Researchers' Activities

Prof Joseph Weiler, A/P Michael Ewing-Chow and Research Fellow Tan Hsien-Li chaired and hosted the ASEAN Implementation Workshop with invited scholars from ASEAN. For more information, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, presented a joint paper with Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Geraldine Fischer, Towards a Model ASEAN Investment Agreement at the Society of International Economic Law, Korea

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, advised the members of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) on the legal implications and policy options for the food security agreement and its consistency with their existing trade obligations. Senior officials from the ASEAN+3 countries attended the meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. Assoc Prof Ewing-Chow was appointed as the Legal Expert to the APTERR project by the Asian Development Bank which has been tasked to assist APTERR with legal and economic issues. CIL Research Associate Ms Liu Gehuan worked with Assoc Prof Ewing-Chow on the legal opinion. In his presentation, Assoc Prof Ewing-Chow addressed legal issues relating to the origin of the rice, the stockpiling of the rice, and the distribution of the rice and the options to ensure APTERR members’ compliance with their obligations under the World Trade Organization, ASEAN FTA and other regional agreements. At the meeting, APTERR members discussed proposed guidelines for the implementation of the agreement to facilitate regional food security in rice.

CIL Director Robert Beckman met with a delegation from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV). The delegation was headed by Mr Dang Dinh Quy, the Vice President (Research) of the DAV and the General Director of its Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies.

CIL Director Robert Beckman was a discussant at a Regional Workshop on Dealing with Energy Vulnerabilities: Case Studies of Cooperation and Collaboration in East Asia. The Workshop was organized by the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) Studies and held from 9-10 December 2010 at the Park Royal Hotel in Singapore.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and CIL Research Associate Ms Tara Davenport participated in a Conference on Globalization and Law of the Sea in Washington, DC. The Conference was organized by the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI), the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (COLP) and the Netherlands Institute for Law of the Sea (NILOS). Prof Beckman made a presentation entitled “Maritime Terrorism and the Law of the Sea: Basic Principles and New Challenges”. For PDF version of his presentation, click here. A paper with the same title was co-authored by Prof Beckman and Ms Davenport. For a PDF version of the draft paper, click here. The paper will be revised, edited and submitted for publication as a chapter in the book containing the conference proceedings.

CIL Director Robert Beckman taught an intensive course on Law of the Sea in a UNITAR Training Course on Law of the Sea and International Environmental Law for officials from the Myanmar Government in Yangon, Myanmar.

CIL Adjunct Senior Research Fellow Ms Youna Lyons presented a seminar titled “Territorial seas, EEZ, continental shelves and the protection of the coastal and marine environment in the ASEAN Region” (download in PDF format), in the MSc (Life Sciences) Environmental Science programme (NIE).

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on “The South China Sea Island Disputes” at a Workshop on Asia Pacific Security and Defence Policies which was organized by The International Institute for Strategic Studies – Asia at the Four Seasons Hotel, Singapore.

CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in a Workshop on the Global Commons which was organized by the NATO Allied Command Transformation at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore.

CIL Director Robert Beckman presented a paper entitled “CLCS Submissions and Claims in the South China Sea” (download PDF version) at the Second International Workshop on the South China Sea: Cooperation for Regional Security and Development, 10-12 November 2010 in Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. The paper was co-authored by CIL Research Associate Tara Davenport. To download the PowerPoint presentation in PDF format, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman attended a Special Commemorative Event for the 20th Anniversary of the Workshops on the Prevention of Potential Conflicts in the South China Sea which was held in Bandung, Indonesia. At the Commemorative Event the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia honoured Ambassador Hasjim Djalal of Indonesia, who has headed the workshops for 20 years. Prof Beckman served as a resource person for many of past meetings organized as part of the “track 2” workshop process. The commemorative event was held together with the 20th Workshop. For the Statement of the 20th Workshop in PDF format, click here.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivered the Third Linnaeus Lecture on the topic of “Biodiversity and Cities” (download PDF version) in Nagoya, Japan.

CIL Director Robert Beckman was a speaker at a Permitting Workshop on 12 October 2010 which was organized as part of Submarine NETWORKS World 2010 at the Grand Hyatt, Singapore. His presentation was entitled “The Legal Framework on Permitting for Submarine Cables” (download PDF version).

CIL Director Robert Beckman was a member of the CSCAP Singapore delegation to the 1st Meeting of CSCAP Study Group on Safety and Security of Offshore Oil and Gas Installations on 7-8 October 2010 in Danang, Vietnam. He made a presentation on “Current International Law Provisions for Safety of Offshore Oil and Gas Installations” (download PDF version).

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivered his remarks on “The Future of Global Governance” (download PDF version) at the RSIS Singapore Global Dialogue, Shangri-La Hotel.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, and Research Associate Ms Liu Gehuan participated at the World Investment Forum 2010 in Xiamen, China.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, and Research Associate Ms Liu Gehuan attended, as invited legal experts, the Working Meeting on the APTERR Agreement in Bangkok, Thailand.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, taught “Asian Developments in Investment Law” at the Institute of European Studies (IEEM) Trade and Investment Academy.

CIL Director Robert Beckman conducted an “Introduction to International Law” course for the MFA Diplomatic Academy on 24-25 June 2010 (download photo). Participants included policy and legal officers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Trade & Industry, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports, Singapore Police Force, Internal Security Department and Immigration & Checkpoints Authority. For more information on executive training programmes, email cil.info@nus.edu.sg.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivered the Opening Remarks at the ISEAS-CHD-SIIA seminar on “The ASEAN Way of Resolving Conflict: Lessons Learnt and Preparing for the Future” (download PDF version).

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, taught Regionalism to the Asia Pacific trade officials at the WTO Regional Trade and Policy Course (RTPC) with Prof Lim Chin Leng, University of Hong Kong and Jo-ann Crawford of the WTO.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh, Prof Walter Woon, Deputy Director Dr Navin Raj and Research Associate Ms Sari Aziz participated at the Indonesian Society of International Law (ISIL) 8th anniversary commemorative seminar “International Law as a Political Instrument?” in Jakarta, Indonesia (download conference eFlyer).

On World Ocean Day, 8 June 2010, CIL Director Robert Beckman participated in a Roundtable Discussion on “UNCLOS 15 Years after its Entry into Force” organized by the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS) at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York. Prof  Beckman spoke on “International Cooperation to Combat Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships”. For his prepared preliminary remarks, click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman delivers a presentation on “1982 UNCLOS: A legal framework for cooperation between cable companies and coastal States” (download PDF version) at the International Cable Protection Committee (ICPC) Plenary Meeting in Mauritius.

CIL’s Patron Senior Minister S. Jayakumar emphasised the importance of international law for small countries at the S Rajaratnam Lecture 2010 (download PDF version).

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, and Research Associate Ms Liu Gehuan were invited to peer review UNCTAD’s World Investment Report 2010. For more information on UNCTAD, click here.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, participated in the ASEAN Roundtable organized by ISEAS.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, and Research Associate Ms Liu Gehuan attended the WTO Regional Trade Policy Course Workshop in Geneva as Regional Expert and Academic Assistant respectively.

CIL Director Robert Beckman delivers a presentation on “Legal Gaps and Loopholes in the Legal Regime on Piracy” (download PDF version) at the MARSEQ Combating Piracy Conference, Singapore.

CIL Director Robert Beckman and a team of CIL staff visit ASEAN Secretariat at the ASEAN Headquarters, Jakarta, Indonesia. For more information about the visit and meeting with Deputy Secretary-General Bagas Hapsoro, please click here.

CIL Director Robert Beckman gave two presentations at the ASEAN Workshop on UNCLOS and Marine Biodiversity Conservation at Fort Canning Park, Singapore. The conference was organized by the National Parks Board of Singapore. Prof Beckman’s presentations were on “International Legal Frameworks on Marine Biodiversity” and “Marine Protected Areas and the Protection of Marine Biodiversity”.

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on “International Law and Protection and Preservation of the Marine Environment” at the Youth Leadership Conference at Singapore Management University, Singapore. This inaugural international conference for youth leaders was sponsored by the Environmental Challenge Organization of Singapore.

Deputy Director Dr Navin Raj and Research Associate Ms Liu Gehuan participated at the EU Centre’s Conference on “Networked Regionalism versus Institutional Regionalism” in Singapore.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivers a keynote address (download PDF version) at the EUC Conference on Networked Regionalism versus Institutional Regionalism, Singapore.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivers a keynote address (download PDF version) at the PEMSEA East Asian Seas Congress 2009, Manila, Philippines.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, gave a Max Planck Lecture on ASEAN and Legalization at the Max Planck Institute of Comparative Public Law and International Law, Heidelberg.

CIL Chairman Prof Tommy Koh delivered a lecture on “The Principles of Good Governance” (download PDF version) at the Workshop on Good Governance at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangkok, Thailand.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, – Emile Noel Fellow at the Jean Monnet Centre, NYU, US.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, attended the Closing Dinner of the WTO Regional Trade Policy Course, Singapore.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, attended the Inaugural Asian International Economic Law Network, Tokyo, Japan.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, delivered a paper “Culture Club or Chameleon: Should ASEAN adopt a policy of Legalisation for Economic Integration?” at the Asian Society of International Law, Tokyo, Japan.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, delivered a paper “Derivative Action in Singapore: Calibrating the Regulation of Rights and Responsibilities of Shareholders” at the NUS-USyd Symposium: Rights, Responsibilities and Regulation, University of Sydney, Australia.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, delivered a paper “Translating the Design into a Bloc: the domestic implementation of the ASEAN Charter” at the Workshop on Life after the Charter, ISEAS, Singapore.

CIL Director Robert Beckman lectured at the 14^th Annual Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy, a three-week course on contemporary issues of ocean law and policy. The Rhodes Academy is a cooperative undertaking sponsored by the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (Virginia, 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, The Netherlands).

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, taught “Asian Developments in Investment Liberalization” at the Academy of International Trade and Investment, Institute of European Studies, Macau.

A/P Michael Ewing-Chow, Head of CIL’s Trade and Investment Law & Policy Programme, taught “Regionalism and the WTO” at the WTO Regional Trade Policy Course, NUS, Singapore.

CIL Director Robert Beckman, made a presentation on “The Role of Littoral States, User States and Other Stakeholders in the New Cooperative Mechanism to Enhance Safety, Security and Environment Protection in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore” at the Workshop on Security of Oceans in Asia at the 9th Science Council of Asia Conference, Grand Copthorne Hotel, Singapore, 18 June 2009.

CIL Directory Robert Beckman made a presentation on “Implementation of the 1988 SUA Convention” at the First Meeting of the CSCAP Study Group on the Implications of Naval Enhancement in the Asia-Pacific, Singapore 25-26th May 2009

CIL Director Robert Beckman made a presentation on “Somali Piracy – Legal Issues concerning the Arrest and Prosecution of Somali Pirates” at the Raytheon annual meeting of regional managers, St Regis Hotel, Singapore.