Law of the Sea Workshop
co-hosted by Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington and the Embassy of Japan in Wellington
Day One: Wednesday 28 April 2021
All times are in NZST
Time | Activity |
---|---|
12 pm |
Lunch (Wellington participants only) |
12:45 pm | Welcome |
1 pm |
Session One Biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction and its implications for the region |
2:30 pm |
Afternoon Tea (Wellington participants only) |
3-4:45 pm |
Session Two IUU Fishing |
Day Two: Thursday 29 April 2021
All times are in NZST
Time | Activity |
---|---|
12 pm |
Lunch (Wellington participants only) |
1 pm |
Session Three Climate change and marine environmental protection in the Pacific |
2:30 pm |
Afternoon Tea (Wellington participants only) |
3-4:45 pm |
Session Four Maintaining the rule of law at sea |
6 pm |
Public event (RH LT2) Panel discussion: South China Sea – where to from here? (Wellington participants only) |
7-8 pm |
Reception (Wellington participants only) |
session one – 28 April 2021 – 1pm start
Biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction and its implications for the region
- Associate Professor, Joanna Mossop, Victoria University of Wellington
- Dr Sarah Lothian, University of Wollongong
- Clement Yow Mulalap, FSM legal adviser
This panel will examine the negotiations for the new international legally binding instrument (ILBI) for the conservation and biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) and discuss aspects of the draft ILBI that will be of interest to the Asia-Pacific Region. Topics may include: the position of Small Island States (SIDS) in the negotiation; traditional knowledge, adjacency, coastal states’ role in environmental impact assessment and the establishment of marine protected areas; and how the disagreements on marine genetic resources might be bridged.


session two – 28 April 2021 – 3pm start
IUU fishing
- Dr Camille Goodman, University of Wollongong
- Dr Penelope Ridings, NZ candidate for the International Law Commission
- Dr Manu Tupou-Roosen, Director-General, Forum Fisheries Agency
- Associate Professor Makoto Seta, Yokohama City University
This panel will address the complex challenges of regulating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which remains one of the greatest threats to marine ecosystems and continues to undermine national and regional efforts to manage fisheries more sustainably. Topics may include: the transnational crime of IUU fishing; restrictive trade measures to combat IUU fishing; regional ocean governance in the Pacific; and other legal and policy responses.
session three – 29 April 2021 – 1pm start
Climate change and marine environmental protection in the Pacific
- Professor Chie Kojima, Chuo University
- Professor Karen Scott, University of Canterbury
- Dr Bjørn-Oliver Magsig, VUW
This panel will address legal challenges around climate change and environmental protection in the Pacific. Topics may include responses to climate change and sea level rise; and the changing marine environment and the implications for resource management, marine protected areas and other topics.


session four – 29 April 2021 – 3pm start
Maintaining the rule of law at sea
- Professor Natalie Klein, UNSW
- Professor Stuart Kaye, University of Wollongong
- Professor Donald Rothwell, Australian National University
- Professor Kentaro Furuya, National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, and Japan Coast Guard Academy
This panel will examine the current state of the legal order for the world’s oceans and assess how well the regime under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is able to address the many future maritime challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. Topics may include: enforcement of (international) law at sea; dispute settlement mechanisms; human rights and the law of the sea; UNCLOS as a living treaty; the role of law in maritime security; maritime migration and the rule of law at sea.
Public event – 29 April 2021 – 6pm start
Panel discussion: South China Sea – where to from here?
Rutherford House Lecture Theatre 2, Victoria University of Wellington Pipitea Campus. Followed by a reception.
- Dr Lowell Bautista, University of Wollongong
- Associate Professor Jay Batongbacal, University of the Philippines
- Professor Kentaro Nishimoto, Tohoku University
In this public panel discussion, speakers will be asked to consider the future of the South China Sea disputes from the perspective of the law of the sea. Topics might include: has the South China Sea arbitration strengthened or weakened the conflict; new issues such as the use of archipelagic baselines around South China Sea features or the role of fishing militia in disputes over fishing rights; and whether the new Code of Conduct is likely to improve the situation in the South China Sea.
