The Foundation virtually hosted fellows from the ITLOS/Nippon Foundation Capacity-Building and Training Programme on Dispute Settlement under UNCLOS
Seven fellows from around the world took part in a training programme on Conflict Resolution and Negotiation implemented by Foundation research staff online from 23-26 February 2021. This activity served as part of the ITLOS/Nippon Foundation Capacity-Building and Training Programme on Dispute Settlement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 2020-2021. The programme run by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), in cooperation with the Nippon Foundation, takes place each year and is attended by junior to mid-level government officials and researchers currently working on issues related to the law of the sea, maritime law or dispute settlement. Participants enjoy a unique opportunity to develop their legal skills and deepen their practical knowledge of dispute settlement in the law of the sea under UNCLOS.
The Max Planck Foundation provided the fellows with an insight into its work, through a programme designed upon the notion of ‘conflict’ as a defined field of study. The various projects the Foundation is working on were presented against this framework, especially as conflict prevention or peace-building projects.
Topics covered throughout the week included the role of UNCLOS in managing and preventing maritime conflicts, maritime governance, legal drafting and the prevention of conflicts, binding inter-state dispute resolution, state-building and strengthening the rule of law in conflict settings.
In addition, Professor Rüdiger Wolfrum, former President of ITLOS and former Managing Director of the Foundation, gave two interactive lectures on UNCLOS’ dispute settlement mechanisms and their role in protecting public interests, and the relation of UNCLOS’ provisions on the protection of the marine environment and modern environmental law.