Researchers' Activities

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons attended the 8th ABLOS Conference 2015 in Monaco – UNCLOS: Advances in Managing the Blue World. Youna presented a paper on ‘States International Rights and Obligations in the Race for Giant Clams in the South China Sea’, which was co-authored by Ms Neo Mei Lin, Research Fellow, NUS Tropical Marine Science Institute, CIL Research Fellow Denise Cheong and CIL Research Assistant Hiu Fung Wong. To download the presentation, please click here.

CIL Research Fellow Denise Cheong participated in the Nuclear Energy Experts Group (NEEG) organised by the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) and held in Singapore on 15-16 October 2015.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons attended the 37th Consultative Meeting of Contracting Parties to the 1972 London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter and the 10th Meeting of Contracting Parties to the 1996 London Protocol to the London Convention at the IMO, in London, from 11-15 October 2015.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons and CIL Research Fellow Denise Cheong participated in the ‘Asia-Pacific Deep Sea Mining Summit – Forming New Partnerships 2015’ at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore on 29-30 September 2015.

CIL Research Associate Mark Huber attended the Centre for International Dispute Settlement’s International Conference on “International Dispute Settlement on the Crossroads of Public and Private International Law”, in Geneva, Switzerland on 25 September 2015. The conference discussed the public and private paradigms in investment treaty arbitration, the intersection between the trade and investment regimes, and conflicts, coordination and international responsibility in international arbitration and domestic litigation.

CIL Research Associate Mark Huber attended the British Institute of International and Comparative Law Investment Treaty Forum’s Twenty-fifth ITF Public Conference, “The ICSID Convention at 50”, in London, England on 18 September 2015. This meeting of the Investment Treaty Forum, organised in partnership with the ICSID Secretariat, discussed the history of the ICSID Convention, the legal issues raised in its interpretation and application, and its continuing role in the investment treaty regime.

CIL Non-Resident Fellow Captain J Ashley Roach and CIL Research Fellow Zhen Sun participated in the Arctic Deeply Roundtable Discussion on ‘Asia and the Arctic: Where Things Stand’ on 16 September 2015 in Singapore. The Roundtable was jointly organised by Arctic Deeply and the World Policy Institute, in collaboration with Guggenheim Partners and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS. At the Roundtable Discussion, Captain Roach made a presentation on ‘Asia and the Arctic: The Legal Issues’. To download his presentation, please click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in a conference on the South China Sea in Jakarta, Indonesia from 14-16 September 2015. The Conference was co-organised by the Centre of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia and the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) in Hainan, China. This was the First Conference in a project led by Indonesia and China to enhance cooperation and help manage the security situation in the South China Sea. Prof Beckman served as the co-chair of a Working Group on UNCLOS and the South China Sea.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan and CIL Research Fellow Ranyta Yusran attended the 11th Annual Conference of the European Society of International Law in Oslo, Norway from 10-12 September 2015. The Conference was hosted by the PluriCourts Centre for the Study of the Legitimate Roles of the Judiciary in the Global Order, University of Oslo.

Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons and Research Fellow Denise Cheong participated in the 2015 Colloquium of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law held at the Atma Jaya Catholic University in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 7-11 September 2015. Youna made a presentation titled: “Towards a comprehensive framework for the designation of sensitive marine environments”. To download her presentation, click here.

CIL Practice Fellow Emily Choo was invited to present her paper, ‘The Impact of Amicus Curiae Submissions in Investment Treaty Arbitration’ at the 2015 Taipei International Conference on Arbitration and Mediation from 6-7 September 2015. The conference was attended by about 60 practitioners and academics from more than eight countries across Asia and Europe. Emily spoke about the investment arbitration tribunals’ treatment of amicus curiae participation in investment arbitration proceedings. Her paper is the latest comprehensive study of this particular area and her study of the cases shows that there are three main approaches that such tribunals have taken. She concluded her presentation by examining the precedential value of these earlier investment arbitration cases for the ongoing Philip Morris v Uruguay proceedings. To download her presentation, please click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited to present the lessons learned and recommendations that arose from the NUS Workshop on the Prospects for Large-Scale Artificial Reefs in Southeast Asia, at the Indonesia Decommissioning Conference on 13-14 August 2015 in Bandung, Indonesia. To download her presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan and CIL Research Fellow Dr Sun Zhen were invited to speak at the China-ASEAN Forum on Law, Policy and Management of the Sea on 4 August 2015 in Guiyang, Guizhou, China. Hao Duy Phan delivered a presentation on ‘ASEAN Cooperation on Maritime Security’ (download in PDF). Sun Zhen made a presentation on ‘Regional Sea Cooperation in East Asia’ (download in PDF). The Forum was co-organised by the Ocean University of China and the Guiyang College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China. More than 50 participants from China, ASEAN Member States and other states attended the Forum.

CIL Practice Fellow Ms Harpreet Kaur Dhillon was invited to act as one of four instructors in a workshop in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, from 6 to 8 July 2015 on ‘Public Policy and Investor State Dispute Settlement’, jointly organised by Myanmar’s Attorney-General’s Office and the International Commission of Jurists (Myanmar). It was attended by more than 60 government officials from across Myanmar, and presided over by Myanmar’s Attorney-General and Director-General. She taught in two 90-minute sessions on defences in investment treaty law, paying close attention to Myanmar’s existing investment treaties. She also developed, led and participated in exercises based on a simulation of an investor-state dispute that arises between Myanmar and investors of an ASEAN neighbour. To download Harpreet Kaur Dhillon’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Practice Fellow Emily Choo attended the Pearl River Delta Academy of International Trade and Investment Law, which was held in Macau and Shenzhen from 6 July 2015 to 17 July 2015. The Academy was organised by the Institute of European Studies in Macau and the Peking University School of Transnational Law and covered WTO law, international investment law, international trade and other areas of international law. The two-week Academy brought together postgraduate students from various disciplines to be trained by a faculty comprising leading academics from various fields.

CIL Research Fellow Junianto James Losari was invited to speak at the Art of Negotiating Trade and Investment Agreements Workshop: Taking Into Account the Global Tobacco Treaty. The workshop was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand on 25-26 June 2015. It was attended by academics and government officials from the Ministry of Health in the region. James spoke about the ‘Investment Framework from the ASEAN Perspective’ and its implication on tobacco control measures taken by ASEAN Members. He highlighted the importance of ASEAN Members to terminate their intra-ASEAN BITs, which do not provide enough policy space for States to take tobacco control measures without incurring liability. On the other hand, the newer generation International Investment Agreements, such as the ASEAN Comprehensive Investment Agreement and other ASEAN + Dialogue Partner(s) Investment Agreements contain general exceptions clauses that allow States to take measures to protect its public health, including tobacco control measures without incurring any liability. However, ASEAN Members must carefully formulate their measures to fulfil the requirements of such clauses.

Assoc Prof Michael Ewing-Chow was invited by the International Institute for Trade and Development (Thailand) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand to speak at a seminar on International Investment Agreements (IIAs) towards Global Sustainability. The two-day seminar was held on 25-26 June 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand. In addition to explaining the general framework of IIAs and its recent development, Michael also discussed shareholder recovery in investment claims and advised on options for IIA and BITs clauses.

CIL was a sponsoring organisation at the 39th Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (COLP) of the University of Virginia, which was held in Shanghai, China from 24-26 June 2015. The title of the Conference was ‘International Marine Economy: Law and Policy’. CIL Director Robert Beckman chaired a panel on grey areas in international boundary delimitation. CIL sponsored the participation of four speakers: CIL International Advisory Panel Member Arif Havas Oegroseno, Dr Clive Schofield, CIL Non-Resident Fellow Captain Ashley Roach and CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard. CIL Research Fellow Zhen Sun also attended the conference. To download Capt. Roach’s presentation, click here. To download Dr Schofield’s presentation, click here.

CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman, CIL Non-Resident Fellow Captain Ashley Roach, and Research Fellows Leo Bernard and Dr Zhen Sun participated in the 2015 International Symposium on Global Commons and the Law of the Sea in Hangzhou, China on 22-23 June 2015. The Symposium was co-organised by the Centre for Ocean Law and Governance, Guanghua Law School and Collaborative Innovation Centre for the Belt and Road Initiative, Zhejiang University. Professor Beckman delivered a presentation on ‘The Development of the Polar Code and Challenges to Its Implementation’, while Captain Roach presented on ‘Evolution of Soviet Maritime Navigation Policy and China’s Far Seas Operations’. Research Fellows Leo Bernard and Dr Zhen Sun also served as discussants for two panels. To download Professor Beckman’s and Dr Sun’s presentation, click here. To download Capt. Roach’s presentation, click here.

On 12 June 2015, the Symposium for the Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the Rhodes Academy on Oceans Law and Policy was held at the United Nations in New York. Hosted by the Permanent Mission of Iceland to the UN, the Symposium featured Judge Tomas Heidar and several other Rhodes Alumni, who presented on current law of the sea issues. Most of the Symposium’s 70 participants had attended the Meeting of States Parties to the Law of the Sea Convention that took place the previous week. CIL, one of the sponsoring organisations of the Rhodes Academy, was represented at the Symposium by CIL Research Fellow (Non-Resident) Tara Davenport at which she gave a presentation on ‘Submarine Cables in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction’. To view her presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines as a presenter in a side event they organised on UNCLOS and the protection of the marine environment during the Meeting of the States Parties to the Law of the Sea Convention, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, on 10 June 2015. Her presentation was titled ‘Environmental Impacts from Large Scale Constructions in the South China Sea: Legal Issues’. To see her presentation, please click here.

On 3-5 June 2015, the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL), together with the Ministry of Justice of Thailand and the Thailand Institute of Justice, held the AsianSIL Inter-Sessional Conference on ‘The Rule of Law and Development Nexus: A New Deal for Asia?’ in Bangkok, Thailand. A/P Michael Ewing-Chow was invited to speak on a panel on ‘International Law and ASEAN Integration’ and delivered his presentation entitled ‘Outcomes and Costs – Towards A Just Peace’. CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard, CIL Research Fellow Ranyta Yusran and CIL Research Associate Chang Ya Lan also attended the conference. To download A/P Michael Ewing-Chow’s presentation, click here.

CIL Research Fellow Dr Zhen Sun participated in the Conference on ‘The European Union and the Arctic’ on 29-30 May 2015, at the University of Dundee, Dundee, United Kingdom. The Conference was jointly organised by the University of Dundee and the University of Tromso. At the Conference, Dr. Sun made a presentation on ‘The Interests and Potential Roles of Observers in the Arctic Council – In the Context of Marine Environmental Protection’. Her presentation attracted discussion on the general involvement of the Asian States in the Arctic issues. To download her presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons participated at the 2015 American Association of Petroleum Geologists Workshop on Tectonic Evolution and Sedimentation of the South China Sea Region, on 26-27 May 2015, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard participated at the 2015 ILA – ASIL Asia-Pacific Research Forum on 25-26 May 2015 in Taipei, Taiwan. The Research Forum was organised by the Chinese (Taiwan) Society of International Law – Chinese (Taiwan) Branch of the International Law Association, in cooperation with the American Society of International Law and Research Center for International Legal Studies, National Chengchi University. Prof Beckman was part of the panel on Law of the Sea: South China Sea, where he presented on the Philippines v China Case and Maritime Disputes in the South China Sea. To download Prof Beckman’s paper, click here. To download his presentation in PDF format, click here.