NUS Launches ASEAN Law Academy

The Centre for International Law (CIL) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) will hold the inaugural ASEAN Law Academy from 19 to 26 July 2018. The Academy was announced by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, at the 32nd ASEAN Summit on 28 April 2018.

It is hoped that the Academy will benefit government officials from the ten ASEAN member states, officials from the ASEAN Secretariat, and legal practitioners and educators. As part of the capacity-building efforts in ASEAN, Singapore will sponsor two nominated participants from each ASEAN Member State.

The seven-day intensive programme, which is based on CIL’s ASEAN Integration through Law book series published by Cambridge University Press, aims to promote a greater understanding of the different legal systems in ASEAN to enhance ASEAN legal integration. Specifically designed for ASEAN policy makers, the Academy also aims to facilitate the deepening of ASEAN rules–based integration, especially in the ASEAN Economic Community, for the economic development and prosperity of the region.

On the importance of ASEAN integration, Professor Tommy Koh, Chairman of the CIL Governing Board and Ambassador-at-Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said, “Unlike the protectionist trend elsewhere, ASEAN remains committed to free trade, regional integration and open economies. As an example, ASEAN is currently driving the negotiation of a mega free trade agreement, involving ASEAN and six other economies, called the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). When concluded, RCEP will be one of the biggest free trade areas in the world.”

The Academy will be taught in a collaborative and practice-based learning environment by experienced teachers from both academia and practice. It will cover a range of topics, including enhancing of the administration of ASEAN rules, and laws and policies in public bureaucracies; laws regulating non-tariff barriers, rules of origin, and investments in the ASEAN Economic Community; ASEAN’s external trade and political relations; and modalities of dispute settlement in ASEAN.

Co-director of CIL’s ASEAN Integration through Law programme and the ASEAN Law Academy, and assistant professor at the NUS Faculty of Law, Dr Tan Hsien-Li, said, “The practicum-led modality of the Academy is an innovative and engaging way to learn and share best practices. Participants will then be able to apply the new knowledge and skills at the workplace.”

For more information on the Academy, please refer to https://cil.nus.edu.sg/event/asean-law-academy-2018-19-26-july-2018/.