The Max Planck Foundation welcomed Fellows from the ITLOS-Nippon Foundation Capacity-Building and Training Programme on Dispute Settlement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
On 12-14 December 2023, six Nippon Fellows attended a discussion series workshop at the Foundation premises in Heidelberg. As a well-established tradition, this activity forms part of the Capacity-Building and Training Programme on Dispute Settlement under the Law of the Sea Convention, run by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in cooperation with the Nippon Foundation.
The Nippon Fellows are junior-mid level government officials and researchers from around the world. The discussion series was therefore aimed at building and developing their capacity in legislative drafting techniques as well as legal research and writing. The latter element is also to assist the Fellows in the conduct of their researching and writing of a law of the sea thesis as part of their Programme. Participants had an open discussion on difficulties in conducting legal research and each presented their preliminary research.
In addition, the Foundation provided the Nippon Fellows with three law of the sea related presentations, followed by open-floor discussions and practical exercises. Topics covered included “The Autonomy of Maritime Entitlements”, “Trade Measures Combatting Forced Labour in the Fishing Industry” and “The Role of Port and Flag States in Preserving Public Safety and Crew Health”. Finally, the agenda included a presentation of the Foundation’s maritime governance projects, past and present, namely, “Promoting Maritime Peace and Security in Southeast Asia’, ‘The Implementation of UNCLOS: Supporting Maritime Governance in the Indian Ocean (Part IV)‘, and ‘Strengthening Regional Integration and the Implementation of a Rules-Based International Order in ASEAN‘.
The Foundation looks forward to continued cooperation and welcoming the next batch of ITLOS-Nippon Fellows in 2024.