Researchers' Activities

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited as an expert speaker at the 3rd Meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on Marine Environmental Protection, held in Tokyo on 6-7 February 2017. Her presentation was titled ‘Establishing MPAs in the Region: Some Considerations’ and can be downloaded here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Mr Anthony Wetherall participated in the Legal Frameworks Workshop ‘Vigilant Marmot’ organised by the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT) together with the governments of the USA, the Slovak Republic and Canada, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Held in Bratislava, Slovakia, from 24 to 26 January 2017, the event was attended by over 100 participants from GICNT partner nations and representatives of organisations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), UNODC, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). The workshop was organized into a series of seminars, panel discussions and scenario-based dialogues to address challenges in adopting or updating national legal frameworks for nuclear security, highlight obligations under international legal instruments against radiological-nuclear terrorism, and consider practical models for implementing these obligations. The event focused on the criminalisation penalties in the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (CPPNM), the 2005 Amendment thereto and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). Mr Wetherall participated in the panel discussion on the definitions in the aforementioned instruments. He also served as a roaming expert for five workshop sessions.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Mr Anthony Wetherall participated in the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) week-long International Conference on Nuclear Security: Commitments and Actions. Mr Wetherall acted as co-Chair for the Technical Session entitled ‘Perspectives on Implementing Obligations under International Instruments for Nuclear Security’. He also served as the Panel Facilitator for two related panel discussions: ‘The challenges of implementing international commitments, nationally’ and ‘The role of regional organisations and bilateral programmes in supporting national implementation of international obligations’. The Ministerial Conference was attended by over 2000 participants from 139 IAEA Member States and 29 organizations. 47 IAEA Member States were represented at ministerial level. The Ministerial Conference was held from 5-9 December 2016 at IAEA Headquarters, Vienna, Austria. A ministerial segment, lasting a day and a half, adopted a Ministerial Declaration by consensus. A President’s Report will be published on the conference site.

On 27 October 2016, CIL Director Lucy Reed delivered the 31st Queen Mary University–Freshfields Arbitration Lecture in London, on the topic of ‘Ab(use) of Due Process: Sword vs Shield’. Professor Reed, who for many years led the Freshfields International Arbitration Group, framed her topic with the example of Donald Trump impugning the US federal judge who is presiding over a case against Trump University, by claiming the Mexican heritage of the judge—who was born and raised in Indiana—is biased because of Trump’s plans to construct a wall at the Mexican border if he is elected President.

Professor Reed described a growing trend in international arbitration for the unreasonable invocation of procedural complaints ‘under the banner of due process’ as a ‘brazen strategy’ to seek to pressurise arbitral tribunals. Her thesis was that arbitral tribunals should not allow parties to conflate routine procedural complaints (however stridently or repeatedly articulated, as Trump has done in interviews) with genuine ‘due process’ violations which have the potential to undermine the legitimacy of the arbitral process.

Defining due process as ‘a person’s right not to be deprived as property or other rights without the opportunity to represent themselves before neutral judges’, Professor Reed outlined the historical evolution of the concept of due process as a shield for legitimacy in international arbitration, before providing some practical illustrations of the strategy of (ab)using due process as a sword to influence the outcome. She focused on the boundaries and grey areas between routine procedural complaints and true due process violations. She concluded by urging arbitrators to confront the strategy, to prevent toleration leading to normalisation.

Due process, in Professor Reed’s words, ‘is meant to be a shield against procedural unfairness’ and for a party to ‘gleefully use due process as a sword is to cheapen due process’. As she concluded: neither Zorro nor the Three Muskeeters should be welcome in international arbitration hearing rooms.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan was invited to participate in the 3rd ASEAN-EU High Level Dialogue on Maritime Security Cooperation on 15-16 September 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand. The Dialogue was jointly organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the European Union. Hao Duy Phan made a presentation on ‘Strengthening Regional Cooperation to Address Maritime Security Challenges: The Role of ASEAN’. To download his presentation, click here.

CIL Practice Fellow Emily Choo attended the inaugural KLRCA Summer Academy on International Investment Law and Dispute Settlement, which was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 25-29 July 2016. The Summer Academy was organised by the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration in partnership with Clifford Chance. The 5-day programme comprised lectures, interactive training and practical exercises on topical issues in investment law. Around 50 government officials, academics, members of the judiciary and private practitioners from Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong and France attended the Summer Academy. [View image]

On 20 July 2016, CIL Director Lucy Reed participated in the Panel Discussion on The Rule of Law and Dispute Resolution held in Singapore. The panel discussion, which was accompanied by a performance by the Temple Church Boys’ Choir from London, was moderated by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and was jointly organised by The Honourable Societies of Inner and Middle Temple, The Temple Church and Singapore Academy of Law. To view the eBrochure, please click here. [View photo]

CIL Practice Fellow Emily Choo was invited to present her paper on “The Impact of Non-State Actors’ Intervention in Investor-State Arbitration” at the ILA British Branch Spring Conference on Non-State Actors and Changing Relations in International Law, which was held at the Lancaster University, United Kingdom on 8-9 April 2016. The conference was organised by the Lancaster University Law School and the International Law Association British Branch. Emily spoke about the impact of non-state actors on the development of investment law through their intervention in investor-state arbitration.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation in Jakarta, Indonesia on 17 March 2016 entitled ‘The Philippines v China Case and the South China Sea Disputes’. The one-day forum was organised by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) in collaboration with The Netherlands Embassy in Jakarta, and was entitled ‘ASEAN Dialogue on International Law: Strengthening the Rule of Law in the Region on International Law of the Sea’. For Prof Beckman’s presentation, click here.

IELPO LL.M Programme at Universitat de Barcelona re-invited CIL for the 4th time to teach its course on Asian Regionalism. CIL Research Fellow Junianto James Losari replaced Associate Professor Michael Ewing-Chow this year to teach the two-day-course on 9-10 March 2016 in Barcelona, Spain. In his course, James shared various stories of integration in Asia and discussed the main drivers of the integration, including trade and investment. He also focused on the ASEAN integration, which is considered as one of the most advanced integrations in the region.

On 29-30 November 2016, Research Associate Professor (CIL) N. Jansen Calamita, Head of CIL’s Investment Law and Policy Programme, chaired panels and served as a discussant at the Asia FDI Conference II in Hong Kong, ‘China’s Three-Prong Investment Strategy: Bilateral, Regional and Global Tracks’.

On 15 November 2016, Research Associate Professor (CIL) N. Jansen Calamita, Head of CIL’s Investment Law and Policy Programme, gave a keynote presentation at the Asian Business Law Institute’s Asia Pacific Arbitration Conference 2016 titled ‘The Rise of Investment Treaty and Investor State Arbitration Practices in Asia’. Among other issues, he addressed the current state-of-play of investment treaty making and investor-state arbitration in Asia, including the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement, as well as the status of ongoing negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

Professor Robert Beckman, Head of CIL’s Ocean Law and Policy Programme, participated in the 8th South China Sea International Conference organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, which was held on 14-15 November 2016 in Nha Trang, Viet Nam. Professor Beckman chaired a panel session on ‘Mechanisms for Managing South China Sea Tensions’ and made a presentation in the panel session on The Arbitral Award and Legal Implications for the Claims of Parties in the South China Sea. His presentation was entitled ‘The New Status Quo and Prospects for Cooperation in the South China Sea’. To see his PowerPoint presentation, click here.

The CIL Ocean Law and Policy team participated in the panel discussion on the marine environment chaired by Professor Robert Beckman at the 20th Anniversary Celebrations of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL), held at the National University of Singapore on 10 November 2016. The theme of the conference was ‘Attaining the Sustainable Development Goals – Environmental Law, Policy and Management’. The panel made the following three (3) presentations: (1) ‘The International Legal Framework for the Protection and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity’ by CIL Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons (2) ‘International Law and the Protection of the Giant Clams in the South China Sea’ by CIL Research Fellow Ms Denise Cheong (3) ‘IMO Measures to Protect Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction – The Sargasso Sea’ by CIL Research Fellow Dr Sun Zhen.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Mr Anthony Wetherall participated in the 22nd Biennial Congress of the International Nuclear Law Association (INLA). Mr Wetherall presented on the ‘Future Deployment of Transportable Nuclear Power Plants: Legal and Regulatory Issues and Challenges’, as jointly prepared by Mr Wetherall and Research Fellow Ms Denise Cheong based on ongoing research as part of the ESI-CIL Nuclear Governance Project. The Congress is a leading international conference on legal issues relating to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The conference was held from 7 to 11 November 2016 and hosted by the Nuclear Law Association in New Delhi, India. To download Mr Wetherall’s presentation, click here.

CIL Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun participated in the Conference on Ocean Issues for the Pacific and East Asia. The conference was hosted by the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong, Australia and Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology (KIOST), the Republic of Korea, on 2-4 November 2016 in Wollongong, Australia. The conference was attended by around 30 participants of academics and PhD students. Dr Sun presented on ‘Polar Code and Its Implementation in the Panel on New Frontiers’. To view her presentation, click here.

On 1 November 2016, Research Associate Professor (CIL) N. Jansen Calamita, Head of CIL’s Investment Law and Policy Programme, was an invited speaker at the ‘International Symposium on China and Development of International Dispute Resolution System in the Context of “the Belt and Road” Construction’ at the Silk Road Institute for International and Comparative law at Xi’an Jiaotong University School of Law in Xi’an, China. His presentation, entitled ‘Building Legal Infrastructure for International Arbitration’, addressed the importance of a consistent, internationalised commercial arbitration framework across the range of states being considered for inclusion in China’s One Belt, One Road initiative.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons participated in the 70th Session of the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC), at the IMO Headquarters in London, from 24-28 October 2016, as the Head of Delegation of the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea (ACOPS).

Assoc. Professor Robert Beckman, Head of CIL’s Ocean Law and Policy Programme; Mr Anthony Wetherall, Senior Research Fellow; and Ms S Nivedita, Research Associate, participated in the KIOST International Seminar on Ocean Sciences Diplomacy (ISOSD): A Novel Approach to Establishing a Cooperative Regime in the Asian Waters through Ocean Sciences to Promote Regional Peace held in Ansan, Republic of Korea, on 24-27 October 2016. The seminar was organised by Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology (KIOST). Assoc. Prof Beckman presented on the ‘Global Legal Regime Governing Pollution of the Marine Environment from Offshore Installations and Structures’ while Mr Wetherall presented on the ‘Future Deployment of Transportable Nuclear Power Plants: Legal and Regulatory Issues and Challenges’, as jointly prepared by Mr Wetherall and Research Fellow Ms Denise Cheong, based on on-going research as part of the ESI-CIL Nuclear Governance Project. Ms S Nivedita took the role of discussant during the panel discussion on coastal nuclear power plants. To download Assoc Prof Beckman’s presentation, click here. To download Mr Wetherall’s presentation, click here. [View photo]

On 12-13 October 2016, Research Associate Professor (CIL) N. Jansen Calamita, Head of CIL’s Investment Law and Policy Programme, was an invited speaker at the 5th Asia Pacific ADR Conference in Seoul, Korea, organised by, among others, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law and the Korean Ministry of Justice. He addressed the changing landscape of investment treaties, paying particular attention to the investment treaty policy of the European Union.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons was invited to speak at the International Seminar on ‘Environmental and Maritime Security for a Blue South China Sea’ held in Hai Phong City, Viet Nam, on 10-12 October 2016. She presented a paper titled ‘A path towards Marine Protected Areas in the South China Sea following the Arbitral Award’, in the first session on Environmental Security in the South China Sea (Bien Dong Sea) after the Hague Award. To download her presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons attended the 38th Conference of the Parties to the London Convention and Protocol on the Prevention of Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other Matters as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Protection of the Sea (ACOPS) delegation. The meeting was held at the International Maritime Organization Headquarters in London from 19-23 September 2016.

On 29 August 2016, Professor Robert Beckman, Head of CIL’s Ocean Law and Policy Programme delivered the Keynote Address at an international conference on ocean governance and security at the Mandarin Orchard Hotel, Singapore. The title of the conference was ‘Resolving the Complex Challenges of Ocean Governance and Security for Secure and Sustainable Oceans in the Southeast Asian Region’. The organisers were the Mitsubishi Research Institute and the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Public Policy, with support from IHS Jane’s and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. A copy of Professor Beckman’s Keynote Address is available here.

CIL Research Fellow, Ms. Denise Cheong; ESI Research Fellow, Dr Monique Taylor; and CIL Research Associate, Ms. S Nivedita who are part of the ESI-CIL Nuclear Governance Project’s multidisciplinary team attended this year’s International School of Nuclear Law (ISNL). ISNL, in continuing its unique contribution to the field of nuclear law, held its 2016 summer session from 22 August to 2 September 2016 in Montpellier, France. ISNL was established in 2001 by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) in partnership with the University of Montpellier to provide participants with a comprehensive overview of the various inter-related legal issues relating to the safe, efficient and secure use of nuclear energy. ISNL’s faculty comprises renowned specialists in nuclear law from international organisations, governments, and industry and ISNL participants have the option of applying for a University Diploma (Diplôme d’université – D.U.) in International Nuclear Law from the University of Montpellier. [View photo]

Professor Robert Beckman, Head of CIL’s Ocean Law and Policy Programme and Ms Youna Lyons, Senior Research Fellow participated in the Asian International Symposium 2016: The Contemporary Maritime Security Issues in Asian Region in Jakarta, Indonesia on 21-22 August 2016. The Conference was organised by the Center for Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS) Indonesia. Professor Beckman chaired a panel session on The Role of UNCLOS and its Dispute Settlement Regime, and Ms Lyons made a presentation in the panel session on Marine Environmental Protection for Sustainability. For a copy of her PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr. Hao Duy Phan was invited to speak at the International Workshop on “Legal Status of Islands and Rocks in International Law and Practice in the South China Sea” on 17-18 August 2016 in Nha Trang, Vietnam. The Workshop was co-organized by Nha Trang University and Pham Van Dong University. Hao Duy Phan delivered a presentation on “The Philippines v. China Arbitration: The Bindingness of the Award and Its Significance”. To download Hao Duy Phan’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

On 3-4 August 2016, Prof Robert Beckman, CIL Head of Ocean Law and Policy Programme, participated in an international conference on the South China Sea that was organised by the Foreign Service Institute of the Philippines and held at the Manila Hotel, in Manila. Prof Beckman made a presentation in Plenary Session Four, which was entitled ‘International Norms and Rules: The Code of Conduct and other Remedies in the South China Sea’. To see his presentation, please click here. To view his paper, click here.

On 29 June 2016, CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman made a dinner speech on the South China Sea Disputes in New York at a meeting of the US-China Dialogue on Maritime Disputes and International Law. This is a Track Two mechanism between the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS), Hainan, and the US National Committee on US-China Relations (NCUSCR), New York.

On 27-28 June 2016, CIL actively participated in the 40th Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law and Policy of the University of Virginia that was held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman made a presentation in Panel 3 on the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The title of his presentation was ‘Maritime Boundary Disputes and Compulsory Third Party Dispute Settlement Mechanisms: Unresolved Issues’. For Professor Beckman’s presentation, please click here. CIL Visiting Senior Principal Research Fellow Captain Ashley Roach made a presentation in Panel 1 entitled ‘Update on the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Negotiations’. To download Captain Roach’s presentation, please click here. In addition, Ms Rena Lee of the Attorney-General Chamber’s, Singapore made a presentation in Panel 2 entitled ‘Exploration and Exploitation of Ocean Mineral Resources: the Role of Sponsoring States’.

CIL Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun participated in the 4th Asia Pacific Ocean Law Institutions Alliance (APOLIA) Conference on ‘Regulation on Navigation of Foreign Vessels: Asia-Pacific State Practice’ in Zhoushan, China on 22-23 June 2016. The Conference was hosted by the Centre for Ocean Law and Governance of Zhejiang University, and co-organised by Inha University and the University of Wollongong. Dr Sun delivered a presentation on ‘Regulation on Navigation of Foreign Vessels – Singapore’s Practice’ in which she reviewed Singapore’s maritime legislation on foreign vessels and discussed its practice relating to the regulation of navigation in the Singapore Strait. To view Dr Sun’s presentation, please click here. CIL Research Associate Shaun Kang also attended the Conference.

CIL Research Fellow Ms Ranyta Yusran participated in the AsianSIL Regional Conference – ‘International Law and a Dynamic Asia’ on 14-15 June 2016 in Hanoi, Viet Nam. The Conference was jointly organised by AsianSIL, the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Viet Nam. At the Conference, Ranyta presented her paper on ‘The ASEAN Convention against Trafficking in Persons, Especially in Women and Children: Is It Up to the Task?’ in a panel on ‘ASEAN after 2015’, chaired by the dean of the NUS Law Faculty. Within the same panel, Asst Prof Tan Hsien-Li, CIL’s ASEAN Integration through Law Director, also presented her paper on ‘The ASEAN Community: Its Ambitions, Laws and Dispute Settlement Mechanisms’. To download Ranyta’s presentation, click here.

CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman was invited to participate in the EU-DAV High-Level Workshop: Maritime Security and Development: International Cooperation and European – Asian Experience Sharing, which was held on 8-9 June 2016 in Ha Long, Vietnam. The Workshop was jointly organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the European Union. Prof Beckman was unable to attend, but his PowerPoint presentation was distributed to participants and presented by another speaker. His presentation was entitled ‘UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Regime & Philippines v China Arbitration’. He has submitted a draft paper to the organisers on the same topic. To view the draft paper, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman attended the 2016 IISS Shangri-La Dialogue, the 15th annual Asia Security Summit, organised by the International Institute for Security Studies, which was held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore from 3-5 June 2016. Prof Beckman participated in a panel discussion on ‘Managing South China Sea Tensions’, together with defence officials from China, Vietnam and the European Union.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Non-Resident Fellow Captain J Ashley Roach participated in the Expanded ASEAN Maritime Forum Workshop on Maritime Boundaries, which was held at the Hanoi Hilton Opera Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam from 31 May to 3 June 2016. The full title of the Workshop was the EAMF International Law and Best Practices in Maritime Boundary Delimitation and Provisional Arrangements of a Practical Nature. The Workshop was organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) and the US Department of State. CIL and the Australian Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) were supporting organisations. Prof Beckman and Captain Roach each made two presentations at the Workshop. CIL Research Associate Christine Sim attended the Workshop as an observer.

CIL Research Fellow Ranyta Yusran and CIL Research Associates Shaun Kang and Elsa Sardinha participated in the 13th Annual Asian Law Institute Conference – ‘Asian Perspectives on Legal Globalisation’ on 19-20 May 2016 in Beijing, China. The Conference was jointly organised by Peking University and the Asian Law Institute. At the Conference, Ranyta Yusran spoke at a panel on ‘International Law and Human Rights’ and delivered a presentation entitled ‘No Longer Taboo and Yet Still Awkward: Human Rights in ASEAN’. To download her presentation, click here. Shaun Kang and Elsa Sardinha spoke at a panel on ‘International Law and Globalisation’. Shaun delivered a presentation on ‘The Exodus of Rohingya People and Malaysia’s International Obligations towards Refugees’ and Elsa Sardinha delivered a presentation on ‘The Right to Regulate: Towards a New Regulatory Paradigm under Recent Free Trade Investment Chapters? A Dissection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Canada-EU (CETA) and Singapore-EU (SEUFTA) Free Trade Agreements’. To download Shaun’s presentation, click here. To download Elsa’s presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr. Hao Duy Phan was invited to speak at an international conference on ‘Maritime Boundaries and the Law of the Sea’ on 19 May 2016 in Dili, Timor-Leste. Hao Duy Phan delivered a presentation on ‘UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Mechanisms and the Timor Sea’. The Conference was organised by the Government of Timor-Leste. More than 500 international and local participants attended the Conference. To download Hao Duy Phan’s presentation, click here.

On 18 May 2016, CIL Research Associate Hadyu Ikrami participated in the International Seminar on the Establishment of a Regional Convention against Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUUF) and Its Related Crimes. The Seminar took place in Bali, Indonesia, and was organised by the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs. It was attended by approximately 120 participants from 13 countries. The speakers of the Seminar were representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), European Union (EU), Sub-Regional Fisheries Commission (SRFC) of the West African Countries, as well as representatives of the governments of Thailand, Australia, the Philippines and the United States. Another speaker was a New Zealander official who delivered a presentation on how Interpol has assisted New Zealand in combatting IUU fishing.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the 11th Japan-Singapore Symposium, which was held in Tokyo, Japan on 25-26 April 2016. Prof Beckman made a presentation on ‘Security Outlook in the Asia-Pacific: Roles of Maritime Nations’.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Assistant Anjali Sugadev attended the Third Hamburg International Environmental Law Conference 2016 in Hamburg, Germany from 15-16 April 2016. Professor Beckman gave an invited presentation on ‘Submarine Cables & Pipelines under UNCLOS’. To view his presentation, click here. Ms Sugadev participated in the conference and was a member of the Working Group on ‘Ocean Bed Pipe and Cable Systems’. [View photo]

CIL Director Robert Beckman and Research Assistant Anjali Sugadev attended the annual Plenary Meeting of the International Cable Protection Committee in Hamburg, Germany from 12-14 April 2016 (view photo). At the open session of the plenary, Professor Beckman gave an invited presentation on ‘Potential Impact of BBNJ Negotiations on Cable Industry’. To view his presentation, click here. Ms Sugadev presented a paper on ‘India’s Practice on Cable Repairs: An Appraisal’. To view her presentation, click here.

CIL Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun and Research Assistant Anjali Sugadev participated in the DEHUKAM International Workshop – “Legal Status of Submarine Cables, Pipelines and ABNJ” on 7-8 April 2016 in Ankara, Turkey. The Conference was jointly organized by the Ankara University Research Center of the Sea and Maritime Law, Center for Oceans Law and Policy, University of Virginia and the International Cable Protection Committee. At the Conference, Dr. Sun spoke at a panel on the Law of the Sea and delivered a presentation on “Submarine Cables in the Sargasso Sea – Lessons for the Prep-Com”. To download her PowerPoint presentation, click here. Anjali Sugadev spoke at the second session of the panel on “Submarine Pipelines, Cables and ABNJ under the Law of the Sea, especially UNCLOS” and gave a presentation on “Cables and Pipelines under UNCLOS: Similarities, Differences and Gaps”. To download her PowerPoint presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited by the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines as a resource speaker at the 8th ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-sessional Meeting on Maritime Security, held 6-7 April 2016, in Makati City, Philippines. She made a presentation on ‘Marine Environmental Governance in Southeast Asia: A Review of Status and Gaps’. To download her presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li presented a paper and presentation on ‘The Legalization and Institutionalization of ASEAN: Conceptualizing a New Pattern in Asian Regionalism’ at a workshop on Regional and Constitutional Structures in Tension, which was held at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, from 4-5 April 2016. The workshop was organised by the University of Geneva, Global Studies Institute (supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation), iCourts of the University of Copenhagen, and the Institute for Global Law and Policy at Harvard Law School.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited by the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) – Singapore to participate in the 1st Meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on Marine Environmental Protection, which was held on 3-5 April 2016 at the Marco Polo Ortigas Hotel in Manila, Philippines. She made a presentation on ‘Challenges to the Marine Environment and Gaps in Regional Cooperation’. To download her presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan was invited to participate in the International Workshop entitled ‘Cultural Heritage Law and the Built Environment: Preserving Outstanding Universal Value in Asia’s Historic Cities’ on 17-18 March 2016 in Singapore. The Workshop was organised by the Centre for Asian Legal Studies, National University of Singapore. Hao Duy Phan moderated the session on ‘Global Trends in Urban Heritage Conservation’.

CIL Research Fellow Junianto James Losari taught an International Investment Law course in the Masters Programme on Trade, Investment, and Competition at the Universitas Pelita Harapan, Indonesia, which was held on 23-26 February 2016 in Jakarta, Indonesia. In his lecture, James provided an overview of international investment law with some specific discussions on Indonesia’s recent investment policies. This was the fourth time that CIL was invited to teach this course. CIL’s past participation included the course being co-taught by James and Associate Professor Michael Ewing-Chow. [View photo]

On Monday, 22 February 2016, CIL Research Fellow Junianto James Losari was the guest lecturer at a workshop to advise Indonesian government officials from the Ministry of Trade, the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board, the Central Bank of Indonesia, and various other institutions on cross-cutting issues between Trade in Services and Investment. The workshop was organised by the Ministry of Trade’s Centre for Advocacy and the EU-Indonesia Trade Cooperation Facility at the Ministry of Trade in Jakarta, Indonesia. In his lecture, James highlighted the need for Indonesian government officials to clarify their policy objectives both in trade and investment before the process of negotiating or drafting free trade agreements (FTAs). Furthermore, he noted the potential overlap of commitments made under trade in services chapter and investment chapters in FTAs that requires different institutions to cooperate and coordinate closely to prevent inconsistency. For further details about the workshop, click here: http://www.euind-tcf.com/taking-a-closer-look-at-the-investment-provisions-in-regional-trade-agreements/
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CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in a conference hosted by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) in Hainan, China from 17-19 January 2016. The conference was the Second Conference on the Partnership for Regional Peace: Operationalising ASEAN-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in Southeast Asia under a project headed by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Indonesia and the NISCSS to try to find a resolution to the issues in the South China Sea. Prof Beckman served as the Co-Chair of the Working Group on Legal Principles, one of four working groups established under the project.

Following the 16th Meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on the Coastal and Marine Environment (AWGCME), CIL Director Robert Beckman, CIL Global Associate Captain J Ashley Roach and CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons were invited to address members of the AWGCME, together with invited representatives of Singapore government agencies, at a seminar held on 10 June 2015 in Singapore, on issues under UNCLOS and other international legal frameworks governing the protection of the coastal and marine environment. As the Designated Resource Persons at the seminar, Professor Beckman made a presentation on ‘Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs)’ (download in PDF), Captain Roach made a presentation on ‘Access-Benefit Sharing Scheme for Marine Genetic Resources in areas beyond National Jurisdiction’ (download in PDF) and Ms Lyons made a presentation on ‘Prioritisation and the Protection of Sea-Space’ (download in PDF). To view the Agenda, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li presented a paper and presentation on ‘Reputational Risks in the Post-Charter ASEAN: Rules-based Reformation or Rhetorical Repetition’ at a symposium organised by the New Zealand Centre for Public Law and the International Law Association (New Zealand Branch), on International Organisations and the Rule of Law: Perils and Promise, which was held at the Victoria University of Wellington Faculty of Law from 7-8 December 2015.