06 December 2022

WEBINAR

2022 Colloquium on International Law
The Global Climate Crisis: Finding Common Ground Through International Law

Organisers:
Asian Academy of International Law
AAIL Foundation
Chinese Society of International Law

Sponsor:
New World Group Charity Foundation

Over the last few decades, mankind has been witnessing increasing carbon emission, rising sea levels, worsening extreme weather phenomena, etc. The global climate crisis is indeed unprecedented in scale and transboundary in nature, calling for nothing short of concerted efforts from the whole international community to address this challenge of great imminence and complexity.

Describing climate change as one of the most critical existential challenges, Dr Anthony Neoh in his Welcome Remarks stressed on the dire need to find common solutions through international law, echoing Professor Huang Jin’s comments on the significant contribution international law has made in the past in tackling this global crisis.

Then, in the Opening Addresses, the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR, Mr John Lee, reiterated Hong Kong’s active participation in environment protection and reaffirmed its commitment to develop Hong Kong into a green finance centre; Deputy Commissioner Fang Jianming spoke on ‘Solidarity and Real Action for Green Development and Ecological Civilisation’; and the Secretary for Justice of the Hong Kong SAR, Mr Paul Lam, underscored the principle of global partnership as enshrined in the vast body of multilateral environmental agreements.

Next was the Keynote Speech, featuring Mr Xie Zhenhua, who by drawing upon his solid expertise and rich experience in this field offered an in-depth and comprehensive review of various key issues deliberated in the recently concluded 27th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 27).

Following that, the Panel Discussion was moderated by Dr Neoh and joined by an array of expert speakers, including Professor Qin Tianbao, who focused on strengthening the synergy between climate and biodiversity strategies; Professor Benoît Mayer, who took an overall optimistic stance towards international law as a useful tool in addressing climate change, while also pinpointing some limitations; and Mr Raymund Chao, who discussed the ESG (environmental, social, and governance) reporting frameworks for enhanced effectiveness from a practical perspective.

Wrapping up the fruitful and inspiring discussions, Ms Teresa Cheng delivered the Concluding Remarks, reiterating the significance of multilateral cooperation in combating the global climate crisis.

What attendees say

• Very good overview, excellent!
• Perfect organisation around a list of intriguing topics.
• The contents were informative, insightful and useful, and would add significantly to my research endeavour.
• It met my expectations because of the speakers’ professional backgrounds and their detailed presentation materials.
• It provided audiences with different perspectives on current issues of climate change and its relevance to international law.

Play Video

Synergy between UNFCCC and CBD

Professor Dr Qin Tianbao

An International Solution to An International Problem?

Professor Benoit Mayer

ESG Reporting Frameworks

Mr Raymund Chao