.

Research Associate Manisha Regalla participated in a webinar entitled ‘Nuclear Security Governance in the Asia-Pacific: Pathways to Cooperation’ that was organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) on 29 July 2021. The purpose of the webinar was to explore national and regional pathways towards building a robust framework for nuclear security governance in the Asia-Pacific.

The experts who spoke at this webinar included:

Steven Solomon, Principal Legal Officer, World Health Organization (WHO).

Moderator: Claudio Grossman, Member, United Nations International Law Commission (UN ILC). Professor of Law and Dean Emeritus R. Geraldson Scholar for International and Humanitarian Law, AUWCL.

Patrícia Galvão Teles, Member, United Nations International Law Commission (UN ILC). Professor, Autonomous University of Lisbon. Co-Director, Singapore CIL Academy International Law.

Nguyen Hong Thao, Member, United Nations International Law Commission (UN ILC). Professor Associate in Law, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and National University of Hanoi.

Charles Jalloh, Member, United Nations International Law Commission (UN ILC). Professor of Law, Florida International University.

Nilufer Oral, Member, United Nations International Law Commission (UN ILC). Director, Centre for Intl Law National University of Singapore (NUS).

A recording of the webinar can be accessed here: Event Recording

The other speaker at the webinar was Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, United Nations Office of Legal Affairs. Professor Dato’ Dr. Rahmat Mohamad, the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Professor of International Law and Human Rights (UiTM) moderated the webinar.

A recording of the webinar can be assessed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVmIh1HVdC8

The Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy is an international collegial institution dedicated to fostering a better understanding of the modern law of the sea. Through education on the principles of contemporary oceans law and policy, the Rhodes Academy seeks to promote adherence to the rule of law in the world’s oceans. Founded in 1995, the Academy held its inaugural session in the summer of 1996 and operates on an annual basis.

This year’s Rhodes Academy was conducted virtually from 4-14 July 2021. Dr Nilufer Oral was invited to give a lecture on “Climate Change and Law of the Sea” on 9 July 2021. There were 16 lectures plus three question and answer periods at this year’s academy.

Please click the link to find out more about the Rhodes Academy: https://marine.unh.edu/academics/rhodes-academy

Prof Robert Beckman gave lectures to officers from the 20 contracting parties to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Countering Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP).

Dr Nilüfer Oral was invited to speak at the Women and the International Law Webinar organized by the Minerva LAW Network. In this panel session, the current and former women of the International Law Commission discussed their experiences in the Commission and their work on the progressive development of international law and its codification.

Dr Nilüfer Oral was invited to Chair a Session at the 28^th ANZSIL Conference which was held from 30 June – 6 July 2021. This year’s theme for the Conference was “Inertia or Innovation? Reshaping International Law for a Complex Future”. Dr Nilüfer Oral chaired the session titled “Binding advisory opinions? Re-shaping procedure and substance in inter-state dispute settlement”

Dr Nilüfer Oral was invited by Kadir Has International Law of the Sea Academy to deliver the inaugural lecture on “Climate Change and an Evolving Law of the Sea”.

Dr Nilüfer Oral was invited by the European Society of International Law Interest Group (ESIL IG) to speak at the ESIL IG Law of the Sea Webinar Series: ‘Current Issues in the Law of the Sea’. Dr Nilufer Oral is the fourth speaker from this series and the topic she covered was “Sea Level Rise and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: Adapting to New Circumstances’.

CIL Research Associate Manisha Regalla attended a webinar organised by the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Incident and Emergency Centre (IAEA IEC) entitled ‘Non-radiological consequences of a nuclear or radiological emergency: concept and case studies’, which was held on 23 June 2021.

CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was invited to participate in the Webinar “Work of the International Law Commission on Legal Effects of Climate Change”, organised by the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies (GGS), at KU Leuven. This webinar was part of the webinar series “Women in International Law”, which GGS has launched this year and the series aimed at both reflecting on the role of women in the development of international law and bringing female researchers and practitioners to the front seat of discussions, in their different fields of specialty.

Indian Society of International Law (ISIL) 19^th Summer Course on International Law was conducted from 14 – 25 June 2021. Dr Oral was invited to deliver a lecture on “Law of the Sea – I: Evolution of the Law of the Sea and Concept of Common Heritage of Mankind“.

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Associate Nivedita S attended the meeting of the Arctic Council Emergency Prevention, Preparedness and Response Working Group’s (EPPR) Radiation Expert Group (RAD EG) held virtually from 15 to 16 June 2021.

CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was invited by the Permanent Missions of Côte d’Ivoire, Peru, Portugal, Romania and Turkey to a panel discussion on: “Sea Level Rise and Implications for International Law: A Dialogue with the ILC Study Group”.

Dr Nilüfer Oral Was Invited by the AEGEAN INSTITUTE OF THE LAW OF THE SEA AND MARITIME LAW to Speak at the E-Conference on World Oceans Day Titled “Peaceful Settlement of Disputes in the Oceans in the 21^st Century”. The Title of Dr Oral’s Presentation was “Sea-level Rise and Implications for Peaceful Settlement of Disputes”

Dr Nilüfer Oral was invited to speak at the launch of book title “Frontiers in International Environmental Law: Oceans and Climate Challenges – Essays in Honour of David Freestone”. As one of the contributors, Dr Nilufer Oral spoke on the topic “Sea level rise as a pressing concern of the international community and the work of the International Law Commission.” 

Senior Research Fellow Denise Cheong and Research Associates Nivedita S and Manisha Regalla participated in a webinar organised by ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) marking the launch of the ASEAN Nuclear Energy Portal. The portal was developed by ACE and the Nuclear Energy Cooperation Sub-Sector Network (NEC-SSN) as part of the implementation of ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) Phase I: 2016 – 2020.

In celebration of World Environment Day 2021, the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) hosted a series of webinars on environmental law solutions. The webinars took place from Monday 31 May through Friday 4 June. Dr Nilufer Oral was invited to speak at the session on 3 June 2021.