By Roy Mabasa
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) President Jin-Hyun Paik will be in Manila for the Seventh Biennial Conference of the Asia Society of International Law (AsianSIL) on August 22-23.
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) President Jin-Hyun Paik (ITLOS)
This was learned following the courtesy call made by Philippines Ambassador to Germany Theresa Dizon-De Vega to the ITLOS official at the Tribunal’s headquarters in Hamburg.
During the call, the Philippine envoy wished the ITLOS President a pleasant and productive visit to the Philippines where the latter is slated to deliver a keynote address on “The Role of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea in the Settlement of Disputes Related to the Law of the Sea: Current Trends and Other Developments” at a special program prepared by the AsianSIL.
The ITLOS is an independent judicial body established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to adjudicate disputes arising out of the interpretation and application of the Convention.
The Hamburg-based tribunal is composed of 21 independent members elected from among persons enjoying the highest reputation for fairness and integrity and of recognized competence in the field of the law of the sea.
Also at their meeting, Ambassador Dizon-De Vega and Judge Paik discussed the need to continue promoting the peaceful settlement of maritime disputes and the rule of law in oceans and sea governance.
The Philippines, alongside China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia, are currently locked in conflicting claims in the volatile South China Sea.
On July 12, 2016, The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled in favor of the Philippine petition to nullify China’s excessive nine-dash line claim in the South China Sea.