This month, 21 diplomats and officials from the ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat completed the eight edition of the Clingendael training programme on the Law of the Sea, organised in cooperation with the Netherlands’ Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS). The programme included lectures by NILOS experts on various themes such as maritime zones, fisheries law, and marine environmental protection. In addition, skills sessions were provided by Clingendael trainers on intercultural communication, international negotiations, and multistakeholder analysis and management. For instance, the participants practiced multilateral negotiations in a fictional simulation focused on deep sea mining. 

Participants visited the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the strategic partnership between the Netherlands and ASEAN, including its Indo-Pacific Strategy and the role of the law of the sea in current issues. They also paid a visit to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) where they learned more about the structure and types of cases before the PCA, and engaged in a conversation with a practitioner on his experience as legal counsel of states in procedures before the International Court of Justice.

The training concluded with a symposium where participants presented and discussed the role of international law and diplomacy in negotiations on the code of conduct for the South China Sea. The two-week programme was successful in improving the participants’ knowledge and skills as international professionals working on portfolios related to the Law of the Sea.