• International Rule of Law in Asian Perspectives

Role of international law in the international relations, requirements for the international rule of law, what should be done to promote international rule of law in Asia, accountability under the law, constrains on government powers, transparencyof national policies, protection of fundamental rights, and participatory government.

• Women in International Law

Protection of Women in armed conflict, establishment of non-discriminatory mechanism based on gender equality, the empowerment of women in Asian societies, and a feminist approach to international law.

• International Environmental Law: Climate Change and the Paris Agreement

Assessment of the Paris Agreement, evolution of paradigms for environmental protection and its implication, resolution of environmental disputes under the Paris Agreement, environmental issues and other international legal issues such as international trade, human rights, and development.

• Cyber-Security and International Law

Issues concerning the relationship between cyber warfare and the law of war, international law on cyber crime, international law on cyber terrorism, and international law on cyber espionage

• International Law and International Relations: the State of Play

Building the bridge between international law and international relations, assessing the merits and limitations of interdisciplinary approach, and feasibility of applying main international relations theory to the operation of international law.

• Non-Proliferation of WMD and Disarmament

Assessment of the nuclear non-proliferation regime, threat of WMD proliferation in Asia and the role of international law, North Korea nuclear issue, current status of international regime concerning biological and chemical weapons.

• The Law of the Sea (I): South China Sea Arbitral Award and Its Implications for the Law of the Sea

Assessment of the South China Sea Arbitral Award, jurisdictional issues, historic rights, status and entitlement of maritime features, implications of the Award for the UNCLOS dispute settlement system, and conflict management in South China Sea

• International Refugee Law: Refugee Protection in Asia

Refugee problems in Asia, effectiveness and shortcomings of international refugee law, refugee protection and State sovereignty, role of NGOs in refugee protection, what should be done to better protect refugee.

• International Investment Law: New Experiments and the Changing Paradigm in International Investment Arbitration

International Investment Law touches on the issues of protection of foreign investment, relationship between investment and development, and investor-state dispute settlement, and trends in international investment arbitration.

• International Cooperation in Suppressing Corruption

Topics include accountability and transparency of governmental policies, money laundering, international legal standards on corruption, and the assessment of international legal instruments on corruption.

• International Law in Domestic Courts

International Law in Domestic Courts, including the attitude of domestic courts in international legal issues, such as direct applicability of human rights instruments, changing paradigm regarding to monism and dualism, and the assessment of so-called international constitutionalism.

• The Law of the Sea (II): Maritime Security and International Law

Sources of threat to maritime security in the Asia-Pacific, combating piracy and armed robbery at sea, protection of sea lanes of communication (SLOC) security in Asia, role of international law and maritime CBMs in enhancing maritime security, how to promote regional cooperation.

• International Humanitarian Law and Armed Conflicts in Asia

Topics include Changing nature of armed conflicts and the relevance of the principles of IHL, attitudes of Asian States toward IHL, key legal issues related to IHL such as conduct of hostilities, weapons, protection of person/objects, and detention and treatment, armed conflicts and human rights, target killing, the use of autonomous weapons, legal regime concerning jus in bello, jus ad bellum and jus post bellum, and how to make IHL more effective.

• Overcoming the Past in Comparative and International Law Perspectives

Issues including compensation and reparation, rectifying wrongs in past, responsibility for past injustice, transitional justice, and attempts to build the mechanism for addressing past injustice in Asian region.

• History and Theory of International Law in Perspective

History and Theory of International Law in Perspective as a discipline, including the review of past peculiar international system of Asian region, feasibility of TWAIL, the rise and fall of Eastphalia, and the possible resurrection of the comparative international law focusing on Asian philosophy and culture.

• The Law of the Sea (III): Protection of the Marine Environment in Asia

Vessel-source pollution in Asia, pollution from offshore activities, regional cooperation to prevent and reduce land-source pollution, prevention and elimination of IUU fishing in Asia, biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction.

• International Commercial Arbitration

Topics include UNCITAL, recognition and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and foreign judgments, and the role of non-state law, such as lex mercatoria in commercial arbitration.

• Emerging Issues in International Human Rights Law (I): Migrants’ Rights and State Sovereignty

Topics relating to entry, stay and status of migrants, human rights impediment to expulsion, expulsion procedure, migrants in detention, economic, social and cultural rights in migration, and the rights of migrants under international law, and human rights and the social responsibilities of multinational corporations.

• International Law of Disaster Response

The emergence of legal regime with regard to international law of disaster response, activities of IFRC, disaster and crisis management, assessment of NGOs activities concerning disaster relief, and relationship between international law of disaster response and other areas of international law, such as international human rights law, international humanitarian law, and international environmental law.

• Recent Developments in International Criminal Law

Topics include international and global cooperation against organized crime, international terrorism, challenges facing the ICC, other international criminal tribunals and hybrid courts, the punishment of sexual violence in armed conflict, and the effectiveness of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in addressing mass atrocities.

• Emerging Issues in International Human Rights Law (II): Regional Human Rights Mechanism in Asia

Current status of national human rights mechanism in Asian region, regional cooperation of national human rights institutions, national human rights institutions in the context of democracy-building, and major challenges and opportunities for regional human rights mechanism in Asia.

• Terrorism and International Law

Topics include the current status of international legal instruments on counter-terrorism, the use of terrorism during armed conflict and by armed forces, the war on terrorism, the doctrine of preventive war, and the use of force against terrorists.

• Private International Law

Private international law relating to the choice of courts, forum selection, choice of applicable law, the accountability of private norm-setters, judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters, foreign precedents in national courts, and matters concerning marriage and adoption.

• New Voices in International Law: Young Scholars’ Session