Researchers' Activities

CIL Research Fellow Leonardo Bernard participated in the Summer Academy on the Continental Shelf, held at Torshavn, Faroe Islands on 21-28 June 2014. The Academy was organized by the University of the Faroe Islands. The Academy focused on the intricate legal and technical conditions governing the entitlement to and establishment of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, and on the delimitation of overlapping entitlements to such areas.

CIL Research Associate Zhen Sun participated in the Second Asia Pacific Ocean Law Institutions Alliance (APOLIA) Conference, ‘After 20 Years of Implementation of UNCLOS by Asian Pacific States’, from 20-21 June 2014. The Conference was organised by the Centre for Ocean Law and Governance, Zhejiang University and the Korea Maritime Institute. Zhen delivered a presentation on Singapore’s implementation of UNCLOS, where she addressed the issues of Singapore’s international boundaries with its neighbouring countries and Singapore’s practice regarding IMO conventions. She also participated as a discussant at the International Symposium on ‘Sustainable Development and the Law of the Sea’ from 22-23 June 2014.

CIL Head of International Trade and Law Professor Michael Ewing-Chow and CIL Research Associate Junianto James Losari met with ERIA Researchers, Mr. Yoshifumi Fukunaga, Ms. Lili Yan Ing, and Mr. Chandra Tri Putra to discuss ERIA’s baseline study of various investment agreements among the countries involved in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations. The discussion focused on creating baseline study indicators to assess commitments on liberalisation and protection, the creation of which will provide useful information for negotiators of the RCEP.

Dr R. Navin, CIL Deputy Director, participated in a panel discussion on ASEAN: Past, Present and Future in conjunction with the Closing Ceremony of the Singapore Model United Nations on 6 June 2014. Also on the panel were ISEAS Deputy Director Dr Ooi Kee Beng and Assoc Prof Alan Chong from RSIS. Prof Terry Nardin, Head of the NUS Department of Political Science, presided over the closing ceremony. For a photo from the event, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons and CIL Student Researcher Shariza Abdul Sani participated in the 2014 Indonesia Abandonment and Site Restoration on Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition, in Bandung, Indonesia on 5-6 June 2014. Youna Lyons made a presentation on the legal and policy issues surrounding rigs-to-reefs placement in Southeast Asia. For a link to the presentation, click here.

Following the publication of their article in the Jakarta Post entitled “Indonesia should not withdraw from ICSID”, CIL Head of Trade and Investment Law and Policy, Prof Michael Ewing-Chow, and CIL Research Associate, Junianto James Losari were invited by the University of Indonesia to the National Seminar on Settlement of Investment Disputes: Indonesia, ASEAN, International, on 5 June 2014 in Jakarta, Indonesia to participate in the discussion regarding Indonesia’s policy on discontinuing or terminating its Bilateral Investment Treaties (BITs) regime. More than 300 participants attended the seminar, including government officials from various institutions in Indonesia, academics, and members of the media and business community. Other speakers at the seminar included: Mr Mahendra Siregar, Chairman of the Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Mr Abdulkadir Jailani, Director for of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Iswahjudi Karim (Karimsyah), and Prof Hikmahanto Juwana. For a summary of the discussion, please click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman gave a lecture on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea at the Regional MARSEC Conference organised by Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) from 2-6 June 2014.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Youna Lyons participated in the 28th Asia-Pacific Roundtable on 3-4 June 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She made a plenary presentation on ‘Enhancing the Sharing of Scientific Data on Marine Resources, Marine Habitats and Uses in the SCS’ as part of the session entitled, “Beyond Territoriality: Managing the Maritime Commons in the South China Sea”. For a link to the presentation, click here.

CIL Senior Research Fellow Dr. Hao Duy Phan participated at the 11th Annual Asian Law Institute (ASLI) Conference – “Law in Asia: Balancing Tradition and Modernization” on 29-30 May 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Conference was jointly organized by the University of Malaya and the Asian Law Institute (ASLI). At the Conference, Dr. Hao Duy Phan made a presentation on ASEAN and Maritime Security. He also chaired a session on Environmental Law. To download Dr. Hao Duy Phan’s PowerPoint Presentation, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and Captain Roach served as academic experts at the 2nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Seminar on UNCLOS, which was co-organised by Australia and the Philippines. Professor Beckman made presentations on “Rights and Responsibilities of States on the High Seas and in the Exclusive Economic Zone” (download in PDF) and on “Legal Framework for Joint Development in the South China Sea” (download in PDF). Captain Roach made presentations on “Freedom of Navigation and Overflight” (download in PDF) and on “ITLOS Provisional Measures and Prompt Release” (download in PDF).