Researchers' Activities

CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard participated at the Conference on Global Ocean Issues and Challenges on 9 September 2013 in Dankook University, Korea. The Conference was organized by the Wooseok Institute of Korean Territory Studies, Dankook University in cooperation with the Korea Institute of Maritime Strategy and SLOC Study Group-Korea. Leo spoke on Cooperative Mechanism in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, which addressed issues associated with current state of maritime cooperation under Article 43 of UNCLOS. Leo was also invited to attend the Conference celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the Korea Coast Guard on 11 September 2013 at Incheon, Korea.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons took part at Pacem in Maribus XXXIV in Bangkok, on 5-8 September 2013. Professor Beckman co-chaired the theme 2 of the conference on the implementation of UNCLOS in Southeast Asia and Youna Lyons was co-rapporteur for this theme.

CIL Research Associate, Junianto James Losari, participated at the International Law Association Regional Conference 2013 held in Cape Sounion, Greece, on 29-31 August 2013. The conference was hosted by the Hellenic Branch of the ILA and was held at the premise of the European Public Law Organization. This year’s conference took the theme Imperium Juris: Governance, Trade Resources. James presented a paper that he wrote together with Prof. Michael Ewing-Chow (Head of Trade and Investment Law and Policy of CIL) in one of the panels on trade. The paper titled “Countermeasures in International Trade Law and their Illegality in International Investment Law”, analyses the interaction between the trade and investment regimes and the issue that arises in it. To download the draft conference paper, click here; and to download the PowerPoint slides in PDF format, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li presented her study, co-authored with Professor Alison Duxbury of the Melbourne Law School at the University of Melbourne, on “Can ASEAN Take Human Rights Seriously?” at the Public Plenary on the Rule of Law in the ASEAN Community held in Singapore. For more information, click here.

Professor Joseph Weiler, Director of the CIL ASEAN Integration Through Law Project (NUS Law School and University Professor at the NYU School of Law) convened and chaired the discussions on International and ASEAN Law in the ASEAN 10 National Jurisdictions, Dispute Settlement Mechanisms and Human Rights at Plenary 3 of the ASEAN Integration Through Law Project: The Rule of Law in the ASEAN Community at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore. CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman and Research Fellows Dr Tan Hsien-Li, Mr Leonardo Bernard and Ms Ranyta Yusran shared their work on ASEAN dispute settlement mechanisms, international and ASEAN law in the domestic jurisdictions of ASEAN states and human rights. For more information, please click here.

CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard participated at the Conference on Maritime Confidence Building Measure in the South China Sea on 11-13 August 2013 in Sydney, Australia. The Conference was organized by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute. Leo joined the second panel on Maritime cooperation in the South China Sea, which addressed issues associated with current state of maritime cooperation and prospective areas for cooperation. His presentation was “Joint Development of Oil and Gas Resources in the South China Sea”. To download the draft conference paper, click here.

Professor Joseph Weiler, Director of the CIL ASEAN Integration Through Law Project (NUS Law School and University Professor at the NYU School of Law) convened and chaired the discussions on ASEAN External Agreements, ASEAN as a Negotiator in International Fora, ASEAN Instruments of Governance and Models of Supranational Legal Integration, ASEAN Dispute Settlement and the ASEAN Legal Service at Plenary 2 of the ASEAN Integration Through Law Project: ASEAN Governance, Management and External Relations at the Hotel Aryaduta, Jakarta, Indonesia. CIL senior experts, CIL Director Professor Robert Beckman and Professor Walter Woon, shared their work on the ASEAN dispute settlement mechanisms and ASEAN Legal Service. This Plenary was hosted jointly with the Universitas Pelita Harapan. For more information, please click here.

CIL Researchers Ms. Ranyta Yusran and Ms. Harpreet Kaur Dhillon attended the Hague Academy of International Law’s Summer Programme on Public International Law, held at the Peace Palace from 8 July 2013 to 26 July 2013. They participated in a general course conducted by Professor James Crawford (Whewell Professor at the University of Cambridge) on the Practice and Process of the Law of Nations, and special courses conducted by Professor Lucius Caflisch (Member of the International Law Commission), Professor Eyal Benvenisti (Tel Aviv University), Professor Jean-Marc Sorel (Sorbonne Law School), Professor Robert Kolb (University of Geneva), Professor Anna Wyrozumska (University of Lodz), Professor Bruno Nascimbene (University of Milan) and Professor Ki Gab Park (Korea University). The Summer Programme was attended by more than 350 participants coming from over 90 Countries.

Professor Joseph Weiler, Director of the CIL ASEAN Integration Through Law Project (NUS Law School and University Professor at the NYU School of Law) convened and chaired the discussions on the Legal Service, Secretariat and Civil Service in ASEAN, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Regional Integration at Plenary 1 of the ASEAN Integration Through Law Project: General Architecture of ASEAN at the Mandarin Orchard Hotel, Singapore. For more information, please click here.

CIL participated in the 18th session of the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy in Rhodes, Greece as a full sponsor, together with the Center for Oceans Law and Policy, University of Virginia School of Law (Charlottesville, USA); the Aegean Institute of the Law of the Sea and Maritime Law (Rhodes, Greece); the Law of the Sea Institute of Iceland (Reykjavik, Iceland); the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (Heidelberg, Germany); and The Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea, Utrecht University (Utrecht, The Netherlands). CIL Director Robert Beckman lectured at the Academy, where he delivered three seminars on ship-source pollution, non ship-source pollution and the South China Sea disputes and co-supervised a workshop on the international regulation of shipping. He also served as one of the four examiners for the oral examination at the end of the course, together with Judges Wolfrum, Cot and Golitsyn from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. CIL Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan won the Best Oralist Award at the Academy. Dr Hao Duy Phan, CIL Research Associate Monique Page and Cambodian official, Mr. Sok Khavan, participated in the Academy under the sponsorship of CIL.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the ‘CIL Roundtable on the South China Sea Disputes’. The Roundtable was held at the Orchard Hotel, Singapore. Prof Beckman presented a paper on ‘The UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Regime’. CIL Research Fellows Tara Davenport and Leonardo Bernard played a major role in organising the Roundtable, while CIL Research Fellow Hao Duy Phan and CIL Research Associate Monique Page served as rapporteurs. For more information on the Roundtable, please click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard participated at the International Symposium on Peaceful Use of the Sea and Maritime on 22-23 June 2013 in Hangzhou, China. The Conference was organized by Centre for Ocean Law and Governance at Guanghua Law School, Zhengjian University. Prof Beckman and Leo joined the third panel on peaceful means for maritime dispute settlement together with Dustin Kuan-Hsiung Wang from national Taiwan Normal University and Anne Hsiu-An Hsiao from National Chengchi University, Taiwan. Prof Beckman presented a paper on “Framework and Issues for Joint Development of Hydrocarbon Resources”. To download the draft conference paper, click here; and to download the PowerPoint slides, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a lunchtime talk on the South China Sea Disputes for members of the Europe-ASEAN Business Alliance (EABA).

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li was invited to share her expertise at the Regional Track Two Meeting “ASEAN Human Rights Mechanisms: Challenges and Ways Forward” and engage with officials from the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), ASEAN Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC) and ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Promotion and Protection of Migrant Workers (ACMW). This meeting was hosted by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism and was held in Bangkok, Thailand.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on Maritime Security and Submarine Cables on 8 June 2013 at a Meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on Maritime Security at the Trader’s Hotel in Singapore. For his presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman chaired a panel on Boundary Disputes Involving Oil & Gas Fields at the Oil & Gas Asia Dispute Resolution Conference at the Shangri-la Hotel in Jakarta on 5 June 2013. The conference was organized by the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). The other members of the panel were Will Thomas of the Paris Office of Eversheds, Dominic Roughton of the Tokyo office of Herbert Smith Freehills, and Wesley Harris of the Malaysian office of Royal Dutch Shell.

CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard spoke at the 3rd Annual CSIS South China Sea Conference – “Managing Tensions in the South China Sea” on 5-6 June 2013 in Washington DC, USA. The Conference was organized by the CSIS Sumitro Chair for Southeast Asia Studies. Leo joined the last panel on Policy Recommendation to Boost Cooperation in the South China Sea together with Ms Bonnie Glaser, CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies, and Mr Chirstian Le Miere, Senior Research Fellow from the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Leo presented a paper on “Prospects for Joint Development in the South China Sea” which discussed about how claimant States can set aside the dispute to jointly develop the resources in the South China Sea. To download video and audio recording of the panel, please visit CSIS’ website or go to this link here. To download Leo’s draft conference paper, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on The Significance of Islands to Maritime Claims on 4 June 2013 at the 26th Annual International Military Law and Operations (MILOPS) Engagement at the Imperial Queen’s Park Hotel, Bangkok. The Conference was organized by the US Pacific Command, Hawaii. The Panel on Developments applicable to Regional Maritime Security was chaired by Prof Pete Pedrozo of US Naval War College and included speakers from China, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam. For his presentation, click here.

CIL Research Fellow Dr Hao Duy Phan and CIL Research Associate Junianto James Losari participated at the 10th Annual Asian Law Institute Conference – “Celebrating Diversity: 10 Years of ASLI” on 23-24 May 2013 in Bangalore, India. The Conference was jointly organized by the Asian Law Institute and the National Law School of India University. Dr Hao Duy Phan opened the first panel on International and Transnational Regulation by discussing the Protocol to the ASEAN Charter on Dispute Settlement Mechanisms and its significance in further institutionalizing ASEAN into a rules-based regional organization. Junianto James Losari presented a paper by Dr. Lin Lin and Prof. Michael Ewing-Chow on “The Doing Business Indicators in Singapore: Only that Which is Measured is Measured” at the Panel on Business Law which discussed about the significance of the Doing Business Project of the World Bank in influencing the Company Law reforms in Singapore. To download Dr Hao Duy Phan’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here. To download Junianto James Losari’s PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivered a speech at the 2nd APAC Water Summit. To download in PDF, click here.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh‘s message was delivered by CIL Director Robert Beckman to the 37th Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (COLP) on “Global Challenges and Freedom of Navigation” in Seoul, Republic of Korea, 1 May 2013. To download Prof Koh’s message in PDF format, please click here.

CIL Chairman Professor Tommy Koh moderated a talk by H.E. Dr Tun Shin, Attorney-General of Myanmar, at the Supreme Court on 30 April 2013. Dr Tun Shin spoke on the topic “The Legal System and the Rule of Law in Myanmar”. To read Prof Koh’s introductory remarks, please click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman did an invited presentation on 25 April 2013 on the South China Sea Disputes to the Chinese Students & Scholars Association at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom.

CIL Director Robert Beckman attended the SubOptic 2013 Conference in Paris on 22-23 April 2013. Professor Beckman served as a presenter in a Masterclass Tutorial on Maritime Jurisdiction and Submarine Telecommunications Marine Activities. The other presenters were Douglas Burnett, the International Law advisor of ICPC, and Graham Evans, a Director of EGS Survey Group.

CIL Director Robert Beckman attended the London International Boundary Conference at the Royal Geographic Society in London from 18-19 April 2013. The Conference was organized by the UK Hydrographic Office, Volterra Fietta and King’s College London and was held at the Royal Geographic Society. Prof Beckman spoke on a panel on the South China Sea and presented on the topic of “The Philippines v China Case and the South China Sea Disputes”. For a copy of his PowerPoint Slides in PDF format, click here.

In April 2013, the Human Rights Resource Centre (HRRC), an Indonesian-based research institution, published two baseline studies to which CIL Research Fellow and Associate contributed as Country Rapporteurs. Dr. Hao Duy PHAN is the Country Rapporteur for Viet Nam in HRRC’s Baseline Study on “Business and Human Rights in ASEAN”; the Baseline Study was recently launched in Jakarta, Indonesia, on 9 April 2013. Ms. Ranyta YUSRAN contributed to HRRC’s Baseline Study on “Violence, Exploitation, and Abuse and Discrimination in Migration Affecting Women and Children in ASEAN” as the Country Rapporteur for Indonesia; due to the wide scope of the Study, the Baseline Study is only published a year after its launch on 30 May 2012. CIL Fellows and Research Associate have been involved constantly as Country Rapporteurs in HRRC’s Baseline Study series since 2011. For more information and to download both above-mentioned Baseline Studies, click here.

CIL Research Fellow Hao Duy Phan was a presenter at the Conference on Business and Human Rights in ASEAN in Jakarta, Indonesia on April 9, 2013. The Conference was a major event organized by the Human Rights Resource Centre for ASEAN to launch a baseline study that examines the legal framework of ASEAN member states in response to business and human rights issues. The outcome of the study is a book published and distributed on the occasion of the Conference. Dr. Phan participated as a rapporteur of the Vietnam Country Report chapter. At the Conference, he delivered a presentation entitled “Business and Human Rights: Vietnam’s Legal Framework”. To download the presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL sponsored a Panel at the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law (ASIL) in Washington DC on 5 April 2013, titled “Challenges for ASEAN: The South China Sea, Investment Protection and Myanmar”. Prof Michael Ewing-Chow opened the Panel with discussion on ASEAN legalization, institutionalization and economic law issues facing ASEAN, followed by Ambassador Arif Havas Oegroseno who talked about ASEAN and the South China Sea disputes. CIL’s Research Fellow Tara Davenport then talked about the approach of ASEAN Member States in negotiating and settling maritime boundaries (download her presentation in PDF format). Finally, CIL’s Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li closed the Panel with a discussion of ASEAN’s approach to the human rights situation in Myanmar. The Panel was chaired by Edmund Sim of Appleton & Luff, and co-sponsored by the ASIL Law in Pacific Rim Interest Group and the ASIL International Economic Law Interest Group.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li presented her paper on ‘From “pariah state” to “civilised nation”? A gradual relinquishing of Westphalian sovereignty in Myanmar’ at the American Society of International Law Meeting 2013, Washington DC. She was part of the CIL-sponsored panel entitled, “Challenges for ASEAN: The South China Sea, Investment Protection and Myanmar” at which Professor Michael Ewing-Chow, Ambassador Arif Havas, Mr Edmund Sim and Ms Tara Davenport also presented. For more information, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law and Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited by the World Trade Institute of the University of Berne and the Universitas Pelita Harapan to teach at the inaugural Masters of Law in Trade, Investment and Competition Law & Policy (MTIC) Program in Jakarta. Together with Research Associate, James Losari, he taught Investment Law with a particular emphasis on ASEAN and the context of investment policy in Indonesia.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law and Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited by the Universitas Pelita Harapan (UPH) and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN (ERIA) and East Asia to speak at the UPH-ERIA Distinguished Lecture Series on “Engendering ASEAN’s Services Value Chains”. H.E. Gita Wirjawan, the Minister of Trade for Indonesia opened the session and Prof Ewing-Chow emphasized the value of the rule of law for investor confidence in services investments particularly for telecommunications, logistics and finance.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the 9th Japan-Singapore Symposium organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in Tokyo, Japan. Prof Beckman made a presentation on the South China Sea Disputes as part of the panel on ‘Maritime Issues in the Region: Establishment of the Order of the Law of the Sea’.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper entitled “The Philippines v. China Case and the South China Sea Disputes” at a Conference on the South China Sea at the Asia Society in New York from 13-15 March 2015. The Conference was co-organized by the LKY School of Public Policy. To download Prof Beckman’s paper, click here. To download his PowerPoint presentation in PDF format, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law and Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited to teach at the University of Barcelona’s IELPO LLM Programme. He taught “Asian Regionalism” and suggested that the production network, the ASEAN hub and legalization were essential elements of the development of Asian Regionalism.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law and Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was interviewed on Laos’ competitiveness in the global economy with Haslinda Amin on Bloomberg Television’s “On The Move Asia” on 8 February 2013. Click here to watch the video.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law and Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited by UNCTAD to attend its closed door planning meeting for the World Investment Report 2013 in Geneva from 31 Jan to 1 Feb 2013. Issues regarding Global Value Chains, EU investment treaties post Lisbon and recent international investment arbitration jurisprudence were discussed.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law and Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited by UNESCAP and the Thai Ministry of Commerce to participate as an expert for the Dialogue Trade and Investment Coherence in Bangkok. Prof Ewing-Chow spoke on the need to understand that trade and investment policy needed to be coordinated to fully maximize the productivity gains from integrated production networks. He also highlighted the value of the legalization of the ASEAN Economic Community which will incentivize a more transparent process of governmental economic policy and decision making through the disciplines of clear rules, monitoring and in extremis dispute settlement options.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh presented a paper on the topic of “Asia and UNCLOS: Progress, Practice and Problems” (download in PDF format) at the 2012 Yeosu International Conference Commemorating the 30th Anniversary of the Opening for Signature of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Yeosu EXPO, Republic of Korea.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, WTO Chair and Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme chaired Dialogue on Improving the Investor State Dispute System. Meg Kinnear, Secretary General, ICSID, Roberto Echandi, Director, Investment Programme, WTI, Anna Joubin-Brett, Partner, Foley Hoag and Chris Thomas Q.C., CIL Senior Principal Research Fellow, participated in the Dialogue. Ideas about how capacity could be built in developing countries and how fact finding could be improved during the arbitration process as were canvassed. Participants were also keen to encourage conflict management and mediation and conciliation as an alternative to immediate litigation.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh gave a talk on “Size is not Destiny” to the Forum of Small States at the Singapore Permanent Mission to the US, New York. To download the text of his talk in PDF format, click here.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of UNCLOS. To download it in PDF, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in an international conference on the South China Sea which was organized and hosted by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS) in Haikou, Hainan, China from 5-7 December 2012. The theme of the conference was “Recent Development of the South China Sea Dispute and Prospects of Joint Development Regime”. Prof Beckman presented a paper entitled “Legal Framework for Joint Development in the South China Sea”. While he was in Haikou he also had discussions with NISCSS Director Dr Wu Shicun about possible collaboration between CIL and NISCSS. For a copy of his paper, click here. For a copy of his PowerPoint presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman contributed to the CSCAP Regional Security Outlook 2013 with a short article on “Increased Tension and Risk of Potential Conflict in the South China Sea”. CSCAP is the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific. It provides an informal mechanism for scholars, officials and others in their private capacities to discuss political and security issues and challenges facing the region. The CSCAP regional security outlook (CRSO) is an annual publication to highlight regional security concerns and to promote informed policy-relevant outputs to advance regional security cooperation at official (Track One) levels. To download the article in PDF, click here.

CIL Deputy Director Dr Navin Rajagobal participated in the United Nations Regional Course on International Law held in Thailand in November 2012. For more information and photos, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law and Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited by UNESCAP to advise Least Developed Countries on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Law and Policy at the Asia-Pacific FDI Network for Least Developed and Landlocked Developing Countries.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li presented her paper on “Legal Integration in the ASEAN Community” at the Congreso Internacional Sobre Globalizacion Juridica, Derecho Supranacional E Integracion Americana (International Conference on Globalization, Supranational Law and Legal Integration of the Americas) at the Escuela Libre de Derecho in Mexico City, Mexico.

CIL Research Associate Leonardo Bernard participated in the International Conference for the 30th Anniversary of UNCLOS with the theme “China and the Law of the Sea” from 22-24 November 2012 at Qingdao, China. Leo delivered a presentation titled “Effect of Islands on Maritime Delimitation: A Look at the Recent Judgments of ITLOS and ICJ”. The Conference was hosted by the Ocean University of China. To download the presentation in PDF format, click here. To download his paper on “The Role of Islands on Maritime Boundaries Delimitation: A Look at the Recent Decision of ITLOS”, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited by the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Foreign Affair of Indonesia to 2nd International Conference on Liability and Compensation Regime for transboundary oil damage resulting from offshore exploration and exploitation activities and contributed to the expert discussion on the establishment of a new regime.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons was invited to attend the Conference Offshore Structures Asia held in Kuala Lumpur on 19-21 November 2012 and chaired the decommissioning panel organized on the first day. She also jointly presented with N.A. Wan Abdullah Zawawi from the Universiti Teknologi Petronas on ‘Decommissioning options and the International Regulatory Framework’. To downlad the presentation in PDF format, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law and Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited by the Government of Myanmar and UNESCAP to advise Myanmar on its Investment Laws and Policies. Prof Ewing-Chow spent a week in Myanmar from 18 to 24 November understanding the needs of the various stakeholders while outlining the parameters and issues relating to foreign investments. His participation was highlighted in an article published by The New Light of Myanmar (download a copy in PDF) on 22 November 2012.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in the Fourth International Workshop on the South China Sea organized by the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam and the Vietnam Lawyers Association. The workshop was held from 18-21 November 2012 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and its theme was “The South China Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development”. Prof Beckman presented a paper on “The Significance of the Status of Offshore Geographic Features to Maritime Claims in the South China Sea” (download paper here; download presentation in PDF format here). He also did an oral presentation on the implications for the South China Sea of the 19 November 2012 decision of the International Court of Justice in The Territorial and Maritime Dispute (Nicaragua v. Colombia) (download in PDF format).

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law and Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited by the WTO as a regional expert for the WTO Regional Trade Policy Course for Asia Pacific officials at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) in New Delhi, India. Prof Ewing-Chow taught “The WTO Dispute Settlement System” with Chibole Waikole, WTO Legal Affairs Officer and Alan Yanovich, Counselor, WTO Appellate Body Secretariat from 5-8 November 2012. Prof Ewing-Chow also shared his completed research on the use by Asian Developing Countries of the WTO Dispute Settlement System co-authored with CIL Student Research Assistant Alex Goh.

CIL Patron Prof S Jayakumar, Chairman of CIL’s International Advisory Panel (IAP), delivered the keynote address on “International Law and the South China Sea – Claims and Joint Development” at the Blue South China Sea, Green Joint Development Conference in Xiamen, China, on 3 November 2012. Prof Jayakumar was invited by the Xiamen University South China Sea Institute. For the text of the speech, click here.

From 2 to 5 November 2012 CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in three separate events during World Ocean Week (WOW) in Xiamen, China. On Friday 2 November, he attended the Blue Economy, Green Grow Technology-led Marine Economy Development Conference and made a presentation on “International Regulation of Low-carbon Marine Economy Development” at the Forum of Marine Science and Technology. On Saturday 3 November, he participated in the 1st Annual Meeting of the 3rd International Academic Advisory Committee of the Coastal and Ocean Management Institute of Xiamen University. On Sunday 4 November he attended the “Blue South China Sea: Green Joint Development” Conference organized by the programme on Oceans Law and Policy of the Xiamen University Law School. He made a presentation on “Identifying Areas for Joint Development and Cooperation in the South China Sea”. For his presentation at the Forum, click here. For his presentation at the Joint Development Conference, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law and Policy Programme and WTO Chair, NUS was invited to attend Hague Institute for the Internationalisation of Law (HiiL) Innovating Justice Forum 2012 from 1-2 November 2012. The forum focused on the issue of the rise of international rule making as a phenomenon and the problem of building trust in the rulemaking by transnational public and private networks. For more information on the Forum, visit the Forum website by clicking here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons participated actively in the APAC decommissioning workshop organized by Decomworld in Singapore on 31st October-1st November 2012. Professor Beckman chaired the regulatory panel and made a presentation on the global legal regime on the decommissioning of offshore installations and structures.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on 24 October 2012 at the Workshop on ASEAN Enhanced Dispute Settlement Mechanisms at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. Prof Beckman’s presentation was on “Dispute Settlement Mechanisms and Compliance with ASEAN Agreements”. Prof Beckman also participated in a panel discussion at the Workshop on the ASEAN Dispute Settlement Mechanisms. For the PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons attended and made a presentation at the SCS-2012, 2nd Conference for Regional Cooperation in Ocean and Earth Science Research in the South China Sea: Sharing Knowledge, Resources and Technologies for a Sustainable South China Sea, jointly organized by the University of Malaya and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation Malaysia (MOSTI). This conference took place on 21-24 October in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Youna’s presentation was titled: ‘Documenting Biodiversity Research to Assist with the Implementation of International Instruments and the Protection of Marine Biodiversity’. To download a copy of Youna’s presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on 17 October 2012 at the Offshore Patrol & Security Asia Pacific Conference at the Renaissance Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Prof Beckman’s presentation was on “Territorial Disputes, Unresolved Maritime Boundaries & Maritime Security – Case Study: The South China Sea”. For the PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivered a speech on “ASEAN-Japan Relations: A Singapore Perspective” at the GRIPS-ISEAS Joint Workshop 2012 at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo, Japan. To download the speech in PDF format, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, WTO Chair and Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme, and CIL Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li led a seminar on “The Role of the Rule of Law in ASEAN Integration” at the Academy of Global Governance, Executive Training Seminar Series on “Regional Integration Beyond the European Experience: Latin America and Asia”, European University Institute, Florence, Italy. For more information, click here.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivered a speech on “Japan’s Prospects and Challenges: A View from Southeast Asia” at the International House of Japan, on the occassion of its 60th anniversary celebrations in Tokyo, Japan. To download the speech in PDF format, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman delivered the Keynote Address at the 7th ABLOS Conference in Monaco on 1-5 October 2012. ABLOS is the Advisory Board on the Law of the Sea of the International Hydrographic Organization. The theme of the 7th ABLOS Conference was “UNCLOS in a Changing World”. Prof Beckman’s Keynote Address was on “Maritime Claims in the South China Sea: Issues & Challenges”. For the PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Research Associate Leonardo Bernard participated in the International Malaysia Law Conference with the theme “Asian Perspective, Global Viewpoints” from 26-28 September 2012 at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Malaysia. Leo presented a presentation titled “UNCLOS & the Legal Claims in the South China Sea”. The Conference was hosted by the Bar Council Malaysia. For the PowerPoint presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in an International Seminar on “Geographical Features in the East Asian Seas and the Law of the Sea” from 20-21 September 2012 at Academia Sinica in Taiwan. Prof Beckman presented a paper on the “Legal Status of Low-Tide Elevations and Submerged Features”. The seminar was co-hosted by the Society of Ieodo Research, Jeju, Korea and the Center for Asia-Pacific Area Studies, Academia Sinica. For the PowerPoint presentation, click here. For the draft paper, click here.

CIL Research Associate Leonardo Bernard participated in the 2nd MIMA South China Sea Conference: Geo Strategic Developments and Prospects for Dispute Management in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 4-5 September 2012. The Conference highlighted the recent South China Sea developments and their implications on the position of the claimants and extra-regional powers in working for peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in a Conference on the Practices of the UNCLOS and the Resolution of South China Sea Disputes at the National Taiwan Normal University from 3-5 September 2012. Professor Beckman presented a paper on “Regional Cooperation to Combat Piracy & International Maritime Crimes”. For the draft paper, click here. For the PowerPoint presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in a seminar on Piracy & Maritime Security for the 21st Maritime Knowledge Shipping Session on 29 August 2012 at STI Capital Tower in Singapore. The session was jointly organised by the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) and General Insurance Association (GIA). Prof Beckman was one two speakers. He made a presentation on “Piracy & Armed Robbery Against Ships: An International Law Perspective” (download in PDF format).

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in an International Symposium on “The East China Sean and the Law of the Sea: Defusing Tensions and Enhancing Cooperation” from 21-22 August at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China. Prof Beckman presented a paper on “Non-living Resources in Disputed Areas in the East China Sea: Law and Policy Issues concerning Provisional Arrangements under Articles 74 and 83” which he co-authored with CIL Research Fellow Tara Davenport. Prof Beckman also served as a moderator for one session and a discussant in another session. Prof Beckman also delivered a congratulatory address at a ceremony establishing the Zhejiang University Centre for Ocean Law and Governance. To download Prof Beckman’s presentation on “Non-Living Resources in the East China Sea: Law and Policy Issues Concerning Provisional Arrangements of a Practical Nature” in PDF format, click here. For the draft paper, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li presented her study, co-authored with Professor Alison Duxbury of the Melbourne Law School at the University of Melbourne, on “ASEAN and Human Rights” for the ASEAN Integration Through Law Project, August Internal Workshop.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li presented her study, co-authored with CIL Research Associate Chan Sze Wei, on “Documentary Dynamic Analysis of the Evolution of the Objectives of ASEAN and the Means for Their Achievement” for the ASEAN Integration Through Law Project, August Internal Workshop.

CIL Director Robert Beckman delivered four lectures on the South China Sea at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV) in Hanoi on 9 and 10 August 2012. The lectures were part of a DAV training course for government officials on international law and policy. For more information on the DAV, see http://www.dav.edu.vn/en/

CIL Research Associate Leonardo Bernard participated in the 6th Summer Academy at the International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea on 22 July – 18 August 2012, in Hamburg, Germany. Mr Bernard received a partial scholarship from the International Foundation for the Law of the Sea to participate in this year’s Summer Academy. Mr Bernard and his team also managed to win the moot court competition, where he had to argue a maritime boundary delimitation case in front of a panel of judges presided by Judge H. Turk. The award was presented by the Chair of the International Foundation for the Law of the Sea, Doris Konig, during the formal Senate Reception in the Town Hall of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. For more information, click here.

Dr Navin Rajagobal, CIL Deputy Director, together with Prof M. Sornarajah, NUS Law School, and Mr Ken Aboud, Allen & Overy, judged the finals of the Singapore International Affairs Debate 2012 on 21 July 2011 between ACJC and HCJC at the NUS Bukit Timah Campus. The motion was “This House believes that Singapore’s foreign policy should better take into account the sensitivities and interests of our neighbours.” CIL’s patron, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Law Mr. K. Shanmugam, was the Guest of Honour.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, WTO Chair and Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme, was invited to teach at the IEEM Academy of International Investment and Trade Law in Macau on “Asian Developments in Investment Agreements”.

At General Meeting of SIEL held during the SIEL 2012 conference in Singapore, A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, WTO Chair and Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme, was elected to the Executive Council of SIEL. He will serve a term of 3 years from 13 July 2012. SIEL is the leading forum for International Economic Law scholarship.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, WTO Chair and Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme, hosted WTO Chairs Dialogue during SIEL 2012 on the Future of the WTO calling for more transparency mechanisms as the way to address the slow progress in Doha negotiations. He suggested that the WTO was more than just legislation and litigation and more mechanisms for explanation could assist in trade liberalization as well. Patrick Low, Chief Economist of the WTO chaired the session.

On Sunday 1st July at 10.30pm, CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in a panel discussion on the South China Sea disputes on World Insight, an in-depth news analysis program on the English language channel of China Central Television (CCTV). Prof Beckman participated from a studio in Singapore. The programme was broadcast live in Singapore.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, WTO Chair and Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme was invited to attend the WTO Chairs Annual Meeting at the WTO in Geneva on 25 & 26 June where he presented his paper on “From Self-Sufficiency to Collective Food Security: A Case-study on Rice”. He was then invited to attend the GTAP meeting on 27 June and the WTO Legal Affairs Division’s 30th Anniversary on 28 June.

CIL Patron Prof S Jayakumar, CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons participated in the 36th Annual Conference of the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (COLP) In Halifax, Nova Scotia, from 21-22 June 2012. Prof S Jayakumar delivered the Opening Address at the Conference with a paper entitled “The Continental Shelf Regime under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: Reflections after Thirty Years”. CIL sponsored a panel at the Conference on the Decommissioning of Offshore Installations and Structures. Prof Beckman made a presentation on the “Global Legal Regime on the Decommissioning of Offshore Installations and Structures” (download PowerPoint presentation in PDF format; download Working Paper in PDF format) and Youna Lyons made a presentation on “Abandoned Offshore Installations in Southeast Asia and the Opportunity for ‘Rigs-to-Reefs'” (download in PDF format). For more information, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Fellow Tara Davenport attended the CSIS Pacific Forum Workshop on “Maritime Security in Southeast Asia” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 12 – 14 June 2012. The Workshop was co-organized by CSIS, the Malaysian Institute of Defense and Security (MiDAS) and the Malaysian International Affairs Forum (MIAF). Prof Beckman gave a presentation on “Resolution of Disputes in the South China Sea” (download in PDF). Tara Davenport gave a presentation on “Provisional Arrangements of a Practical Nature: Problems and Prospects in Southeast Asia” (download in PDF).

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivered a lecture on “Law and Justice: An Asian Perspective” (view in PDF) at the 9th Asian Law Institute Conference at the NUS Law School, Singapore.

Research Fellow Dr Lin Lin and Research Associates Ranyta Yusran and Sanjay Pala Krishnan participated in the 9th Asian Law Institute (ASLI) Conference held at the NUS Bukit Timah Campus from 31 May to 1 June 2012. In the first panel on Corporate Law & Governance, Dr Lin Lin presented on “The Evolution of Partnerships and Partnership Law in China: From the Perspective of Asset Partitioning”. Ranyta Yusran opened the first panel on International & Comparative Law by discussing “ASEAN Treaty Practice: Mapping out the Unknown”. Sanjay Pala Krishnan focused on the “Comparative Implementation of Global Conventions on International Maritime Crimes”. To access more information about the ASLI Conference 2012, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Researchers Tara Davenport and Leo Bernard participated at the 7th Annual International Conference of the Law of the Sea Institute (LOSI) on “Securing the Ocean for the Next Generation” on 21 May 2012 – 24 May 2012, Seoul, Korea. The LOSI Conference was jointly organized by LOSI at the University of California, Berkeley and the Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute (KORDI). Director Beckman and Tara Davenport co-authored a paper on “The EEZ Regime: Reflections After Thirty Years” which was presented by Director Beckman. CIL Research Associate Leo Bernard was among four panelists who received the 2012 LOSI Research Competition Award for Early Career Researchers and presented his paper on “The Effect of Fisheries on Maritime Boundary Delimitation”. To download Director Beckman’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here. To download Leo Bernard’s PowerPoint Presentation in PDF format, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, WTO Chair and Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme, was invited to participate in the WTO/ICTSD/ACWL Dialogue on Managing Trade Disputes in Geneva. He spoke in two sessions – “Managing Litigation – The Need for Inter-Agency Coordination” and “How to Actively Build Legal Capacity”.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, WTO Chair and Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme, was invited to participate in the WTO/ICTSD/ACWL Workshop on Strengthening Legal Capacity in Developing Countries: Specialised Training on WTO in Geneva where he presented a paper on “The Use of the WTO DSM by Asian Developing Countries”.

CIL Director Robert Beckman took part in the first edition of Channel NewsAsia’s Perspectives programme at 8.00 PM on 29 April 2012. Perspectives presents a panel of distinguished thinkers from Singapore’s top institutions and think tanks who are expected to gather every month to dissect current events with in-depth analyses. Hosted by Debra Soon, the Managing Director of Channel NewsAsia, the inaugural panel comprising Tommy Koh, Robert Beckman, Gopinath Pillai and Wang Gungwu discussed issues such as the rise of China and the South China Sea territorial disputes. A recording of the programme and more information can be accessed here: http://www2.channelnewsasia.com/perspectives/

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Programme, was invited to speak at a Colloquium at the University of Freiburg, Germany on “The Theory of ASEAN Integration” on 27 April 2012 as part of the Southeast Asian Studies Programme at the University of Freiberg. For more information, please click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper on 20 April 2012 at the Plenary Meeting of the Trilateral Commission in Tokyo, Japan. His paper was on “Geopolitics, International Law and the South China Sea”. For a copy of the paper, click here.

CIL Research Fellow Tara Davenport participated at the 2012 Annual Plenary Meeting of the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) on “A Sea Change: Securing Submarine Cables in the Modern World”, held in Lisbon, Portugal from 17 – 19 April 2012. She presented on “The Criminalization of Damage to Submarine Cables: Problems and Prospects”. For a copy of the PowerPoint Presentation, please click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head, Trade/Investment Law & Policy, CIL, was invited to present his research into food security at the final meeting of the NYU-NYLS International Economic Law Working Group that took place in New York on 11 April 2012. Prof Ewing-Chow gave a presentation on “Food Security: From Self Sufficiency to Production Diversification and Regional Cooperation – A Case Study in Rice Security.” For more information on the Working Group, please click here. For a copy of the minutes of the meeting, please click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper on “Cooperation to Combat ‘Piracy’ in Southeast Asia” at an international seminar at Padjadjaran University in Bandung, Indonesia on 5 April 2012. The Seminar was organized by the Indonesian Centre for the Law of the Sea (ICLOS) at Padjadjaran University, the Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. The seminar was organized in commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. The other speakers were Dr Hasjim Djalal and Prof Etty Agoes of Indonesia and Prof A.H.A. Soons of NILOS and Martin Sebastian of the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA). For a copy of the paper, click here. For a copy of the powerpoint presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Fellow Tara Davenport participated in a South China Sea Workshop on 2 April 2012 at the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore. The workshop brought together representatives from think tanks in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

CIL Deputy Director Dr Navin Rajagobal participated in the 50th anniversary celebrations of the NUS Department of Political Science on 30 March 2012 at the Orchid Country Club. H.E. Ambassador Chan Heng Chee was the Guest-of-Honour.

CIL Research Fellow, Dr Tan Hsien-Li, along with CIL Research Associates Leonardo Bernard and Ranyta Yusran, participated in the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Society of International Law in Washington DC, USA on 28-31 March 2012. During the meeting, Dr Tan did a book review for The Practice of International and National Courts and the (De-)Fragmentation of International Law (Edited by Ole Kristian Fauchald and Andr? Nollkaemper). She also covered the Plenary Session rounding up Day 1 ? Confronting Complexity in the Hague: The View from the Courts and Tribunals ? featuring the heads of the international tribunals (Brooks Daly, Permanent Court of Arbitration; Theodor Meron, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia; Sang-Hyun Song, International Criminal Court; Peter Tomka, International Court of Justice). To access Dr Tan’s coverage of the Plenary Session, please click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons participated in a Workshop in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from 28-30 March 2012. The Workshop on Maritime Security in Southeast Asia: Maritime Safety and the Marine Environment was co-organized by the Pacific Forum, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Honolulu, and the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. Prof Beckman gave a presentation in Session 1 on Legal Regimes and Marine Environmental Protection and Safety (download in PDF). Youna Lyons gave a presentation in Session 4 on Energy Extraction and Transportation (download in PDF).

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, and Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Geraldine Fischer were invited by UNESCAP, the Thai Department of Trade Negotiations, the International Institute for Trade and Development and the WTO, as expert trainers on Investment and Services negotiations. The “Capacity building programme on Trade in Services and Investment Liberalization Negotiations” was held in Bangkok from 27-30 March 2012. 50 Thai officials and officials from the CLMV countries also participated in this programme.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr Tan Hsien-Li presented her paper on “The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights as a Tool for Social Justice” at the Conference on Regional Human Rights Systems – Tools for Social Justice? at the Netherlands Institute of Human Rights at the University of Utrecht in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

CIL Director Robert Beckman was invited to give a live studio interview for Channel News Asia’s newly launched “Think Tank” Segment on 12 March 2012. Prof Beckman shared his insights on the South China Sea disputes and his views on the prospects for resolution. The segment was aired live at 7:30 on 12 March 2012.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on “Military Activities in the EEZ: Legal Issues” (download in PDF) at an international conference on “Security Environment of the Seas in East Asia: From the East and South China Seas – Power Shift and Response”. The conference was jointly organized by the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and the Ocean Policy Research Foundation (OPRF) of Japan. It was held at the Marina Mandarin Hotel from 28-29 February 2012. The other two speakers in the panel on EEZ activities were Dr. Moritaka Hayashi, Professor Emeritus, Waseda University, and Dr. Jin Yongming, Associate Professor, Director of Center for Oceans Law, Law Institute, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.