Researchers' Activities

On 24 November 2023, the Centre for International Law (CIL), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and University College London (UCL) jointly organised an in-person, closed-door, off-the-record meeting on investment treaties and climate change for ASEAN-Plus government officials in Singapore. This in-person meeting was a follow up to a virtual meeting held on 25 May 2023, which focused on the investment treaty regime, its impact on high-carbon and other investment incentives, and its interaction with policies designed to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Following an introductory presentation of the Paris Agreement and key recent climate developments, the in-person meeting proceeded to discussion of whether investment treaties can contribute to addressing climate change, and how to ensure that investment treaties do not hinder the achievement of climate goals.

She presented her draft article about informal lawmaking in ASEAN. Professor Natalie Klein from UNSW served as a commentator for her article.

Under the question “Is the World Without Investment Arbitration, a World With(out) Justice?”, the conference sought to map out different paradigms of international investment regulation in a post-reformed ISDS, and also a post-ISDS, world. Dr Giannakopoulos participated in the discussion with a presentation entitled “Justice in ISDS and the Search for Community”, which addressed the question of ISDS’ “audience” in the system’s current and potentially reformed state.

It was a closed-door engagement session with the EU-ASEAN Business Council, PwC Singapore, Leiden University, and representatives of private sector entities active in ASEAN on 23 November 2023 in Singapore. 

The event focused on the theme “Threats from the Global Commons.” She shared her forthcoming article about “Threats to Commercial Shipping During International Armed Conflicts.”

More about the event at the link: https://dfa.gov.ph/dfa-news/dfa-releasesupdate/33695-philippines-hosts-regional-workshop-on-the-bbnj-agreement

More about the event at the link: https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/the-symposium-on-global-maritime-cooperation-and-ocean-governance-2023-concluded-in-sanya-301984180.html

A recording of the event at the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MxFoz22S7I

This workshop invited contributors to the APEC OFWG White Paper on Microplastics in Coastal Aquaculture Systems: Development of Regulatory Frameworks, Practices and Mitigation Efforts in APEC Economies to further discuss a mitigation/prevention plan for microplastics in the coastal aquaculture input chain in APEC economies.

At the event, Dr. Berman presented on The WHO Pandemic Agreement and International Health Regulations (IHR): Implementation Challenges and Approaches.

Ms Indranee Rajah SC, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Finance and National Development delivered the closing address. Brochure PILC Portal (301023)

https://voicesfromasia.podbean.com/e/voices-from-asia-part-3-will-cop28-be-a-gamechanger-for-the-loss-and-damage-fund/

Dr. Nilufer Oral was a member of the panellists at the informal plenary meeting.

She also presented in a panel on “SMART Cables” at Submarine Networks 2023, a conference that brings together the telecommunications industry in Singapore, on 28 September 2023.

She presented on “Southeast Asian Approaches to the Protection of Submarine Cables: Problems and Prospects for Cooperation.”

On October 26, 2023, Dita led a session on “Interception,” covering maritime zones, jurisdiction at sea, and grounds for interception under international law. The following day, October 27, 2023, Dita covered “Search and Rescue (SAR) at Sea” module, focusing on the international legal framework and the three phases of emergency set out in the SAR Convention. On both days, Dita also facilitated simulation exercises involving scenarios of smuggling of migrants by sea.

For the full conference programme, click here. To view Prof Beckman’s PowerPoint slides, click here.

Investigative reports have exposed the tragic working conditions experienced by some fishers in Southeast Asia. These fishers often find themselves labouring nearly around the clock with minimal access to essential provisions like food, water, and medical care. The situation is exacerbated by instances where those in need of medical assistance are abandoned at sea. To make matters worse, fishers are susceptible to various forms of abuse, including physical and sexual, inflicted by the vessel’s master or fellow crew members. The inability to leave the vessel compounds the abuses endured by these individuals, particularly considering the prolonged durations fishing vessels spend at sea.

This event was co-organised by the Centre for Strategic Energy & Resources, an independent think-and-do tank and non-profit organisation that seeks to provide thought leadership on issues related to energy transition and sustainability. Denise presented as part of the session on “Global Perspectives on nuclear energy and its implications for Asia Pacific”.

More about the event at the link: https://www.ila-americanbranch.org/international-law-weekend/

The workshop was organised by the T.M.C Asser Institute, the University of Groningen and in close cooperation with the Centre for the Law of EU External relations (CLEER) on 20 October, Den Haag.

Click here for event information and here for the recording of the session.

His presentation was on “The Impact of the 2023 High Seas Treaty on Commercial Shipping”. For the abstract of this presentation and his PowerPoint slides, click here.

At this year’s event, Nilufer was one of the speakers for the opening fireside chat on “Building the Foundations for Turkey’s Future in International Arbitration and International Dispute Settlement”.

The event opened with a Keynote by ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn, followed by panels on “Forces of Fragmentation”, ASEAN economic integration, regional flashpoints and “ASEAN in the age of multipolarity”.

Prof Beckman delivered the keynote speech in Session 1, which was entitled “South China Sea: International Law Perspectives”.

Many thanks to the Washington College of Law and  partner institutions for the collaboration; as well as the expert speakers and participants for their contributions to the robust and thought provoking dialogues. 

https://www.wcl.american.edu/impact/initiatives-programs/techlaw/events/second-annual-symposium-on-cyber-and-international-law-cyber-in-war-lesson-from-the-russia-ukraine-conflict/

more information here https://www.icj-cij.org/judicial-fellows-program

The full programme and informal documents prepared for the Sixth Intersessional Meeting of Working Group III are available here.

The panel was moderated by Professor N. Jansen Calamita, Head, Investment Law & Policy, at CIL. Discussants on the panel were Ms Young Shin Um, Senior Deputy Director, International Dispute Settlement Division, Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Korea, and Ms Lai Thị Vân Anh, Deputy Director General, Department of International Law of the Ministry of Justice of Viet Nam.

Dr. Davenport gave a lecture on “Deep seabed mining and submarine cables.” More information on this initiative is available here: https://www.isa.org.jm/deep-dive/

Her presentation is available here.

The webinar was livestreamed on Facebook, and the video recording of the event is available here.

The theme of the conference was ‘Future of Environmental Law in ASEAN and Beyond.’ On August 17^th, 2023, Dita presented on the topic of ‘Ocean Equity.’

On 9 August 2022, Dita delivered two presentations, covering the status of maritime boundaries in Southeast Asia, the ongoing requests for advisory opinions on sea level rise, and UNCLOS dispute settlement mechanisms in the Southeast Asian context.

TRILA Team co-organised the Junior Scholar Workshop at the University of Indonesia, Faculty of Law.

Dr. Davenport presented on “UNCLOS, IMO and Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships,” in Plenary Session 3 on Maritime Autonomous Surface Vessels.

Railla Puno delivered a presentation online based on working paper “Oceans and Climate Change: Synergy and Conflict in International Law”

The theme of this year’s MILOPS was ‘Cooperating to Defend the Rules-Based International Order in the Indo-Pacific.’

The conference, hosted by the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN) and Verification Research, Training, and Information Centre (VERTIC), focused on managing and mitigating incidents and escalation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Dita Liliansa delivered a presentation titled ‘Regional Cooperation on Fishing Vessel Safety in Southeast Asia” at the 2023 International Marine Economy and Maritime Services Forum in Ningbo, China (17-19 July 2023).

On 11 July 2022, Senior Research Fellow Charalampos Giannakopoulos participated in the conference “International Trade and Business Law: Present and a Decade Ahead”, which was organised by the University of Law, Viet Nam National University.

The 26^th Rhodes Academy was attended by 48 students from 29 countries from all regions of the world, including participants from four countries in Southeast Asia: Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Singapore. CIL sponsored the participation of Taufik Rachmat Nugraha of Indonesia, who is currently an ASEAN Visiting Fellow at CIL.

The only Singaporean participant at the 26^th Academy, Amanda Chong from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, who did Singapore proud by receiving an award for being the top student in the written examination. The top student in the oral examination was Ms. Aliki Gkana from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece.

28 June 2023: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited by Durham University to Speak at the IPDM Annual Conference on “Maritime Security in a Changing World”.

CIL Director Dr Nilufer Oral spoke on the role and relevance of the oceans in the global stocktake while Danielle Yeow, Lead Climate Change Law and Policy spoke on the current and future role of stakeholders in the global stocktake process. 

22-23 June 2023: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited by Durham University to Speak at the “The Global Stocktake and International Law Paradigm, Process and Ambition”.

This workshop, whose participants were mostly natural scientists, focused on four current issues and specific case studies on (1) marine plastics, (2) blue carbon, (3) shared fish stocks and fisheries refugia, and (4) marine protected areas, area-based management tools and endangered species. Each session had two specialised trainers: a scientist and a lawyer.

The Keynote focused on the Law-Science to policy interface to protect coral reef systems and emphasised the respective role of science and law to inform policy-making by governments and the importance of underused provisions of international law to protect the marine environment including coral reef systems and associated species. The presentation slides can be viewed here.

The lecture focused on the development of Seabed Mining under the Law of the Sea Convention 1982 Part XI ‘The Area’ and what ‘Space Mining’ can do based on The Area development to ensure the safety and security aspects of future space mining.

Dita Liliansa delivered a presentation titled “Indonesia’s Archipelagic State Concept: History and Development” at the Workshop on Land, Sea, and Archipelago: The Conflict in the South China Sea and New Directions in Geopolitics (Hybrid, 8 June 2023).

The podcast episode can be accessed at the following link: https://cimsec.org/sea-control-434-can-indonesia-stop-the-transit-of-aukus-subs-with-dita-liliansa/

Prof Robert Beckman participated in a Roundtable Discussion on “Securing Digital Connectivity” Global Issues: Global Approach” at the ATxSummit.

The aim is to accelerate genomic sequencing for infectious disease surveillance and public health utility across south and southeast Asia. CIL serves as a legal knowledge partner.

The Association is the first of its kind endeavour to create a regional network to advance collaboration, research, law and policy concerning health in Asia.

Government officials from Australia, Brunei, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam participated in the discussion, which was moderated by N. Jansen Calamita, Head, Investment Law & Policy, CIL. David Gaukrodger, Senior Legal Adviser, OECD Investment Division, and Professor Lauge Poulsen, Chair, OECD Project on Climate Change and Investment, took part in the discussion, which allowed participants to improve their understanding of regional interests, priorities and policies for the climate and investment. 

Railla Puno delivered a presentation based on working paper “Rights-based Approaches for Carbon Dioxide Removal: Asia in Focus” at the 7^th edition of the Gonzaga in Florence Human Rights Conference with this year’s theme of Climate Change and Human Rights. The Conference was held in Florence, Italy from 24-25 May 2023 and was hosted by the University of Gonzaga School of Law.

The  meeting discussed, among others, the status and content of the law of countermeasures as applied in cyberspace.

The event was a side-line event of the 8^th International Maritime Security Conference 2023, jointly organised by S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and the Australia National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security (ANCORS) on 5 May 2023 in Singapore.

5 May 2023: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at the ASIL ICTIG Event on the Topic: “The Role of International Courts and Tribunals Amidst the Conflict in Ukraine: Avenues for Justice and Peace?”

Danielle Yeow, Lead Climate Law and Policy, attended a meeting of the UNFCCC RINGO Oceans Interest Group Quarterly Meeting on 4 May 2023 to discuss developments relating to climate change and oceans and preparations for the 58^th meeting of the Subsidiary Bodies to the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement.

Special Thanks

Amiel Valdez joined the 209 lawyers from 59 countries who served as judges in the recently concluded International Rounds of the 2023 Philip C Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, which was held in person in Washington, D.C., United States of America.

N. Jansen Calamita – After the Treaty is Signed: Do States Internalise Investment Treaty Commitments in Their Decision Making?

27 March 2023: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at the 2023 Regional Conference on Preserving Statehood and Protecting Persons: Legal Options and Institutional Responses to the Impacts of Sea-Level Rise, in the context of International Law organized by the Pacific Islands Forum which was held in Fiji from 27-30 March 2023.

The Climate Change Law and Policy team, in collaboration with Durham University’s Centre for Sustainable Development Law and Policy and the International Cryosphere Climate Initiative, made a joint submission to the Global Stocktake (GST) 2023 process under the Paris Agreement. This GST is a process for taking stock of the implementation of the Paris Agreement with the aim of assessing the world’s collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the Paris Agreement and its long-term goals. The first stocktake got underway at the UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow (COP26) and will conclude at COP28 in 2023.

The details of the presentation are available at here. 

24 March 2023:  CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at the III World Meeting for Societies of International Law Organized by the Peruvian Society of International Law

It is available in multiple platforms here LinkedIn | Youtube | Facebook | Spotify

In her presentation “SHARM EL-SHEIKH TO DUBAI – HOW GOES “THE FIGHT OF OUR LIVES”?”, Danielle shared her views on the key outcomes from COP27 and the developments since Sharm El-Sheikh .  She discussed their implications for governments, industry and civil society and shared her assessment of the current state of affairs in the “fight of our lives” and the road ahead to Dubai.

13 March 2023: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at the GNLU-GMU Academy on Climate Change, Marine Biodiversity and Sustainable Shipping 2023

7 March 2023: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at the Global Governance / Multilateralism Webinar Organized by ADI-ILA

Read the article here https://time.com/6258960/covid-19-origins-lab-leak-china-politics/

This is the third time that Amiel was invited to judge the Philippine qualifying rounds. Twelve (12) law schools participated in this year’s competition. The top three (3) winning teams – University of the Philippines (national champion), University of San Carlos (1st runner-up), and Ateneo de Manila University (2nd runner-up) will compete in the international rounds in Washington, DC, USA, this coming April 2023.

One necessary step to limit global warming is to phase out fossil fuel production, which can deprive the value of foreign investments and amount to breaches of investment treaties.

The lecture was part of the course ‘Sustainable Ocean Law and Governance,’ taught by Associate Professor Nengye Liu.

1 February 2023: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at the Anthropocene Webinar Organized by ADI-ILA

The Stetson Moot, organised by the Institute of Biodiversity Law and Policy of Stetson University, is the world’s leading competition on global environmental law issues such as conservation and sustainability. This is the Stetson’s 27th year of hosting this competition. https://www.stetson.edu/law/international/iemcc/

The mandate of Working Group III is to develop reforms to the existing regime of investor-state dispute settlement. CIL has been an official observer to Working Group III since 2017, when the Working Group’s mandate began.

The purpose of this conference is to create a platform for scholars of law in Asia, particularly South and South-East Asia to showcase their research, engage with ideas and build professional networks. We believe that this will create opportunities for younger academics in Asia to further build their body of research by facilitating dialogue and research collaborations.

https://jgu.edu.in/international-conference-on-law-business-society/

They participated remotely in this three-day hybrid meeting which was held in Geneva, Switzerland from 19 to 21 December 2022.

The Global Ocean Regime Conference is an annual international conference to establish a network with experts in marine policy and the maritime laws including United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea around the world and to share knowledge and discuss about international trend on maritime territories, areas such as the continental shelf, High seas and so on.

The title of the presentation is “Is LOSC ready for new technology? Carbon Capture and Storage in the Asia-Pacific Region”. She explored the extent to which obligations to protect the marine environment under LOSC provide effective regulations for managing the risks posed by CCS, focusing on the Asia-Pacific Region.

The recording of the Dialogue is available at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGDrs4tWXd0.  Pls contact Danielle Yeow d.yeow@nus.edu.sg if interested in participating in future dialogue session.

Youna Lyons from CIL Ocean Law and Policy Programme was invited to speak to the Plastics Research Network (PlaReNet) Conference, which was held 6-7 December 2022 in a hybrid format; it was co-presented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Philippines, and Embassy of Japan in Manila.

In this Episode, Dr Miguel Dorotan (Miriam College, Philippines) spoke with Amiel Valdez (NUS Centre for International Law), and Paolo Valenzuela (NUS Asia Research Institute) on how we should address the Philippine environmental security particularly in terms of mitigating the risks from climate change and rising sea levels. The speakers reflected on the standard of ‘environmental security’, the major outcomes of the recently concluded climate conference (COP 27) in Egypt, and the importance of diplomacy in tackling all these issues.

The International Organizations Partnership is a network of international organizations working towards the development of better international rule-making. Ayelet Berman spoke about how the international system could be reformed to respond faster and with greater agility to future pandemics.

Dr Dawoon Jung was invited to present on Marine Plastic Pollution at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) Alumni Anniversary Event via Zoom.

Danielle discussed the key outcomes at COP27 and shared her reflections on the implications of these developments. Recording accessible at : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PhrDBw5M8S8&list=PLX-_OXNM8JVl67CUuPX-TI6RArxqqYT9q

For his PowerPoint presentation, click Beckman Powerpoint Session 1 ARF Workshop 30 Nov.

30 November 2022: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited by ILA Hellenic Branch to Speak at the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea @40

One of the key themes was marine pollution and addressing the problems of plastics and chemicals in the ocean. https://events.economist.com/world-ocean-summit-asia-pacific/downloadagenda/

24 November 2022: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at the International Order and Justice Lecture Series Organized by the Ghent University.

The dialogue brought together a select group of experts to discuss ways for states to implement their responsibilities in relation to nuclear weapons and/or radioactive materials in the maritime domain in the name of confidence building and risk reduction. The dialogue was guided by the BASIC-ICCS Nuclear Responsibilities Framework.

The panel features CIL Director Dr Nilufer Oral, Malcolm Dalesa (Vanuatu’s Climate Attache in New York),  Prof Payam Akhavan (Legal Counsel to COSIS) and Assoc Prof Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh (Lead Counsel to Vanuatu on the ICJ initiative).  The dialogue was moderated by CIL’s Danielle Yeow.

Prof Beckman made a presentation in Session 6 on Rules of the Road for Non-Traditional and Cross-Cutting Domains. His presentation was on “Aviation Safety in the South China Sea”. Prof Beckman has participated in 13 of the 14 annual conferences organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam on the South China Sea. For a copy of Prof Beckman’s PowerPoint presentation, click: Beckman PowerPoint Da Nang Nov 2022 final.

In Session 5 Voices of the Next Generation, Dr Dawoon Jung presented on “Offshore Renewable Energy Operations and the Protection of the Marine Environment”. Her presentation explored the substantive regulation of environmental challenges caused by offshore renewable energy operations within the UNCLOS legal framework.

15-17 November 2022: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at the Seventh International Conference on the Law of the Sea Hosted by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea (MOFA)

Danielle Yeow presented on (a) the international climate change legal framework under the UNFCCC, Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement and (b) Singapore’s progress under the UNFCCC including her national circumstances and impact of climate change in Singapore’s context.

Danielle Yeow discussed the “who, what and why” of collaboration and spoke on CIL’s collaborative capacity building initiatives with the UNFCC Secretariat and Durham University as well as upcoming collaborative research and other capacity building initiatives.

This global international symposium facilitated meaningful dialogue between COP delegates, observers and stakeholders, also keen students, with an interest in national and international law and governance related to climate change, including government representatives and leaders, leading international and domestic legal practitioners, and renowned legal experts.  https://www.climatelawgovernance.org/clgi-cop27/

10 November 2022: CIL Director Dr Nilüfer Oral was Invited to Speak at the International Symposium on ” Ocean Governance in the New Era: Current Challenges and the Law of the Sea” Organized by Global Governance Institution