The CIL e-Academy launched on 7 September 2020 with A Roundtable on International Law and Asia: Looking to the Future. The panel comprised Professor S Jayakumar, Ambassador Tommy Koh, Professor Simon Chesterman, Deputy Attorney-General Mr Lionel Yee and Director-General  (International Affairs Division, AGC) Ms Daphne Hong, and was moderated by e-Academy co-Directors Dr Nilufer Oral and Professor Patricia Galvao Teles.

The panel engaged in a lively discussion on the role of international law in a time of challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, major power rivalry, climate change and technological change. They discussed the need to advance international law and its institutions, and to incorporate interdisciplinary and innovative approaches to address issues in trade, human rights, climate change, and the integration of economic rights and civil and political rights. Speaking to the role of law in international relations and dispute resolution, discussions also touched on the growing use of “lawfare”, and the potential of technology to advance diplomacy.