Women in the Law of the Sea Conference
26 Sep 2022 - 28 Sep 2022
HYBRID: New York + virtual
PROGRAMME | ISA CONVERSATIONS PODCASTS | CONFERENCE BOOKLET | PRESS RELEASE
On 10 December 2022, the international community will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This provides a timely opportunity to take stock of the numerous contributions of UNCLOS to peace and order in the ocean and to the sustainable development of ocean spaces and resources. In addition, it is a moment in time to celebrate the particular contribution of women to the progressive development of the law of the sea as reflected in UNCLOS and related instruments.
The International Seabed Authority, in partnership with the Permanent Representation of Singapore to the United Nations, organizes the Women in the Law of the Sea (WILOS) conference to shine a light on the important contribution of women to the law of the sea, the participation of women in the institutions created by UNCLOS and related regional and sub-regional organizations and the pathways to enhance the potential for women to contribute to the law of the sea in the future. Most notably, the conference provides an opportunity to hear from female presenters from developing States and especially from least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small islands developing States.
The Conference will be co-chaired by Judge María Teresa Infante Caffi of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and Mrs. Annick de Marffy, former President of INDEMER and former Director of DOALOS.
Programme
DAY 1 – Monday, 26 September 2022
| 9:00 – 9:50 |
Opening addresses
|
| Co-Chairs | |
| Dr. Annick de Marffy-Mantuano & Judge Maria Teresa Infante Caffi | |
| Session I | The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and the 1994 Agreement |
| 9:50 – 10:10 | Structure of UNCLOS and contribution of settlement of dispute mechanisms Dr. Ximena Hinrichs, Registrar, ITLOS |
| 10:10 – 10:30 | UNCLOS at 40 and the International Maritime Organization Dr. Dorota Lost-Sieminska, Deputy Director, Head Legal Affairs & External Relations Division, IMO |
| 10:30 – 10:50 | The impact of UNCLOS in materializing the principle of the common heritage of humanity in outer space Dr. Fabiola Sotomayor, Head bilateral, Legal section, Embassy of Mexico to the Netherlands |
| 10:50 – 11:30 | Group photo & Coffee break |
| 11:30 – 11:50 | The effect of UNCLOS on new conventions for governing body of waters Ms. Sedigheh Zarei, Head of Investment Department, Kish Free Zone Org |
| 11:50 – 12:10 | Emerging issues and the contribution of UNCLOS to address them Dr. Patricia Galvao Teles, Member, ILC and Associate Professor, Autonomous University of Lisbon |
| Session II | Maritime delimitations |
| 12:10 – 12:15 | Remarks H.E. Ms. Ana Paula Baptista Grade Zacarias, Permanent Representative of Portugal to the United Nations |
| 12:15 – 12:35 | Maritime boundaries after delimitation Dr. Irini Papanicolopulu, Associate Professor in International law, University di Milano-Bicocca, Italy |
| 12:35 – 12:55 | The uneasy relationship between law and science in the work of the Commission on the limits of the Continental Shelf Ms. Helga Gudmundsdottir, Associate, Clifford Chance LLP, Brussels, Belgium |
| 12:55 – 14:00 | Lunch break |
| 14:00 – 14:20 | EEZ/Continental shelf entitlements: Bring reason back and meet half way Ms. Evi Neophytou, Senior Legal Counsel |
| 14:20 – 14:50 | The relevance of coastal concavity in maritime delimitation Dr. Naomi B. O’Sullivan, Legal Officer – ITLOS |
| Session III | Military uses of the sea |
| 14:50 – 14:55 | Remarks – TBC |
| 14:55 – 15:15 | Peaceful uses of the oceans in the era of the militarisation of disputed waters Dr. Ifeoma Obi, Contracts Management Professional, Siemens |
| 15:15 – 15:35 | The feeble line of demarcation between use of force and law enforcement in maritime law enforcement operations Ms. Chiara Pavesi, Project Coordinator and Research Associate, ASCOMARE |
| 15:35 – 16:00 | Coffee break |
| 16:00 – 16:20 | The legal issues surrounding the operation of un-crewed vessels at sea – a military perspective Commander Caroline Tuckett, Royal Navy, UK |
| 16:20 – 16:40 | Maritime cyber-attack as use of force Ms. Foluke Dare, Doctoral Researcher, Nelson Mandela University |
DAY 2 – Tuesday 27 September 2022
| Session IV | Marine scientific research and transfer of technology |
| 9:00 – 9:05 | Remarks – TBC |
| 9:05 – 9:25 | Towards a more inclusive marine scientific research Ms. Lucía Scheinkman, Office of the Legal Adviser, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship, Argentina |
| 9:25 – 9:45 | Some reflections on the interaction between law and science in developing the law of the sea Ms. Robyn Frost, Assistant Director, Sea Law Section, Legal Division, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia |
| 9:45 – 10:05 | Importance of UNCLOS for Marine Scientific Research and Transfer of Technology: A practical perspective Dr. Kirsty McQuaid, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Marine Conservation Research Group, School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth |
| Session V | Protection of the marine environment |
| 10:05 – 10:10 | Remarks Odd-Inge Kvalheim, Deputy Permanent Representative of Norway to the UN |
| 10:10 – 10:30 | ASEAN’s challenge on plastic pollution: Strengthening regional cooperation mechanisms in the sea regime Ms. Febryani Sabatira, University of Lampung, Indonesia |
| 10:30 – 11:00 | Coffee break |
| 11:00 – 11:20 | Ocean governance in the South China Sea: with a focus on law, policy and management on marine environment protection Dr. Nong Hong, Executive Director & Senior Fellow, Institute for China-America Studies (US) |
| 11:20 – 11:40 | Turning the tide on remnants of war at sea? Toward the draft principles for protection of the environment in relation to armed conflicts Ms. Kimberley Graham, Member, IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law |
| 11:40 – 12:00 | Philippines’ approach in the management, protection & conservation of the marine environment, in accordance with UNCLOS Ms. Desiree Eve Maano, Chief, Coastal & Marine ecosystems management section, Dept of Environment & Natural Resources Biodiversity Management Bureau |
| 12:00 – 12:20 | Protecting deep seabed hydrothermal vent fields through area-based management tools: When international law and environmental sciences work together Dr. Catherine Blanchard, Senior Research Associate, Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea |
| 12:20 – 12:40 | The precautionary approach in the deep-seabed mining context: case study and way forward Dr. Marie Bourrel-McKinnon, Senior Policy Officer and Special Assistant to the Secretary-General, ISA |
| 12:40 – 13:00 | Climate Change And Marine Debris: Two Inflicting Environmental Phenomena in One Stroke of Integration (Fulfilling International Commitment through SDGs) Ms. Orima Melati Davey, University of Lampung, Indonesia |
| 13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch break |
| Session VI | Sustainable management of ocean space and its resources within and beyond national jurisdictions |
| 14:30 – 14:35 | Remarks – TBC |
| 14:35 – 14:55 | Ongoing monitoring of pollution risks and impacts, a challenge for sustainable ocean governance in Africa: the case of Togo Ms. Kadjogbe Abra Olanlo, Environmental Engineer in marine and coastal environmental mgt, Togo |
| 14:55 – 15:15 | The establishment of EBSAs to enhance BBNJ Cooperation in the South China Sea Ms. Tran Thi Ngoc Suong, Lecturer, Law of the Sea, University of Danang, Vietnam |
| 15:15 – 15:35 | The sustainable management of marine biodiversity in BBNJ: A comparative scrutiny of UNCLOS & intergovernmental conference for the expansion and adaption of international binding instrument of BBNJ Treaty Ms. Sharda Mandal, Ph.D research scholar |
| 15:35 – 16:15 | Coffee break |
| 16:15 – 16:35 | Integration of the CHM Principle in the search for a new legal instrument for the ABNJ Ms. Stephanie Schandorf, Founder/Content creator of Sustainability Tribe |
| 16:35 – 16:55 | Polycentric Governance and BBNJ: How Elinor Ostrom can inspire the design of institutional arrangements for the BBNJ Treaty Dr. Kristine E K Dalaker, Researcher, Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea |
DAY 3 – Wednesday 28 September 2022
| Session VI | Sustainable management of ocean space and its resources within and beyond national jurisdictions (continued) |
| 9:00 – 9:05 | Opening |
| 9:05 – 9:25 | Sustainable management of deep-sea minerals within national jurisdiction: the case of Norway Dr. Sissel Eriksen, Senior Geologist, Norwegian Petroleum Directorate |
| 9:25 – 9:45 | ISA commitments on the implementation of Enterprise role Ms. Yuga Khanza, Ass. Editor of dev centre research of law and science publication, Faculty of Law, Uni of Lampung |
| Session VII | Settlement of disputes |
| 09:45 – 10:05 | Taking stock of the Southern Bluefin Tuna award and its contributions to the settlement of international disputes Ms. Angela Ha, Associate, Volterra Fietta law firm, London, UK |
| 10:05 – 10:25 | Settlement of disputes under UNCLOS: Delivering on the promise? Dr. Penelope Ridings, Member-elect, United Nations International Law Commission |
| 10:25 – 10:55 | Part XI, Section 5: addressing perceived gaps Dr. Kathy-Ann Brown, Judge, ITLOS |
| 10:55– 11:30 | Coffee break |
| 11:30 – 11:50 | Foreseeing the State Parties’ DSM and MSR legal dispute: Is there room to argue for freedom of choice of forum under the LOSC? Ms. Thaissa Meira, Ph.D Candidate, University of Basel, Switzerland |
| 11:50 – 12:10 | Global cooperation towards achieving a truly compulsory and gender inclusive dispute resolution mechanism under UNCLOS Dr. Madhumita Kothari, Partner & Advocate – Hemant Sahai & Associates |
| 12:10 – 12:30 | The UNCLOS dispute settlement system at forty: perceptions, challenges and the glass ceiling Dr. Lan Nguyen, Assistant Professor, Department of International and European Law, Utrecht University |
| 12:30 – 14:30 | Lunch break |
| Session VIII | UNCLOS and opportunities for developing States |
| 14:30 – 14:50 | Coding ocean equity into the BBNJ Treaty: Understanding the role of developing countries in transforming ocean governance Ms. Jacqueline J F Espenilla, Assistant Professor, College of Law, University of the Philippines |
| 14:50 – 15:10 | Developing State and compliance with quota allocation in international fisheries: evidence from Indonesia Dr. Rachma Indriyani, Ph.D graduate, Faculty of Law, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Indonesia |
| 15:10 – 15:30 | UNCLOS and Opportunities for Developing States: Protecting Indonesian Migrant Fishers Ms. Dhini Purnamasari, Master student, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, USA |
| 15:30 – 16:10 | Coffee break |
| Session IX | Enhancing the participation of women in the law of the sea |
| 16:10 – 16:30 | Contribution of women in Saudi Arabia to the law of the sea Ms. Amal Albawardi, Consultant, Ministry of Energy |
| 16:30 – 16:50 | Obstacles preventing women’s participation in the Maritime Industry Ms. Nasra Juma, High Court of Zanzibar – Judge’s Assistant |
| 16:50 – 17:10 | Enhancing the participation of women in the law of the sea: Indian Perspective Ms. Pratikalpa Sharma, Ass. Professor, Research, Gujarat National Law University, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India |
| 17:10 – 17:30 | The representation of women in the institutions of UNCLOS; Are women scientists from LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS involved actively in the scientific aspect of law of the sea? Ms. Johanne F A H Andria-Manantena, Head of international affairs section, national focal point – port state control, Lecturer in maritime governance, Catholic University of Madagascar |
| Closing remarks | |
| 17:30 – 17:40 |
|