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Tag: International Law

  • ‘Sustained capacity development key to international law, diplomacy’

    ‘Sustained capacity development key to international law, diplomacy’

    By Jesutayo Taiwo

    International law experts and diplomats  have emphasised the urgent need for sustained capacity development and training on international law and diplomacy in order to fully accentuate Nigeria’s foreign policy interest at the global stage.

    The recommendation was made in Lagos at the opening ceremony of a one-week Certificate of Advanced Studies in International Law and Diplomacy course organised by the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) in partnership with the International Law Association (Nigerian Branch).

    The objective of the course is to expose participants to the specialised knowledge and skillsets required for the practice of international law and diplomacy.

    The event featured compelling remarks by leading diplomats and experts including Prof. Damilola  Olawuyi, (SAN), President of the International Law Association Nigeria; Prof. Animi Sylvanus-Pepple, the acting Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS); Professor Olufemi Elias, Judge-adhoc of the International Court of Justice, Hague amongst other dignitaries.

    While welcoming and congratulating participants for being selected for this high-level course, the acting Director-General of NIALS, Prof. Sylvanus-Pepple, who was represented by the Secretary of the Insitute, noted that the interdisciplinary course is designed to help participants think critically about diplomatic and international legal issues in real-life contexts, while applying theory to practice and addressing some of the key questions facing the world today, and looking at contemporary practice and major events.

    On his part,  Professor Olufemi Elias, who is also President of the Administrative Tribunal of the OPEC Fund, emphasised the crucial role of international law in promoting global peace and sustainable development.

    Prof Elias,  who delivered a goodwill message of the occasion, commended the ILA for putting together this timely and important training prgramme that would go a long way in the development of the next cadre of experts in international law and diplomacy.

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    On his part, the President of the ILA, Nigeria,  and Professor of International Law, who is also an Independent Expert on the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, Switzerland, Prof  Olawuyi, SAN, noted the important roles of international law in solving today’s global challenges.

     “International law has become ever so important in light of the complex challenges facing our current world”,he said.

     Throughout last  week, participants were taught and inspired by experts skilled in the art and craft of international law and diplomacy on the roles we can play in being the the heart of fostering solutions.

     They were also provided a chance to network, strategise and develop relationships that would enable them to launch and advance their careers in this important field.

    Prof. Olawuyi emphasised  the importance of highly skilled international law negotiators and diplomats .

    He said if Nigeria is to attract the best deals at the international stage, the country would require sustained support for such training programs that would unlock a steady track of qualified experts that will advance Nigeria and Africa’s intrerests globally.

    He commended NIALS for providing such an innovative and inspiring platform for advanced studies in international law and diplomacy.

    He urged  all participants to “fully immerse themselves in the opportunities provided by the course.

    ”The one-week course will cover contemporary themes in public and private international law, taught by leading experts, including modules on artificial intellegence and new technologies, international human rights and humanitarian law, international criminal law, international energy and petroleum transactions, climate change and sustainable development, conflict resolution, international commercial arbitration, AFCTA and international economic integration, as well as ethics and skillsets for international diplomacy, amongst others”, he said.

    Established in 1979, NIALS is the apex legal research and training institute in Nigeria, while the International Law Association (ILA) was established in 1873, with the objective and mandate to promote “the study, clarification, and development of international law, both public and private, and the furtherance of international understanding and respect for international law.”

    The Nigerian Branch of the ILA regularly hosts innovative lectures, seminars, conferences, and other capacity development programs to advance the study and understanding of international law in Nigeria.

    To learn more about the ILA, its activities, and events visit http://www.ila-hq.org

  • ‘How international law can aid development’

    ‘How international law can aid development’

    A careful application of rel-evant international law principles can aid Nigeria’s quest for rapid economic growth, a former Nigerian permanent envoy to the United Nations, Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni, has said.

    Olukanni, who delivered a speech titled ‘International law and development process in developing countries: reflections on Nigeria’s experience’ at the 30th anniversary of the Masters of International Law and Diplomacy (MILD) programme of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG), said some of the policies implemented by past governments in the country are based on international law principles.

    He said: “Nigeria has benefitted from the international development process and also relied on international law, norms and soft laws to advance its quest for development. Take for example the Better life for Rural Women programme; it was inspired by the International Conference on Women and Development in Nairobi in 1985.

    “The establishment of the ministry of environment is a function of the international processes so far as the environment is concerned. The creation of the ministry of women affairs was also a function of the issue of gender and development of within the United Nation.”

    One of the organisers of the event, Mr. Wahab Shittu, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s uncompromising anti-corruption reputation had made him the right person to launder Nigeria’s image using international law.

    Shittu said: “President Buhari seems to have started well by trying to shore up the international image of Nigeria, and his track record of discipline, integrity and anti-corruption is working very highly for Nigeria now.

    “So, we can say that we have the appropriate foundation to build on by virtue of the international recognition that the president presently enjoys. But you know international respect, credibility and recognition is not hinged on just one man alone, we need to change our attitudinal chemistry; the negative image about Nigeria must change.

    The Head of the Department of Jurisprudence and International Law, UNILAG, Dr. Ayoade Adedayo said when it was introduced three decades ago, the MILD programme was truly revolutionary.

    “We are proud that in 30 years, this programme has changed the face of the nation in many ways. The MILD programme has always driven very quietly international law processes. What we want to do more of by early next year is to have roundtables that will consider issues in international law, thrash it out and give our position to the government.”

  • ‘How international law can aid development’

    A careful application of international law principles can aid Nigeria’s quest for rapid economic growth, a former Nigerian permanent envoy to the United Nations, Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni, has said.

    Olukanni, who delivered a speech titled: ‘International law and development process in developing countries: reflections on Nigeria’s experience’  at the 30th anniversary of the Masters of International Law and Diplomacy (MILD) programme of the Faculty of Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG), said some of the policies implemented in the country are based on international law.

    He said: “Nigeria has benefited from the international development process and also relied on international law, norms and soft laws to advance its quest for development. Take for example the Better life for Rural Women programme; it was inspired by the International Conference on Women and Development in Nairobi in 1985.”

    One of the participants, Mr. Wahab Shittu, said President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption reputation had made him the right person to launder Nigeria’s image through international law processes.

    Shittu said: “President Buhari seems to have started well by trying to shore up the international image of Nigeria, and his track record of discipline, integrity and anti-corruption is working very highly for Nigeria now.

    “So, we can say that we have the appropriate foundation to build on by virtue of the international recognition that the president presently enjoys. But you know international respect, credibility and recognition is not hinged on just one man alone, we need to change our attitudinal chemistry; the negative image about Nigeria must change.”

     

     

  • Dutch court indicts Shell for Nigeria spills

    Dutch court indicts Shell for Nigeria spills

    …Absolves parent company of blame

    A Dutch court ruled on Wednesday that Royal Dutch Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary was responsible for a case of oil pollution in the Niger Delta and ordered it to pay damages in a decision that could open the door to further litigation.

    The district court in The Hague said Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary, must compensate one farmer, but dismissed four other claims filed against the Dutch parent company.

    Reuters reports that four Nigerians and campaign group Friends of the Earth filed suits in 2008 in The Hague, where Shell has its global headquarters, seeking reparations for lost income from contaminated land and waterways in the Niger Delta region, the heart of the Nigerian oil industry.

    The case was seen by environmental activists as a test for holding multinationals responsible for offences at foreign subsidiaries, and legal experts said other Nigerians affected by pollution might now be able to sue in the Netherlands.

    Shell said the case would not set a precedent because its parent company was not held responsible.

    The farmer who won compensation, 52-year-old father of 12 Friday Akpan, said he was very happy with the judgment because it would allow him to repay his debts.

    “I am not surprised at the decision because there was divine intervention in the court. The spill damaged 47 fishing ponds, killed all the fish and rendered the ponds useless,” he told Reuters in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    “Since then I have been living by God’s grace and on the help of good Samaritans. I think this will be a lesson for Shell and they will know not to damage people’s livelihoods.”

    A legal expert said the ruling could make it possible for other Nigerians who say they also suffered losses due to Shell’s activities to file lawsuits in the Netherlands.

    “The fact that a subsidiary has been held responsible by a Dutch court is new and opens new avenues,” said Menno Kamminga, professor of international law at Maastricht University.

    The court did not just examine the role of the parent company, but also looked “at abuses committed by Shell Nigeria, where the link with the Netherlands is extremely limited,” he said. “That’s a real breakthrough.”

     

  • Nigerian Society of International Law holds conference

    Nigerian Society of International Law holds conference

    The Nigerian Society of International Law ( NSIL) will hold a One-Day Conference.

    Theme International Law and Good Governance in Nigeria.

    Venue: The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), 13/15 Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

    Date: November 28, 2012

    Time: 10.00 a.m.

    Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola will declare the conference open and the keynote address will be delivered by Prof. M. A. Ajomo

    The conference’s theme has sub-topics on .Corruption and measures to combat it, to be presented by former Dean, Faculty of Law, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Prof. Ademola O.Popoola, Plea Bargaining: Any consequences for the Nigerian criminal legal system? to be presented by former Dean faculty of Law, UNILAG, Professor Emeritus Adedokun A. Adeyemi, Environmental degradation in Nigeria and the way(s) out to be presented by the Director of Studies, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, Prof. Lanre Fagbohun, the Oil Sector and Transparency to be presented by former Dean Faculty of Law, Unibadan and former Secretary and Legal Adviser NNPC Prof. Yinka Omorogbe .

    Application of International Law to internal disturbances: The Nigerian experience to be presented by Secretary- General NSIL and Ag.HOD, Jurisprudence and International Law, LASU, Dr. Rufus O. Olaoluwa among others.

    The Nigerian Society of International Law is a Non-Governmental Professional Association. It was founded in 1968 by Late Judge Taslim Olawale Elias, who was a judge of the International Court at the Hague until his death in 1991. The Society has as its objectives the study, dissemination and advancement of Public and Private International Law, Comparative law and Institutions, International Relations, and related subjects. In pursuit of these objectives, it promotes research, encourages publications and organizes Conferences, Seminars and Colloquia.

    Membership is open to persons of all disciplines in International law and International relations. The Society has served and continues to serve as a meeting point for Diplomats, Judges, Special Missions, Transnational Corporations, officials of Ministries of External Affairs and Justice as well as Academic Lawyers, Legal Practitioners and Political scientists.

    The Incumbent President of Nigeria is the Grand Patron. All the State Executive Governors and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory are Patrons of the Society.

    We will appreciate your efforts in bringing the above information to students, lawyers, judges, civil servants, journalists, lecturers, teachers, all other professions, professionals and the General public as your contribution to the attainment of good governance in Nigeria.