Trade and Investment Law and Governance Roundtable 2021 

Advancing Sustainable Trade and Investment through International Law and Governance

Thursday 30 March 2021 | 16:00 – 18:00 (CET)  

Venue:  Zoom Online Platform (due to COVID-19 travel restrictions) 

16:00 – 16:05    Welcome and Overview 

Chairs: Dr. Markus W. Gehring (Hughes Hall & Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge / CISDL) & Dr. Fabiano de Andrade Correa (CISDL)

Opening Remarks: Prof Thomas Cottier (University of Bern / World Trade Institute)* & Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger (University of Cambridge / University of Waterloo / CISDL)

16:05 – 17:50    Sustainable Trade and IP Law: Mobilising Legal and Institutional Reform for Trade & Long-Term Sustainable Development 

What are the most pressing legal obstacles and opportunities to advancing sustainable trade law and sustainable development through IP law? What can be learned from recent FTA experiences for sustainable trade and trade and climate change, and are Environmental Goods and Services part of any modern trade deal? Can fisheries and fossil fuel subsidies be reformed, and what legal reforms can support global supply chains and emissions trading for a carbon neutral world, including border carbon? Could the WTO be further reformed to contribute to the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)? What can be learned from national experiences for rapid decarbonization, to incentivize carbon-negative technologies and what are the IP law implications? Is IP law the problem or the solution to long-term COVID recovery?    

16:50 – 17:00 Book Launch, Celebration of CISDL Toolkits, Online Courses & CISDL Legal Specialist Award Recipients 

* Global Launch of D Olawuyi, Local Content and Sustainable Development in Global Energy Markets (CUP, 2021) https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/local-content-and-sustainable-development-in-global-energy-markets/365092990B11E7A2AF455A289A1260D4

* Special Recognition to the Winners of the CISDL Legal Specialist Awards for Trade and Investment: https://www.cisdl.org/2020/12/11/legal-specialist-award-recipients-2020/

17:00 – 17:30    Sustainable Investment: Mobilising Legal and Institutional Reform for Investment and Long-Term Sustainable Development 

What are the most pressing legal obstacles and opportunities to strengthen sustainable investment law? How can investment law facilitate the transition to a greener economy? Is climate resilient investment possible? Should the Energy Charter Treaty be reformed? How to align pandemic recovery measures and climate measures with investment obligations? Can international investment law take the global Sustainable Development Goals seriously? 

17:30 – 18:00    Rounds of Questions & Exchange with the Audience & Closing Remarks 

 Moderators: Adv. Freedom-Kai Phillips (CISDL Operations Director / University of Cambridge) & Adv. Marios Tokas (CISDL Trade & Investment Programme Coordinator / IHEID, Geneva)

Leverhulme Lecture & Distinguished Experts Dialogue

Wednesday 17 March 2021 | 17:00 UK | 13:00 New York

Event Programme – Univ Cambridge – Public Leverhulme Lecture Dist Experts Dialogue – 17 March 2021 FINAL

After a welcome from Professor Stephen J Toope, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, this special ‘evening/lunch’ online event is chaired by the Rt. Hon Professor Nico Schrijver, Professor Emeritus of Public International Law of the University of Leiden Law School, State Councillor in the Netherlands Council of State, member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and former President of the International Law Association. Rt Hon Lord Jonathan Mance, Baron Mance,* former Deputy President of the United Kingdom Supreme Court and Chair of the International Law Association worldwide, has been invited to give opening remarks.

This event will feature a Distinguished Experts Dialogue between respected international judges, expert professors of international law, heads of international treaty secretariats and international institutes and practitioners in the field of law, public policy and sustainable development, including respected experts from the ILA Sustainable Resources Management Committee, whose eight years of careful study and drafting led to the newly adopted ILA 2020 Guidelines on the Role of International Law in Sustainable Natural Resources Management for Development.

Distinguished international experts and leaders, including expert members of the ILA Committee on the Role of International Law in Sustainable Natural Resources Management for Development which drafted the ILA Guidelines, shall share their insights and knowledge of international law and its role in fostering the sustainable management of natural resources, highlighting emerging challenges and any new directions for international legal research and education in the future (40 mins), before a further moderated exchange with the audience (30 mins). Confirmed international experts will be featured in the coming days as the event draws closer.

The dialogue will be preceded by a public online Leverhulme Lecture, opened by Professor Diane Coyle Co-Director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, University of Cambridge, which is being provided by Professor Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professor, University of Cambridge, Senior Director, Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), Executive Secretary, ILA Sustainable Resources Management Committee Rapporteur, and Full Professor of Law, School of Environment, Entrepreneurship & Development, University of Waterloo.

 

We consider ourselves fortunate that you will be part of this special occasion with us, and we greatly look forward to welcoming you. With this note, we are delighted to inform you that in this event, we shall be joined by several world-class experts who are leaders in this field, for the Distinguished Experts Dialogue. We are honoured to be able to welcome Dr Kent Nnadozie, Executive Secretary of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture; Dr Amy Fraenkel, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species at the United Nations; Prof Jorge Vinuales, Harold Samuel Professor of Law and Environmental Policy of the University of Cambridge; Dean Susan Breau, Dean of Law from University of Victoria Faculty of Law; Adv Wendy Miles, Vice President of the International Chamber of Commerce Court of Arbitration and Chair of the Climate Law and Governance Initiative; Prof Thomas Cottier, former Managing Director of the World Trade Institute and Professor Emeritus at the University of Bern; Hon Justice Professor Marcel Szabo of the Constitutional Court of Hu...

Climate Law and Governance Roundtable 2020

Advancing Ambition and Pandemic Recovery through Climate Law and Governance Innovation

Tuesday 1 December 2020 | 16:00 – 17:00 (CET) Venue: Zoom Online Platform (due to COVID-19 travel restrictions)

In an interactive dialogue of judges, general counsel, parliamentarians, leading practitioners, renowned law professors and heads of legal institutes, laureates of the climate law and governance global leadership awards and other distinguished experts highlighted recent trends and innovations in climate regulatory reforms, litigation cases, recovery finance measures, mitigation contracts and adaptation/resilience claims, considering how law and governance can accelerate ambition and implementation of the Paris Agreement, and support greener pandemic recovery investments. The roundtable also explored how to urgently scale up climate law and governance capacity to achieve transparent, accountable, and effective Paris Agreement compliance worldwide, and the global Sustainable Development Goals.

Final Programme:

16:00 – 16:05 Welcome and Event Overview

Chairs: Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger (University of Cambridge / University of Waterloo / CISDL, UK & Canada) & Maitre Ayman Cherkaoui (Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection / CISDL, Morocco)*

Welcoming Remarks: Dr. Hafida Lahouiel (UNFCCC Secretariat Office of Legal Affairs) & Adv. James Cameron (Pollinator / Overseas Development Institute)

16:05 – 16:35 Climate Ambition: Mobilising Legal and Institutional Reform for Global Carbon Neutrality & Long-Term Sustainable Development

What are the most pressing legal obstacles and opportunities to advancing low GHG emissions and climate-resilient development? What can be learned from national policies and legislation experiences for rapid decarbonization and measures to incentivize carbon-negative technologies at all levels? How can legal and institutional reform support global supply chains and emissions trading mechanisms for a carbon neutral world? How can nature-based solutions be scaled-up and supported by law, governance, and public participation? How to support ambitious long-term GHG development strategies, a just transition, and public and private pandemic recovery investments?

Invited speakers & Intervenors: Professor Christina Voigt (University of Oslo / Paris Agreement Implementation and Compliance Committee / IUCN WCEL Climate Change Specialist Group); Dr. Markus W. Gehring (Hughes Hall & Faculty of Law, University of Cambridge / CISDL); Dr. Robert Kibugi (School of Law, University of Nairobi / IUCN Academy of Environmental Law); Prof. Magdalena Stryja (University of Silesia in Katowice / Katowice Bar Association); Prof. Francesco Syndico (University of Strathclyde); Adv. Vesselina Haralampieva (EBRD)*

16:35 – 16:40 Book Launch & Celebration of CLG Global Leadership Award & CISDL Legal Specialist Award Recipients

* Global Launch of SDG 13 on Taking Action on Climate Change and its Impacts: A Toolkit of Legal & Institutional Practices (CISDL, 2020) & Specialization Course on SDG 13: An Opportunity to Strengthen Engagement, Innovation and Action on Climate Change in Canada (CISDL, 2020).

* Special Acknowledgement of Climate Law and Governance Global Leadership Award Laureates: International General Counsel Adv. Marie-Anne Birken (EBRD); Professional Leadership – Dr. Ilona Millar (Baker McKenzie) & Adv. Wendy Miles, QC (International Chamber of Commerce Court of Arbitration / Twenty Essex Street); Climate Negotiator – Amb. Tosi Mpanu Mpanu (Coalition of Rainforest Nations); Legal Academia – Dean Prof. Tomasz Pietrzykowski (University of Silesia)

* Special Recognition to the Winners of the CISDL Legal Specialist Awards for Climate Change: 2020 Prof. Christina Voigt (University of Oslo / IUCN WCEL); 2019 A...

Human Rights, the Sustainable Development Goals & the Law: International Legal Symposium | Friday, 15 May 2020

As countries consider new policies and laws for post-pandemic recovery which can advance the global SDGs, informed dialogue among experts, academics and practitioners, building skills in rights-based approaches and engaging SDG-focused institutions, offers a key opportunity for learning and impact.

The 2020 Online International Symposium on Human Rights, the SDGs & the Law convenes leading experts in human rights, the SDGs and related fields with emerging scholars to chart a way forward that bridges the gaps in research and practice.

Co-hosted by the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism and the Centre International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), in partnership with the University of Montreal Law Faculty, the University of Waterloo School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED), the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA), the University of Chile Law Faculty, the University of Costa Rica Law Faculty, the International Law Association of Canada, the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law (MJSDL), Canada’s Sustainable Development Solutions Network and other world-class universities and institutions, this one-day online symposium activates opportunity for impact.

Programme 

Welcome & Opening Plenary 

Chairs: Prof. François Crépeau (Director, CHRLP / Hans & Tamar Oppenheimer Chair in Public International Law, McGill University) & Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger (Senior Director, CISDL / Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professor, University of Cambridge / Professor of Law, University of Waterloo)

Welcomes: Dr. Ashfaq Khalfan (Chair, CISDL Board of Governors / Law & Policy Director, Amnesty International); Dean Jean Andrey (Dean, University of Waterloo / Chair, Sustainable Development Solutions Network of Canada); Prof. Christina Voigt (Professor, University of Oslo / Chair, IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law Climate Change Specialist Group); Prof. Alexandra Harrington (Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Global Governance, Balsillie School of International Affairs BSIA / Research Director, CISDL); Adv. Bernard Colas (Partner, Colas Moreira Kazandjian Zikovsky; former President, International Law Association of Canada ILA); Maitre Pierre Gonthier (Chair, Hon Justice CD Gonthier Memorial Lectures Committee).

Keynote Addresses

Prof. David Boyd (United Nations UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights & the Environment / Assoc. Professor, University of British Columbia)

 Dr. Catarina de Albuquerque (Chief Executive Officer, Sanitation & Water for All / former UN Special Rapporteur on Rights to Water & Sanitation, Chair of UN Working Group on Optional Protocol to ICESCR)

 

I Advancing Post-Pandemic Justice, Governance & Partnership – SDG 16 & 17 

Chairs: Prof. Alexandra Harrington (Lead Counsel & Research Director, CISDL / Fulbright Canada Research Chair in Global Governance) & Ms. Janet McIntyre (Director of Access to Justice Secretariat, Justice Canada)

Keynote: Prof. Payam Akhavan (Professor, McGill University / Member, Permanent Court of Arbitration)

Speakers: Dr. Neshan Gunasekera (Coordinator, UNDP Sri Lanka); Prof. Emily Reid (Southampton Law School, University of Southampton): Prof. Sumudu Atapattu (Director of Research Centers and Senior Lecturer University of Wisconsin Law School, by film) & Intervenors: Prof. Ilaria Espa (Asst. Professor, Università della Svizzera italiana / Senior Research Fellow, World Trade Institute (WTI) / Adj. Professor, University of Milan); Dr. Henry Lovat (Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Research Fellow, University of Glasgow).

II Addressing Rights, Poverty & Disabilities – SDGs 1, 8 & 11 

Chairs: Prof. Sebastien Jodoin (Asst. Professor,

This event co-hosted by Cambridge University Press and Cambridge Zero during Academic Book Week explored how law and the humanities Tackling the Climate Crisis. Held at Pitt Hall in the University of Cambridge included speakers Dr. Emily Shuckburgh of Cambridge Zero, Prof. Paul Warde of the Department of History, Prof. Mike Hulme of the Department of Geography, and Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, Leverhulme Trust visiting professor.

Below is a recording of the lecture. 

Invitation to Register: Current Challenges & Future Directions in Key Fields

A series of free online mini-tutorial ‘tasters’ for pre-GCSE students, with Cambridge/Oxford/Yale/McGill experts (April 2020)

Schools have closed early for the Easter break this Friday, and holiday plans have been essentially cancelled for students across the country and internationally.

A network of students, dons and families are organising a series of Cambridge/Oxford style mini-tutorial sessions online for 14-17+ (pre-GCSE) across the UK and internationally, just 60 minutes per session, through April 2020 over CISDL Zoom.

Register Here

The ‘taster’ sessions will consider current challenges and future directions in law, biomedicine, maths, sciences, economics, sustainable development, literature and history, led by a mix of well-known/emerging academics and practitioners who lead top research institutes, social enterprises or international organizations in each field.

Online tutorials will take place Wednesdays and Fridays from 10-11 am UK over the month of April. Over zoom, the expert provides a 20-min introduction to the burning issues in their area, then the students can ask questions and discuss interactively for 30 mins, followed by a 10-min round-up. To follow up, the expert provides their personal recommendations of the top 5 current online resources, for any students to pursue the field further.

Upcoming Session leaders

* April 01, 2020: Connect at 10:30 am Wed 01 April for current challenges and future directions in international law with Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, DPhil, MEM, BCL/LLB, BA Hons (CISDL Senior Director, University of Cambridge Leverhulme Visiting Professor, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change CLGI Executive Secretary, Justicia Fundamentum laureate, author of Sustainable Development Law and other books) and Dr. Markus Gehring, JSD, Dr iur, MA, LLM (University of Cambridge Law Lecturer, Jean Monet Chair of European Law and Sustainable Development, CISDL Lead Counsel, Hughes Hall Law Director of Studies, editor of Sustainable Development in World Trade Law and other books).

* April 03, 2020: Connect at 10:30 am Fri 03 April for current challenges and future directions in biomedicine session with Dr. Mark Kotter, MD, MPhil, PhD (University of Cambridge neurosurgeon, spinal surgery specialist, founder of Bit Bio biomedical social enterprise for command line access to life, National Institute for Health Research Clinician Scientist & Cambridge Independent Science and Technology Awards Laureate, author of CNS Remyelination in Disease and other studies).

* April 08, 2020: Connect at 10:30 am Wed 08 April for current challenges and future directions in entrepreneurship and strategy, session with Prof. Chris Coleridge, MBA, MSc, PhD (Univ of Cambridge Judge Business School Senior Faculty in Management Practice; London Business School Adjunct Lecturer in Strategy and Innovation; Univ of Cambridge Judge Master of Studies in Entrepreneurship Founder; Cambridge University Venture Capital & Private Equity Society Senior Treasurer; Goldman Sachs 10ksb, London Stock Exchange ELITE, New Entrepreneurs Foundation instructor; University College London Best Lecturer Awards Laureate; co-editor of The Green Finance and Fintech Book and other studies).

* April 10, 2020: Connect at 10:30 am Fri 10 April for current challenges and future directions in global health session with

 

The Sustainable Development Goals for Canada: What’s Law Got to Do with It?

February 14, 2020 | 10 AM-1 PM (PST) / 1-4 PM (EST) / 2-5 PM (Atlantic)

 

Download the Symposium Report CISDL SDGs in Canada II Event Report 2020 – 08.07.2020-1 

 

Atlantic Venue: Dalhousie University Schulich School of Law

Toronto-Waterloo Venue: University of Waterloo/Balsillie School of International Affairs

Montreal Venue: McGill University Faculty of Law/ Faculté de droit Université de Montréal

Pacific Venue: University of British Columbia Peter A. Allard School of Law

 

Multi-Site Symposium | Provisional Agenda

 

Time (EST)

Content

Speakers

 

1:00 – 1:30PM

 

Chair’s Welcoming and Opening Remarks

Introductory Remarks

Venue Introductions

“The SDGs and Canada”

 

 

Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, University of Waterloo

Mr. Jon Beale, SDSN Canada

Ms. Tina Cobb, ESDC Canada (tbc)

1:30 – 2:45 PM

Roundtable | Contributions of Law to the SDGs

SDG 1 No Poverty

SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation

SDG 14 Life Below Water

SDG 16 Peace, Justice & Institutions

 

 

Keynote Address

Discussants

Dr. Markus Gehring, University of Cambridge *

Mr. Freedom-Kai Phillips, University of Cambridge/CISDL*

Dr. Sara Seck, Dalhousie University

Dr. Alexandra Harrington, Fulbright Research Chair, BSIA

Prof. Simon Dalby, Laurier University

Ms. Janet McIntyre, Justice Canada*

 

2:45 – 3:30 PM

Experts Discussion and Interactive Dialogue | Law as an Enabler of the SDGs

Atlantic Provinces

Quebec

Ontario

Parries and Northern Territories

Pacific and Yukon

 

Discussants

Ms. Lisa Mitchell / Ms. Kate Meagher

Prof. Nandini Ramanujam / Ms Didem Dogar / Prof. Eric Galbraith / Mr. Christian Novak / Mr. Jean-Philippe Lemay

Prof Neil Craik / Mr. Adam Rochwerg

Ms. Arsalan Ahmed

Mr. Godwin Dzah

3:30-4:00 PM

Summary and Closing

Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, University of Waterloo

Ms. Janet McIntyre, Justice Canada*

 * Participant attending remotely via Zoom.

 

This discussion with Dr. Alexandra Harrington is about the pervasive problem of child soldiering and trafficking, for sex or labour. The podcast looks at the main issues and international responses to try and address them.

Dr. Harrington is the Lead Counsel, Peace, Justice and Governance at the CISDL. Dr. Harrington routinely presents her works at domestic and international conferences. She also serves as a member of the CISDL Board of Directors and a member of the Global Health Committee of the Global Health Center at the SUNY Albany School of Public Health. She has served as a professor at the University of Montreal Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales summer programs and as a Consultant to the Commission for Environmental Cooperation of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation.

 

Migrants at the Border (Part 2): A thoughtful discussion of migration, law and the human experience with Prof. François Crépeau

The second part of our discussion with Prof. Crépeau deals with international responses to migrations under the United Nations – or rather the surprising lack thereof.

François Crépeau, O.C., F.R.S.C., Ad. E., is a Full Professor and the Hans & Tamar Oppenheimer Chair in Public International Law, at the Faculty of Law of McGill University, as well as the Director of the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism.

Professor Crépeau was the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants between 2011 and 2017. In this capacity, he has conducted official visits to Albania, Tunisia, Turkey, Italy (twice), Greece (twice), Qatar, Sri Lanka, Malta, the European institutions in Brussels and Vienna (several times), Angola, Australia and Nauru. He has also produced several thematic reports: the detention of migrants, the protection of migrants’ rights at the external borders of the European Union (two times), climate change and migration, global migration governance (twice), labour exploitation of migrants, labour recruitment practices, trade agreements and migration. He was the Chair of the Coordination Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Procedures (2014-2015).

Professor Crépeau is an Officer of the Order of Canada (2017), an Advocatus Emeritus of the Quebec Bar Association (2013), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2012), and a Fellow of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation (2008-2011).

Professor Crépeau has given many conferences, published numerous articles, and written, edited or co-edited ten books: Research Handbook on Climate Change, Migration and the Law (2017); Human Rights & Diverse Societies(2014), Terrorism, Law and Democracy: 10 Years after 9/11 – Terrorisme, Droit et Démocratie : 10 ans après le 11 septembre 2001 (2012); Recueil de droit des réfugiés: Instruments, Jurisprudences et Documents (The Refugee Law Reader) (1re éd. 2010, 2e éd. 2012); Les migrations internationales contemporaines – Une dynamique complexe au cœur de la globalisation (2009); Penser l’international, Perspectives et contributions des sciences sociales (2007); Forced Migration and Global Processes – A View from Forced Migration Studies (2006); Les juridictions internationales: complémentarité ou concurrence ? (2005); Mondialisation des échanges et fonctions de l’État(1997); and Droit d’asile : De l’hospitalité aux contrôles migratoires (1995).

Migrants at the Border (Part 1): A thoughtful discussion of migration, law and the human experience with Prof. François Crépeau

The first part of this discussion with Prof. Crépeau discusses migrations not as the “red button” issue it so often is in the media, but instead as what it really is: a normal part of the human experience.

François Crépeau, O.C., F.R.S.C., Ad. E., is a Full Professor and the Hans & Tamar Oppenheimer Chair in Public International Law, at the Faculty of Law of McGill University, as well as the Director of the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism.

Professor Crépeau was the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of Migrants between 2011 and 2017. In this capacity, he has conducted official visits to Albania, Tunisia, Turkey, Italy (twice), Greece (twice), Qatar, Sri Lanka, Malta, the European institutions in Brussels and Vienna (several times), Angola, Australia and Nauru. He has also produced several thematic reports: the detention of migrants, the protection of migrants’ rights at the external borders of the European Union (two times), climate change and migration, global migration governance (twice), labour exploitation of migrants, labour recruitment practices, trade agreements and migration. He was the Chair of the Coordination Committee of the United Nations Human Rights Procedures (2014-2015).

Professor Crépeau is an Officer of the Order of Canada (2017), an Advocatus Emeritus of the Quebec Bar Association (2013), a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (2012), and a Fellow of the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation (2008-2011).

Professor Crépeau has given many conferences, published numerous articles, and written, edited or co-edited ten books: Research Handbook on Climate Change, Migration and the Law (2017); Human Rights & Diverse Societies(2014), Terrorism, Law and Democracy: 10 Years after 9/11 – Terrorisme, Droit et Démocratie : 10 ans après le 11 septembre 2001 (2012); Recueil de droit des réfugiés: Instruments, Jurisprudences et Documents (The Refugee Law Reader) (1re éd. 2010, 2e éd. 2012); Les migrations internationales contemporaines – Une dynamique complexe au cœur de la globalisation (2009); Penser l’international, Perspectives et contributions des sciences sociales (2007); Forced Migration and Global Processes – A View from Forced Migration Studies (2006); Les juridictions internationales: complémentarité ou concurrence ? (2005); Mondialisation des échanges et fonctions de l’État(1997); and Droit d’asile : De l’hospitalité aux contrôles migratoires (1995).