Hanoi (VNA) - The Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam teamed up with the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL) to kick off the 10th Biennial Conference of the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL) themed “Strengthening the Role of International Law in Asia,” in Hanoi on October 9.
In her opening speech, Ambassador and AsianSIL President Dr Pham Lan Dung said that since its founding in 2007, the society has served as a community for the free exchange of ideas, a professional forum on international law, and a bridge connecting legal scholars across Asia.
Over the past 18 years, AsianSIL has grown into a dynamic intellectual community. Through conferences, workshops, and its flagship Asian Journal of International Law, it has fostered dialogue, nurtured young scholars, and amplified Asia’s perspectives at global legal forums.
Dung warned that trust in global institutions and multilateral cooperation faces unprecedented challenges, with respect to international law under test across multiple domains. Asia, one of the world’s most dynamic yet complex regions, is at the heart of these shifts, she said.
For Asia, strengthening the role of international law means not only upholding its core principles but also actively shaping the region’s progressive development, she stressed.
Lewe Paul, representing Germany’s Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS), underscored Asia’s status as the world’s largest and most dynamic continent and a central actor in global political, economic, and legal development. He said it is natural that the region’s voice increasingly shapes the codification of international rules and norms that drive legal progress worldwide.
The two-day conference features two plenary sessions and thematic discussions to fully address key international legal issues, including the law of the sea, dispute settlement, trade and investment. It will also explore emerging frontiers of international law, from space governance to data regulation, artificial intelligence, and digital sovereignty, with insights from seasoned judges, distinguished professors, leading legal experts, and promising young scholars.
A post-opening panel on Asia’s role in advancing international law stressed that strengthening international law in the region is a long-term, collective endeavour. Asia is increasingly asserting itself as a proactive contributor to the evolution and enforcement of international law. From shaping global trade norms through free trade agreements to advancing maritime law, climate change law, human rights, and regional security cooperation, Asia is enriching international law through inclusivity, mutual respect, and collaboration./.
