International Conference - Freedom of the Seas: Past, Present and Future
Key information
- Date
- Time
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9:00 am to 6:00 pm
- Venue
- British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL), 17 Russell Square, London WC1B 5JP and Online (in GMT)
About this event
The aim of the Conference is to comprehensively discuss the principle of freedom of the seas, drawing lessons from its past, analysing the challenges that it presently encounters, and advancing proposals for its future (re)conceptualisation.
The Conference will constitute the closing event of the research project on freedom of the seas and individual freedom led by Professor Irini Papanicolopulu and funded by the British Academy under grant GP/400339 (2023-2027).
This event is being co-convened with the British Institute of International and Comparative Law.
Conference concept
Freedom of the seas is a fundamental principle that has shaped international law since its inception, framing patterns of commerce, human mobility, communication, access to resources, and security. The relationship between freedom of the seas and other core interests or concerns of international law, however, is not straightforward, and may go from mutual support to actual hindrance.
Today, freedom of the sea faces multiple and distinct challenges. On the one hand, freedom of the sea is put into question by initiatives that aim at preventing sea users from freely navigating and conducting other activities, permitted by international law. On the other hand, the very concept of freedom of the sea is subject to critical scrutiny, pointing out how freedom of the seas has promoted practices such as colonization, slavery and forced labour, extractivism including IUU fishing, and environmental degradation.
The Conference will bring together leading scholars and practitioners, providing a space to explore the historical origins of this core concept of international, discuss current criticism that the principle is receiving from many different quarters, and assess its potential to still having a fundamental part in the regulation of the oceans and the persons who are therein. Key questions include the following: Can freedom of the seas still contribute to effective governance of the oceans? Can the principle be brought at the forefront of strategies to address contemporary challenges that affect the maritime domain, including climate change, conflict, migration and trade blockades? Is the current regulation of freedom of the seas, as incorporated in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), appropriate to today’s changing world? And what contribution can international lawyers bring to the debate on the continuing relevance of this principle?
