Centre for International Law to promote international law research and education in the region

02 Nov 2009

International law cannot call itself “international” without the voice of Asia. Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Prof S Jayakumar told the audience at the launch of the Centre for International Law (CIL) on 30 October 2009. “The Centre for International Law is a timely development in Singapore's efforts to become a leading legal hub in Asia,” said Prof Jayakumar. “This Centre, together with the NUS Faculty of Law serving as the Secretariat of the Asian Society of International Law, can be the catalyst to build up a larger international law presence in Singapore and the region,” he noted.

Headed by Founding Director Assoc Prof Robert Beckman, CIL is funded by some S$2 million for the next three years and is a collaboration between NUS, the Attorney-General's Chambers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Centre aims to become an intellectual hub and thought leader for the teaching and development of international law in the region. It also hopes to enable Singapore and the region to play a more important role in the promotion and development of international law.

For a start, the Centre will focus on six thematic areas of immediate concern in the region, namely ASEAN Law and Policy, Ocean Law and Policy, Trade Law and Policy, Aviation Law and Policy, Intellectual Property Law and Policy and International Dispute Settlement. Programmes at the Centre are not targeted not for lawyers, but for key government officials to help them understand how international law plays a part when legal issues arise.

On the future of the Centre, Dean of the NUS Law School Prof Tan Cheng Han said: “I am also confident that within a few years, CIL will become a thought leader in this field. It will do so not only through the involvement of NUS faculty but also by leveraging off the rich expertise that exists within Government, the Attorney-General's Chambers, and other academic institutions and think tanks.”

Following the official launch, the audience had the opportunity to gain insights into international law at the colloquium titled “Singapore and International Law: The Early Years.” On hand to share their first-hand experience were Ambassador-At-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of CIL’s Governing Board, Prof Tommy Koh; The Honourable Judge of Appeal Chao Hick Tin, as well as Visiting Senior Research Fellow of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies Mr S Tiwari. Attorney General of Singapore Prof Walter Woon was the moderator of the colloquium.