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President |
Ram Niwas Mirdha |
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Executive President |
V. S. Mani |
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Vice Presidents |
V. C. Govindaraj
R.K.P. Shankardass, Veena Bakshi |
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Treasurer |
J.S. Gill |
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Secretary-General &
Editor |
C. Jayaraj |
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Editor-in-chief,
IJIL |
Rahmatullah Khan |
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Assistant Editor |
Manoj Kumar Sinha |
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From
the President's Desk
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 The massive earthquake that struck off the north
west coast of the
Island of Sumatra, Indonesia on December 26,2004
triggered killer
waves (tsunamis), which caused thousands of
fatalities and
immense destruction in South East Asian region. This
quake and
subsequent tsunamis remind us that communities
around the
world remain at high risk of human, economic and
social losses
in the face of a disaster.
Early warning and prevention are of great
significance in dealing
with natural disasters. So disaster reduction is the
best of all
bargains, it saves more lives, protects livelihoods
and builds a better
future. It is to be noted that what has been
attained in the field of disaster reduction is
partly
due to the achievements of the International Decade
for Natural Disaster Reduction and the
work of the International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (ISDR). It provides a framework to
systematically characterize, measure, assess and
respond to weather related disasters at local,
national, regional and international levels.
The UNGA by its resolutions in February 2004
emphasized that disaster reduction is an
important element to achieve sustainable
development. While recognizing the importance
of the international cooperation, it decided to
convene a World Conference on Disaster
Reduction in January 2005 to ensure the compliance
of the Plan of Implementation of the
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)
concerning risk assessment, disaster
reduction and early warning system. The WSSD reminds
the international community that
faulty development and inappropriate use of
resources are factors that contribute to natural
disasters. Although global warming is not the
primary cause of present disaster trends, the
two issues are intimately linked and must be dealt
with in an integrated manner. The
resolution also encourages the Conference of Parties
(CoP) of the Frame Work Convention
on Climate Change and parties to Kyoto Protocol on
Climate Change to assess the adverse
effects of climate change on the socio-economic and
natural disaster reduction systems of
developing countries.
The international law on human rights and many
constitutions around the world have
guaranteed the right to life. This might acquire
imminent importance on the face of natural
calamities such as the recent tsunami. As we have
seen, it is not possible for any single
country or government to tackle the tragical
aftermath of a tsunami like disaster. The entire
international community under the auspices of the UN
should work out an International
Convention to provide relief and rehabilitative
measures for such transnational natural
disasters. |
ISIL Holds the Second International Law
Conference
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 The Second International Law Conference
was organized by ISIL from 14-17 November
2004 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
The conference was divided into three
working sessions each day, for four days,
besides the inaugural, special plenary and
the valedictory sessions.
Shri. K. Natwar Singh, Hon'ble Minister for
External Affairs inaugurated the conference
on 14th November 2004 at Stein Auditorium,
India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. He
emphasized that the discipline of
international law must catch up with the
developments, such as international
terrorism, international trade, international
human rights and the importance of
amicably resolving political and economic
conflicts among nations. Mr. Philippe Kirsch,
President, International Criminal Court, The
Hague and Prof. Sergio Marchisio,
Secretary General, Italian Society of
International Law also addressed the
session. Messages from H.E. Kofi Annan,
Secretary General, the United Nations and
H.E. Shi Jiuyong, President, International
Court of Justice were read out.
Shri. Ram Niwas Mirdha, President, ISIL
welcomed the guests and the delegates and
later Prof. V.S. Mani, Executive President,
ISIL proposed a vote of thanks.
In the evening a colorful cultural programme
was performed by the Sahitya Kala
Parishad, New Delhi. Smt. Shovana
Narayan rendered a Kathak performance
followed by U.P. folk songs.
Nearly 500 delegates of whom 58 from
abroad participated. The delegates had
come from various backgrounds such as
Universities, Law colleges, International
Institutions, Government Ministries, Defense
Headquarters, the United Nations,
International Criminal Court, International
Law Societies, Specialized Agencies of the
U.N. and other Regional Organizations.
Three parallel sessions were organized on
each day. A couple of sessions, viz., Right to
Education and Poverty as a Violation of
Human Rights were organized jointly with
UNESCO; session on International
Humanitarian Law was organized by ISIL
and ICRC and session on International
Refugee Law jointly with UNHCR. The other
sessions were on Investment Law,
Intellectual Property Rights, Humanitarian
Law, United Nations and the Emerging
World Order, Private International Law, Law
of Outer Space; Human Rights; World Trade
Organization; International Refugee Law;
International Law of Environment and
Sustainable Development.
The conference witnessed lively
interventions by delegates during all
sessions. Totally about 100 papers were
presented by Indian and overseas experts.
A special plenary was held on 15th
November 2004. Hon'ble Vice President of
India Shri. Bhairon Singh Shekhawat
addressed the special plenary. In his
address he referred to the importance of
international law in a world of increasing
globalization. Dr. Kamal Hossain, Vice
President, International Law Association,
Mr, James Carter, President, American
Society of International Law and R.K.P.
Sankardass, Vice President, ISIL also
addressed.
 A valedictory session was held on 17th
November 2004 at the Stein Auditorium.
Prof. (Mrs.) Veena Bakshi, Vice President,
ISIL chaired the valedictory session. In her
address, she recapitulated the four days
conference by pointing out the highlights of
the presentations and the important points
that arose during discussions.
Five delegates representing five regions
shared their views about the conference.
Prof. M. Sornarajah, National University of
Singapore, Prof. Ved. P. Nanda, from the
USA, Dr. Olivier M. Ribbelink from Europe.
Dr. Ximena Fuentes from Latin America and
Prof. V.M. Peshwe from India were spoke on
behalf of the delegates. They highlighted the
importance of the conference and expressed
their happiness and gratefulness for fruitfully
organizing the conference and also the
hospitality provided.
Shri. Ram Niwas Mirdha, President, ISIL in
his concluding remarks stated that the
conference gave a new confidence to the
ISIL to hold international conferences in their
true sense and that the ISIL would look
forward to hold more conferences of this
nature, which would foster respect for
international law. The valedictory session of
the conference concluded with a vote of
thanks by Prof. V.C. Govindaraj, Vice
President, ISIL. The conference gave a
standing ovation to Shri. Ram Niwas Mirdha
appreciating his efforts to made the
conference a success.
During the conference, bilateral discussions
were also held between the ISIL and The
American Society of International Law, The
Italian Society of International Law, The
French Society of International Law, The
Singapore Society of International Law,
International Progress Organization, Vienna,
The TMC Asser Institute, The Hague and
Foundation for the Development of
International Law. The TMC Asser Institute
and ISIL signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) for mutual
cooperation. At the initiation of the ISIL, a
meeting was arranged between the foreign
delegates, including Mr. Philippe Kirsch,
President, International Criminal Court, The
Hague; Mr. Hans van Loon, Secretary
General and Prof. William Duncan, Deputy
Secretary General, The Hague conference
on Private International Law; and Mr. Tjaco
van de Hout, Secretary General, Permanent
Court of Arbitration, and high ranking
functionaries of the Govt. of India namely,
Shri. K. Natwar Singh, Hon'ble Minister for
External Affairs, Shri. Hans Raj Bhardwaj,
Hon'ble Minister for Law, Justice &
Company Affairs, and Shri. Prithviraj
Chavan, Hon'ble Minister of State in the
Prime Minister's Office. |
The Fourth Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court
Competition
|
 The Indian Society of International Law
(ISIL) and the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) jointly organized the
Fourth Henry Dunant Memorial Moot Court
Competition at the Society's premises from
16th—17th October 2004. More than
42 teams, each comprising two mooters
and two researchers, from various
universities and prestigious law colleges of
different parts of India were participated.
The Competition was designed to give wider
dissemination to and raise awareness of
International Humanitarian Law issues
amongst law students in India.
Dr. Wafik Zahir Kamil, Secretary General,
Asian African Legal Consultative
Organization (AALCO) inaugurated the
function. In his address, he appreciated the
efforts of the ISIL and ICRC in organizing
the Moot Court Competition and
emphasized the importance of the
International Humanitarian Law in the
present context of alleged war against
terrorism. Shri. Ram Niwas Mirdha,
President, ISIL in his welcome address
introduced the Society and its activities to
the participants.
The Competition was organized in three
rounds, namely, Preliminary, Semi-final and
Final. The participants were judged on the
basis of written memorials, appreciation of
the facts and law, advocacy skills, use of
authorities and citations, general impression
and court manners.
The teams qualified for the semi finals were
Gujarat National Law University; Amity Law
School, New Delhi; NALSAR, Hyderabad;
Campus Law Centre, New Delhi;
Dr. Ambedkar Law College, Chennai; ILS
law College, Pune; National Law University,
Jodhpur and National Law Institute
University, Bhopal.
 Dr. R. K. Dixit. Dr. V. D. Sharma, Prof. B. T.
Kaul, Brigadier J. S. Yadav, Shri. Y. S. R.
Murthy and Dr. A.S. Reddy, Wg. Cdr. U. C. Jha, Shri.
G. V. Rao, Shri. Luther Rangreji
and Shri. Shikar Ranjan judged the teams in
the preliminary rounds and semi finals.
Dr. Ali Reza Deihim, Deputy Secretary
General, AALCO, Major General Nelendra
Kumar, jag (Army), Dr. R.K. Dixit, former
Legal Adviser, MEA, Government of India
formed the bench in the Final. After an
intellectually stimulating session of three
hours, the team from ILS Law Collge, Pune
comprising Mr. Jigar, Mr. M. Patel,
Mr. Saurabh Khatri, Ms. Ayesha Sen
Chaudhary and Mr. R. Shankar was
adjudged the winner.
Dr. Ali Reza Deihim presented the Running
trophy and Gold medals to winning team.
The Runners up trophy and silver medal
were awarded to Dr. Ambedkar Law College,
Chennai by Mr. Vincent Nicod, Head,
Regional Delegation of ICRC in South Asia,
New Delhi. The best Advocate award
presented to Ms. G. Archana Rajaram,
Dr. Ambedkar Law College, Chennai by Mr.
Casper Landolt, Communication-
Coordinator, ICRC, New Delhi. NALSAR,
Hydrabad bagged best Memorial and
Researcher award. Mr. Larry Maybee,
Regional Legal Adviser, ICRC handed over
the best Memorial award and Dr. A.S. Reddy
presented the best Researcher award.
Shri. C. Jayaraj, Secretary General, ISIL in
his concluding remarks congratulated all the
participants who took so much of efforts to
come from all over the country to participate
in the moot court competition and invited all
teams to participate in the moot court
competition going to be held in 2005. |
Subscribe to Indian Journal of International Law
(IJIL)IJIL is a leading Journal in the field
of international law from the developing world,
edited by Prof. Rahmatullah Khan, an eminent
international lawyer. IJIL carries articles, notes,
comments and official documents on all issues of
contemporary
international law.
For subscription: please contact ISIL Office. |
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
ISIL-AIL Joint Workshop on International Law
The ISIL and Army Institute of Law (AIL),
Chandigarh will jointly organizing a
workshop on international law from 8-9 January 2005.
The following are the topics of the workshop:
- International Law and the Recent
Developments
- International Criminal Law and Courts
- Issues of International Trade Law and
- International Humanitarian Law
Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court
Competition
The Indian Society of International Law is
organizing India North Rounds of the Phillip C.
Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in
collaboration with International Attorneys, Chennai
from 28-30 January 2005 at the Society's premises.
The Competition is intended to disseminate the
knowledge of international law amongst law students
in India.
ISIL-GH Raisoni Law School Joint Conference on
International Law
ISIL-GH Raisoni Law School, Nagpur will be
jointly conducting a conference on international law
from 26-27 February 2005 at Nagpur.
Annual Conference
The Indian Society of International Law (ISIL)
will be organizing its 34th Annual Conference from
12-13 March 2005 at
Krishna Menon Bhavan (ISIL), New Delhi.
Fourth Summer Course on International Law
The ISIL will be conducting its Fourth Summer
Course on International Law from 24th June-7th July
2005 to impart current
developments in international law. |
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