Seminar on International Courts and Tribunals for Practitioners from South-East Asia and the South Pacific Regions

Wellington, New Zealand
28 June - 2 July 2004

Information for Applicants

This seminar is being jointly organized by the Project on International Courts and Tribunals (PICT), the Victoria University of Wellington (VUW) and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

Aim

The aim of the seminar is to illustrate to practitioners from South-East Asia and the South Pacific Regions how international courts and tribunals, and other major implementation control and dispute settlement bodies, are used and accessed. The general goal is to create a local capacity to access and utilize international courts and tribunals effectively.

Draft Programme (updated 19 June 2004)

Monday, 28 June 2004:
Opening and Welcome (Hon. Margaret Wilson, Andrew Ladley, Campbell McLachlan, Cesare Romano)
The International Judicial System:
Overview (Cesare Romano)
Developments in International Litigation and Current Challenges (Campbell McLachlan)
Litigating Inter-State Disputes:
Litigating Disputes before the International Court of Justice (Sir Kenneth Keith)
Litigating Disputes under the UNCLOS (Choon-Ho Park)
Reception at Government House (hosted by the Administrator of New Zealand, Chief Justice Dame Sian Elias)

Tuesday, 29 June 2004:
Litigating Inter-State Disputes (Case Studies):
The Southern Bluefin Tuna (Bill Mansfield)
Nuclear Tests and the "Rainbow Warrior" (Sir Geoffrey Palmer)
International Criminal Justice:
The Emerging International Criminal System (Gordon Hook)
Projects and Activities on International Justice:
The WorldLII's International Courts and Tribunals Project (Graham Greenleaf)

Wednesday, 30 June 2004:
International Criminal Justice:
Prosecuting International Crimes (Todd Cleaver)
Internationalized Criminal Courts (Cesare Romano)
Domestic Enforcement: Pinochet (Campbell McLachlan)
Litigating Human Rights:
International Human Rights Litigation (Alberto Costi)
National Human Rights Litigation (Petra Butler)
Projects and Activities on International Justice:
The Project on International Courts and Tribunals (Cesare Romano)

Thursday, 1 July 2004:
Case Studies on International Conflict Resolution:
The Phosphates Case (Nauru vs. Australia) (Convener: Andrew Ladley)
The Ok Tedi Mine Case (Convener: Andrew Ladley)
The Sandline Dispute (Convener: Andrew Ladley)
Bougainville (Convener: Andrew Ladley)

Friday, 2 July 2004:
Litigating Trade and Commercial Disputes
Dispute Settlement in the World Trade Organization (WTO) (Penny Ridings)
Lititating Disputes before the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) (Campbell McLachlan)
Conclusion and Farewell

Lecturers

Lectures will be given by renowned experts of international law from New Zealand and abroad, including judges of international courts, practicing international lawyers, governmental experts, academics and PICT staff.

Working Language

All lectures will be given in English; no interpretation will be provided. Participants must be fluent in English and will be expected to participate actively in discussions and workshops.

Venue

The seminar will be held at the Faculty of Law of Victoria University in Wellington.

Target Group

The seminar is open to mid-level legal professionals who are nationals and/or residents of one of the following countries and territories:

American Samoa
Australia
Brunei
Cambodia
Cook Islands
East Timor
Fiji
French Polynesia
Guam
Indonesia
Kiribati
Laos
Malaysia
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Nauru
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Niue
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Pitcairn
Samoa
Singapore
Solomon Islands
Thailand
Tokelau
Tonga
Tuvalu
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Wallis & Futuna

The following professional groups may apply:

University teachers of law
Practising lawyers
Governmental legal experts
Diplomats with a background in law
Legal experts of non-governmental organizations
Judges
Prosecutors
Law students (graduate or doctoral level)

All candidates must be officially nominated by an educational or research institution, a non-governmental organization, their employer or a government department. The seminar will accommodate up to 44 participants, including 34 from developing countries. Women are particularly encouraged to apply.

Financial Aspects

All participants will receive free tuition, training materials, accommodation and meals. They must, however, pay their own travel costs to and from Wellington. Applicants from Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam only are eligible to apply for a partial travel grant, thanks to financial support from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law with funding from the Swedish International Development Co-operation Agency (Sida). Travel grants for participants from other developing countries may also become available, but details are not yet known at this stage.

Application Procedure

The application deadline is now over; it is no longer possible to apply for participation! The following instructions stay here for information purposes only and will be removed in a few weeks. Participants will be chosen by a selection committee consisting of experts from PICT, VUW and UNITAR. To apply for the seminar, please read the instructions on the application form carefully, complete the form legibly and ensure that it arrives not later than 1 May 2004. Please enclose the specified additional documents, follow the mailing instructions on the application form and send it to:

Martin Bohnstedt
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Palais des Nations
1211 Genève 10
Switzerland

Tel.: +41 / 22 / 917 85 16
Fax: +41 / 22 / 917 80 47
E-mail: martin.bohnstedt@unitar.org

Download Application Form

Application Form in .pdf format (200 KB)
Application Form in .doc format (90 KB)