Draft as at 05 May 2025
Provisional Program

Day 1: 15 MAY
Opening Ceremony
Salão Nobre – Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Dili, Timor-Leste

8:00am – 8:30am: Registration (for conference participants who have not yet registered)

8:45am – 8:50am: Welcome Video

8:50am – 9:00am: Opening Remarks – H.E. President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, Dr. José Ramos-Horta

9:00am – 9:30am: Keynote Address – H.E. President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), Judge Tomas Heidar

Opening Ceremony Ends – Conference Participants depart for JL World Hotel

10:00am – 11:20am
Panel 1: Recent Developments in Maritime Boundary Settlement
Moderator: Professor Joanna Mossop, Victoria University of Wellington
Speakers:

Judge Jin-hyun Paik, Former President of ITLOS

Garth Schofield, Deputy Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration

Sir Michael Wood KCMG KC, Legal Counsel

Rodman Bundy, Legal Counsel, Squire Patton Boggs

11:30am – 11:45am: Coffee Break

11:45am – 1:15pm
Panel 2: Maritime Boundary Dispute Settlements in the Indo-Pacific
Moderator: Gitanjali Bajaj, DLA Piper
Speakers:

H.E. Lionel Yee, Deputy Attorney-General, Singapore

H.E. Ambassador Prof. Dr. Eddy Pratomo, University of Pancasila and University of Diponegoro

Lawrence Martin, Foley Hoag

Jens Kruger, Pacific Community

1:15pm – 2:45pm: Lunch Break

2:45pm – 4:45pm
Panel 3: Lessons Learned from the Timor Sea Conciliation
Moderator: Dr Vasco Becker-Weinberg, University of Lisbon
Speakers:

H.E. Agio Pereira, Minister of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Agent for Timor-Leste in the Timor Sea Conciliation

Katrina Cooper, Deputy Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Co-agent for Australia in the Timor Sea Conciliation

H.E. Ambassador Peter Taksøe-Jensen, Ambassador of Denmark to Italy, Chair of the Conciliation Commission

Martin Doe, Deputy Secretary-General of the Permanent Court of Arbitration

Reflections from the Conciliators:

Judge Rudiger Wolfrum

Judge Abdul Koroma

Professor Donald McRae

Dr Rosalie Balkin

4:45pm – 5:00pm: Coffee Break (Buses depart for hotels)

7:00pm: Welcome Dinner at Palácio Nobre de Lahane
Hosted by: H.E. Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, Prime Minister of Timor-Leste

Day 2: 16 MAY
Theme: Managing Maritime Disputes and the Relevance of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise in Maritime Delimitation

9:00am – 9:10am: Opening Remarks – H.E. Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão

9:10am – 9:40am: Keynote Speech – The Hon. Johnny Koanapo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance and Economic Management of Vanuatu

9:40am – 10:00am: Coffee Break

10:00am – 11:30am
Panel 1: Management of Disputed Maritime Areas and Fostering Ocean Governance
Moderator: H.E. Dr Dionisio Babo Soares, Permanent Representative of Timor-Leste to the United Nations
Speakers:

Professor Nguyen Lan Anh, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

Professor Makoto Seta, Waseda University

Dr Vasco Becker-Weinberg, University of Lisbon

Dr Ifesinachi Okafor-Yarwood, University of St Andrews

11:30am – 1:00pm
Panel 2: Climate Change and Sea Level Rise in Maritime Delimitation
Moderator: Professor Margaret Young, University of Melbourne
Speakers:

Christopher Tavoa, General Counsel, Attorney General’s Office of Vanuatu

Dr Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Dr Tara Davenport, National University of Singapore, Centre of International Law

1:00pm – 2:00pm: Lunch Break

2:00pm – 3:30pm
Panel 3: ITLOS and ICJ Advisory Opinions on Climate Change
Moderator: Stephen Webb, DLA Piper
Speakers:

H.E. Dr Eselealofa ‘Ese’ Apinelu, former Attorney General of Tuvalu

Justice Paula da Conceição Machatine Honwana, Judge of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone

Emeritus Professor Donald McRae, University of Ottawa

Dr Naporn Prompt Poppattanachai, University of Galway

3:30pm – 3:50pm: Coffee Break

3:50pm – 5:20pm
Panel 4: The High Sea Treaty and Its Implications for Global Governance
Moderator: Eran Sthoeger, Columbia University
Speakers:

Professor Margaret Young, University of Melbourne

Professor Joanna Mossop, Victoria University of Wellington

Dr Xiangxin Xu, Shanghai Jiao Tong University

Rose Kautoke, Senior Crown Counsel, Head of the Legal Advice and International Law Division, Attorney General’s Office, Kingdom of Tonga

5:20pm – 5:30pm
Closing / Wrap-Up
Speaker: Elizabeth Exposto, Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of Timor-Leste, CEO of the Land and Maritime Boundary Office, Deputy Agent for Timor-Leste in the Timor Sea Conciliation