The External Programme

2025 External Programme in Vanuatu

The 2025 External Programme will take place in Port-Vila from 3 to 10 October 2025.
The programme topic is “International Law, Climate Change, and Climate Justice: Achievements and Challenges“.
The session will be held in English only.

Registrations for the 2025 External Programme are open between 13 March and 1 May 2025 (23:59 hrs. GMT+1, The Hague time).

The core programme will consist of the following lectures:

The International Regime for the Protection of the Environment and the Climate System
Prof. Moïse Makane Mbengue,
Professor at the University of Geneva, Member of the Curatorium
International Law and the Protection of Small Island States in the Face of Climate Change and Rising Sea Levels – Recent Developments
Aspects Related to the Law of the Sea and the Environment
Prof. Nilüfer Oral
Director of the National University of Singapore Centre for International Law and Member of the International Law Commission, Member of the Curatorium
International Law and the Protection of Small Island States in the Face of Climate Change and Rising Sea Levels – Recent Developments
Aspects Related to Statehood and the Protection of Persons Affected
Prof. Patrícia Galvão Teles
Professor at the Autonomous University of Lisbon and Member of the International Law Commission, Member of the Curatorium
Dealing with Climate Change Issues within Investment Arbitration: Challenges and Prospective Assessments
Prof. Diego P. Fernández Arroyo
President of the Curatorium, Professor at Sciences Po Law School, Paris
Access to Inter-State Justice; Ways and Limits to the Peaceful Settlement of Inter-State Disputes
Prof. Jean-Marc Thouvenin
Secretary-General, Professor at Paris-Nanterre University

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At the end of the 1960s, the Academy set up a regional External Programme which generally takes place annually and on a rotating basis in Africa, Asia or Latin America, upon the invitation of a foreign government or an international organization. This intensive programme has a duration of seven full days. It is a means not only of developing knowledge on aspects of international law that are of particular interest to the region, but also, by the way in which it is organized, of furthering exchanges between attendees from the countries in the area.

The teaching is highly interactive and aims to promote dialogue and discussion; two aspects that are further encouraged during the more informal lectures, meetings, visits and meals that are also part of the schedule. The External Programme brings together a number of nationals of the host State and approximately 20 attendees from other countries in the region. Since the beginning, hundreds of lecturers and more than 1500 participants from Africa, Asia and Latin America have attended the sessions. Registration for this programme is free of charge.