The Institute of International Legal Studies (IILS) in pursuit of its mandate to undertake research and extension functions within the law center successfully hosted three international events in February.
On February 1-3, 2024, IILS welcomed 22 teams representing six Southeast Asian countries to compete in the 28th Southeast Asian Regional Rounds (SEARR) of the Stetson International Environmental Moot Court Competition. SEARR gave the participants a simulation of the proceedings before an international court to present their arguments applying principles of international law.

On February 27th, 2024, the Institute facilitated a “Conversation with Prof. Jean-Marc Thouvenin, Secretary General of The Hague Academy for International Law.” Prior to the conversation, Ambassador J. Eduardo Malaya, Philippine Ambassador to the Netherlands underscored the pivotal role of international law as a force for equality in the global arena. An open forum followed the conversation with Judge Raul C. Pangalangan with Prof. Rommel J. Casis as moderator. Attendees, included international law practitioners, academics, and students, who listened to Prof. Thouvenin’s insights on contemporary practices in international law.

The last of the series of events was a 3-Day conference titled “Treaty-Making and Cross Cultural Conference: 16-20th Centuries,” held from February 29-March 2, 2024. This conference provided historians, international law practitioners, and interested stakeholders with a comprehensive overview of treaties concluded between European, American, or Japanese imperial powers and Southeast Asian politics during the eighteenth to early twentieth centuries.
The event was organized by the research program “Historical Treaties of Southeast Asia”, financed by the Swedish Research Council, and hosted by the Linnaeus University Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies in collaboration with IILS at the University of the Philippines-College of Law at Diliman.

Stay tuned in our next posts for detailed insights on the key-takeaways from our three events!