“A Bridge Over Troubled Waters: Dispute Resolution in the Law of
International Watercourses and the Law of the Sea”

Monday, 25 September – Tuesday, 26 September 2017

The conference is organised in cooperation with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel with the financial support of the Luxembourg National Research Fund.

The settlement of interstate fresh water and maritime disputes is currently undergoing a period of great change, creating both challenges and opportunities. The Conference will bring together internationally renowned experts to evaluate the progress made thus far in these two distinct, yet related, fields, and to discuss the potential for future developments. By focusing on the legal aspects that are common to fresh water and maritime disputes, the Conference aims to yield beneficial comparisons that could serve as the basis for cross-fertilization in both areas. The first day of the Conference will be dedicated to the resolution of international fresh water disputes, while the second day will focus on maritime dispute settlement. Each day will feature four panels that will address the most controversial and salient aspects of these two types of disputes and the methods, forums, and principles used in their resolution. Participants in the Conference will include academics, practitioners, and government officials from Luxembourg, Europe, and around the world. We will also include poster presentations by young researchers working on fresh water and maritime issues.

Monday, 25 September 2017

09:00 - 09:30 Registration & Coffee
09:30 - 09:45 Welcome Address
Prof. Hélène Ruiz Fabri (Max Planck Institute Luxembourg for Procedural Law)
Prof. Erik Franckx (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
Mr Asaël Rouby (Luxembourg National Research Fund)
09:45 - 11:00 Panel I: 20 Years to the Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros Decision: Developments in Adjudicating Transboundary Freshwater Disputes
Chair: Prof. Boldizsár Nagy (Central European University)
Speakers: Mr Samuel Wordsworth QC (Essex Court Chambers), Prof. Cesare P.R. Romano (Loyola Marymount University), Judge Peter Tomka (International Court of Justice)
11:00 - 11:15 Q & A Session
11:15 - 11:45 Coffee Break
11:45 - 13:00 Panel II: Procedural Principles of International Water Law and the Resolution of Transboundary Freshwater Disputes
Chair: Prof. Jutta Brunnée (University of Toronto)
Speakers: Prof. Attila Tanzi (University of Bologna), Prof. Owen McIntyre (University College Cork), Judge Awn Al-Khasawneh (Doughty Street Chambers)
13:00 - 13:15 Q & A Session
13:15 - 14:15 Lunch
14:15 - 15:30 Panel III: The Role of Water Agreements and Institutions in the Resolution of Transboundary Freshwater Disputes
Chair: Prof. Alan Boyle (University of Edinburgh)
Speakers: Prof. Itay Fishhendler (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), Ms Judith Levine (Permanent Court of Arbitration), Prof. Laurence Boisson de Chazournes & Dr Komlan Sangbana (University of Geneva)
15:30 - 15:45 Q & A Session
15:45 - 16:15 Coffee Break
16:15 - 17:30 Panel IV: Current Transboundary Freshwater Disputes - North Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia
Chair: Prof. Laurence Boisson de Chazournes (University of Geneva)
Speakers: Dr Salman M.A. Salman (International Water Resources Association), Prof. Ashok Swain (Uppsala University), Prof. Alistair Rieu-Clarke (Northumbria University, UNECE Water Convention)
17:30 - 17:45 Q & A Session
17:45 - 19:00 Reception

Tuesday, 26 September 2017

09:00 - 09:30 Registration & Coffee
09:30 - 10:45 Panel I: International Procedural Law Before the ICJ, the ITLOS and Annex VII Arbitral Tribunals
Chair: Prof. Alfred Soons (Utrecht University)
Speakers: Prof. Marcelo Kohen (Graduate Institute Geneva), Mr Lawrence Martin (Foley Hoag LLP, Washington), Sir Michael Wood (20 Essex Street; International Law Commission)
10:45 - 11:00 Q & A Session
11:00 - 11:30 Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:45 Panel II: Choice of Means of Dispute Settlement in the Law of the Sea
Chair: Prof. Tullio Treves (Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle LLP, Milan)
Speakers: Prof. Liesbeth Lijnzaad (Maastricht University), Prof. Natalie Klein (Macquarie University), Prof. Bernard H. Oxman (University of Miami)
12:45 - 13:00 Q & A Session
13:00 - 14:00 Lunch
14:00 - 15:15 Panel III: Global and Regional Actors in the Settlement of Law of the Sea Disputes
Chair: Prof. Shotaro Hamamoto (Kyoto University)
Speakers: Prof. Esa Paasivirta (European Commission – Legal Service), Prof. Rosemary Rayfuse (University of New South Wales), Mr Michael Lodge (International Seabed Authority)
15:15 - 15:30 Q & A Session
15:30 - 16:00 Coffee Break
16:00 - 17:15 Panel IV: Case Study: Dispute Settlement in the Arctic
Chair: Prof. Erik Franckx (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
Speakers: Ambassador Rolf Einar Fife (Royal Embassy of Norway in Paris), Prof. David VanderZwaag (Dalhousie University), Prof. Viatcheslav V. Gavrilov (Far Eastern Federal University)
17:30 - 17:45 17:30 - 17:45 Concluding Remarks
Prof. Sean D. Murphy (George Washington University)

Poster Sessions

If you are interested in participating in this conference, please send your reservation request with your contact details (first name, surname and affiliation) to events@mpi.lu or contact Martina Winkel: (+352) 26 94 88 923.

The participation is free of charge.

Venue:
Max Planck Institute Luxembourg
4, rue Alphonse Weicker
L-2721 Luxembourg