Symposium: Law of the Sea: Climate Change and Other Recent Developments

This is an in-person event only. For a recording please contact Dr Joanna Gomula jg218@cam.ac.uk after the event.

Registration 

Time: 09:00 hrs - 16:30 hrs

This event, co-organized by the Lauterpacht Centre with the Institute of Juridical and Political Sciences at the University of Lisbon, will focus on important recent developments in the area of the law of the sea. This is a dynamically developing area of public international law, marked in recent years by action taken to address the challenges of such phenomena as rising sea levels and environmental pollution. The highlight of 2023 was the successful completion of negotiations on the UN High Seas Treaty (on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction). Traditional disputes relating to maritime delimitation (of which the renowned South China Sea arbitration may be an example) have been complemented by promoting climate change action through resort to the advisory jurisdiction of ITLOS (a request for an advisory opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States in December 2022) and the ICJ (at the initiative of the small island state Vanuatu, a proposed request for an advisory opinion on state obligations on climate change). The symposium will explore the particularities and efficiency of dispute resolution and treaty making in the law of the sea. It will provide a forum for analysis and debate also on other developments in this field, such as the blockade of Black Sea ports.

The symposium will be divided into three sessions. The first session will cover contentious dispute resolution mechanisms and practice. The second session will be devoted to the use of advisory jurisdiction of international tribunals to promote important environmental policy goals. The third session will concern other developments.

For further information contact Dr Joanna Gomula jg218@cam.ac.uk.

Programme (pdf)