10 Year anniversary of ASEAN Law of the Sea training

In June Clingendael Academy celebrated the 10th anniversary of its Law of the Sea programme for diplomats from the ASEAN member states and the ASEAN Secretariat. A remarkable milestone in a time of international turmoil in which the maritime domain faces serious challenges, thereby making the course maybe even more relevant than ever before.

We were especially honoured to welcome two judges of ITLOS in our programme this year as keynote speakers: one newly elected (Dr Lan Anh from Vietnam) and one re-elected (Prof Liesbeth Lijnzaad from the Netherlands). It was a unique opportunity for the group to talk with these renowned experts about the oceans in a geopolitical context, as well as ITLOS and current developments regarding Advisory Opinions.

In the two-week course, the 20 participants furthermore deepened their understanding of various aspects of law of the sea. They had enriching lectures on topics such as maritime delimitations, maritime security, marine environmental protection and fisheries law, provided by experts from the Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea. This was complemented by interactive skills workshops, on intercultural communication, international negotiations, and policy analysis and reporting. The group also visited the Peace Palace and met with their counterparts at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

On a slightly more informal note, the delegation visited Leiden on one of the warmest days of the Dutch summer so far; however this did not scare them for braving the heat while cruising the canals in this historic town. 

Clingendael Academy congratulates the participants of this 10th edition with the successful completion of the course and would like to extend its thanks to the Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea for the excellent cooperation this past decade.