The Centre for International Law (CIL) was established in 2009 at the National University of Singapore, in response to the growing need for international law expertise and capacity building in the Asia-Pacific region. [1]
The CIL engages in research and capacity building on international law and policy. The Centre organises conferences, seminars and forums to encourage dialogue and the sharing of information on significant international law and policy issues affecting South East Asia or the Asia-Pacific region. The Centre also collaborates with a network of partner organisations in Singapore and overseas to further the development of international law and policy thought leadership in the region. [2] [3]
Since January 2020, Dr Nilüfer Oral has been the CIL Director. Dr Oral is a member of the International Law Commission (ILC), Second Vice-Chair of the ILC, and Co-Chair of the ILC Study Group on Sea-Level Rise in relation to International Law. She took over the CIL directorship from Professor Lucy Reed, a globally renowned arbitration lawyer.
Associate Professor Robert C Beckman, the first CIL Director, continues to head CIL's Ocean Law and Policy programme.
Professor Tommy Koh and Professor S Jayakumar chair the CIL Governing Board and International Advisory Panel respectively.
The CIL's research focuses on the following thematic areas:
The Centre maintains a document database, an online searchable resource of ASEAN Documents and International Law Documents.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) is a British research institute in the area of international affairs. Since 1997 its headquarters have been Arundel House in London, England.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a regional intergovernmental organization comprising ten countries in Southeast Asia, which promotes intergovernmental cooperation and facilitates economic, political, security, military, educational, and sociocultural integration among its members and other countries in Asia.
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is an inter-governmental forum for 21 member economies in the Pacific Rim that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Following the success of ASEAN's series of post-ministerial conferences launched in the mid-1980s, APEC started in 1989, in response to the growing interdependence of Asia-Pacific economies and the advent of regional trade blocs in other parts of the world; it aimed to establish new markets for agricultural products and raw materials beyond Europe. Headquartered in Singapore, APEC is recognized as one of the highest-level multilateral blocs and oldest forums in the Asia-Pacific region, and exerts a significant global influence.
The Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs is the executive department of the Philippine government tasked to contribute to the enhancement of national security and the protection of the territorial integrity and national sovereignty, to participate in the national endeavor of sustaining development and enhancing the Philippines' competitive edge, to protect the rights and promote the welfare of Filipinos overseas and to mobilize them as partners in national development, to project a positive image of the Philippines, and to increase international understanding of Philippine culture for mutually-beneficial relations with other countries.
The Institute of Asian Research (IAR) at the University of British Columbia is a research institute founded in 1978 and has been the foremost research centre in Canada for the inter-disciplinary study of Asia. With a broad geographic reach extending to China, India and South Asia, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia, the Institute conducts research and teaching in policy-relevant issues informed by language and area studies. The Institute has played a central role in building UBC's excellence in research, teaching and community liaison in matters pertaining to Asia. The Institute has pursued a rich and productive research agenda on many aspects of the human experience in Asia.
The Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) is a network of member committees composed of individuals and institutions dedicated to promoting cooperation across the Asia Pacific region, headquartered in Singapore. PECC has 23 full member committees Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; China; Colombia; Ecuador; Hong Kong; Indonesia; Japan; Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; Mongolia; New Zealand; Peru; the Philippines; Singapore; Taiwan; Thailand; the United States; Vietnam and the Pacific Island Forum, one associate member: France, and 2 institutional members: Pacific Trade and Development Conference (PAFTAD) and the Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC).
The Castan Centre for Human Rights Law is a research centre located within the Monash University Law Faculty in Victoria, Australia. It was established in 2000 to meet the need for, and interest in, the study of human rights law globally, regionally and in Australia. It grew rapidly to become the largest research centre in the Monash Law School. It is the preeminent human rights centre in the Asia-Pacific region, and is one of Australia's most respected human rights monitoring organisations. Its function is to bring together the work of national and international human rights scholars, practitioners and advocates from a wide range of disciplines in order to promote and protect human rights.
The Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) is a FATF style regional inter-governmental (international) body, the members of which are committed to implement international standards against money laundering (AML), the financing of terrorism (CTF) and financing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. APG was founded in 1997 in Bangkok, Thailand, and currently consists of 41 member jurisdictions in the Asia-Pacific region and a number of observer jurisdictions and international/regional observer organisations.
The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia or ERIA is an international organization established in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2008 by a formal agreement among Leaders of 16 countries in the East Asian region to conduct research activities and make policy recommendations for further economic integration in the East Asia. ERIA works very closely with both the ASEAN Secretariat and 16 Research Institutes to undertake and disseminate policy research under the three pillars, namely “Deepening Economic Integration”, ”Narrowing Development Gaps”, and “Sustainable Development” and provide analytical policy recommendations to Leaders and Ministers at their regional meetings. ERIA provides intellectual contributions to East Asian Community building and serves as a Sherpa international organization. ERIA ranks 32nd among the world's "Top 85 International Economics Think Tanks" according to the 2016 Global Go To Think Tanks Index Report conducted by University of Pennsylvania.
Shankar Sharma, former Ambassador of Nepal to the United States, has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Hawaii. He was the Vice-Chairman of the National Planning Commission from 2002 to 2006. Dr. Sharma also worked as a consultant to the Constitution Committee on "Distribution of Natural Resources, Economic Rights and Public Revenue" in helping to draft the new Constitution of Nepal. He has also served in various other capacities for the Government of Nepal such as the member of NPC, Chief Advisor in Ministry of Finance and Alternate Governor of Nepal for the International Monetary Fund and Senior Economist in Institute of South East Asian Studies (1986–1993).
Kriengsak Chareonwongsak is a Thai scholar and politician. He established the first future studies research institute in Southeast Asia, and was a Member of Thailand's House of Representatives, was on the executive Board for the Democrat Party, and has published on both scholarly and popular topics.
Dr. Noeleen Heyzer, a social scientist, served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Crawford School of Public Policy is a research intensive policy school within the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific at The Australian National University which focuses on Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. The school was named after Sir John Crawford, and its current Director is Professor Helen Sullivan.
Simon Chesterman is an Australian academic, writer and law professor who is currently the Dean of the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Law. A Rhodes Scholar, he is also the Secretary-General of the Asian Society of International Law and Editor of the Asian Journal of International Law.
The ASEAN Wildlife Enforcement Network (ASEAN-WEN) was officially launched on 1 December 2005, as a regional inter-agency and inter-governmental initiative to counter the illegal cross-border trade in endangered flora and fauna. It helps countries share information on and tackle cross-border wildlife crime and facilitates the exchange of regional best practices in combating those crimes. As the world's largest wildlife law enforcement network, it comprises the law enforcement agencies of the 10 ASEAN countries forming a regional intergovernmental law-enforcement network.
The European Union (EU) Centre in Singapore is part of a global network of European Union Centres of Excellence. Following the launch of EU Centres of Excellence in the US and Canada in 1998, there are now 37 Centres located in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Macao, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan and the United States.
Hans H. Indorf was an academic professor and international advisor in political science. "I regard Dr. Indorf as one of the most brilliant and best informed men on foreign affairs of any expert I have ever come in contact with," said Senator Robert Burren Morgan.
Amitav Acharya is an Indian-born Canadian scholar and author, who is Distinguished Professor of International Relations at American University, Washington, D.C., where he holds the UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance at the School of International Service, and serves as the chair of the ASEAN Studies Initiative. Acharya has expertise in and has made contributions to a wide range of topics in International Relations, including constructivism, ASEAN and Asian regionalism, and Global International Relations. He became the first non-Western President of the International Studies Association when he was elected to the post for 2014–15.
The East Asian Bureau of Economic Research is a forum for economic research and analysis of the major issues facing the economies of East Asia.
Professor Dato' Dr. Rahmat bin Mohamad is a Malaysian legal scholar and professor of law at the Universiti Teknologi MARA. He is currently the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi MARA since November 2018. He has served Universiti Teknologi MARA in Shah Alam in various capacities from 1986 onwards. He served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor (2003–2005), Deputy Vice Chancellor (2005–2008), Assistant Vice Chancellor (Strategy) (2016) and Dean of Law Faculty (2017).