International Law Certification Course 2021
With almost three decades to the establishment of the Research Society of International Law, a foundational objective of the organization has been to promote an understanding of International Law amongst the young professionals and students in Pakistan. The aim has been to fill the gap within the existing legal education system with regards to various specializations of international law and create experts who are capable of understanding this unique area of the law and represent Pakistan at international forums.
Since 2005, RSIL has hosted the International Law Certification Course for students and young professionals seeking greater knowledge about international law. Annually these participants have been invited to the RSIL premises in Lahore and Islamabad to gain an in-depth understanding of both the basic framework of international law and those fields in which Pakistan places a particular interest.
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we once again decided to conduct ILCC completely online. With an amalgamation of online classes via zoom along with a specialized learning management system created to host additional learning materials and assessments, this year’s certification course was designed to allow a deeper understanding of international law and its relevance to Pakistan in various crucial matters.
This year RSIL received over 150 applications from all over Pakistan and even citizens overseas, making the selection process more competitive than ever. The RSIL team carefully selected 54 participants which showed a keen interest and commitment to building a career in international law. This year we are proud to have also distributed six scholarships to participants demonstrating growth, development, and promise in various branches of international law and international relations.
The week-long training was held from the 2nd of August to 6th August 2021 with lectures, panel discussions, presentations with experts from the RSIL Team, and external speakers along with interactive group activities all via Zoom. At the end of each day the participants were directed to the learning management system where they could seek further reading materials, videos, the presentations by the speakers during the day, and then finally submit their daily assessments.
Day 1 – Understanding the Significance of International Law
The first day of ILCC aimed at developing a basic understanding of the significance of international law. The day started with a welcome address, introductions of all the participants, and an orientation of RSIL’s Online Training Platform by Mr. Abraze Aqil (Senior Research Associate, RSIL). This was followed by lectures on the following:
- Basic Principles of International Law
- Oves Anwar (Director Research, RSIL)
- Emerging International Law Issues for Pakistan
- Jamal Aziz (Executive Director, RSIL)
- International Nuclear Law
- Oves Anwar (Director Research, RSIL)
Day 2 – Protection and Promotion of Human Rights
The second day of ILCC focused on the protection and promotion of human rights from an international and domestic legal perspective. This included the following lectures:
- Introduction to International Human Rights Law
- Zoha Shahid (Senior Research Associate, RSIL)
- International Human Rights Law and Pakistan’s Domestic Legal Framework
- Minahil Khan (Senior Research Fellow, RSIL)
- Business and Human Rights
- Zoha Shahid (Senior Research Associate, RSIL)
- Global Health Security Law and Right to Health under Pakistani Constitution
- Minahil Khan (Senior Research Fellow, RSIL)
- Global Health Security Laws in the Context of Pakistan
- Mubashar Rizvi (Research Associate, RSIL)
- Fundamentals of Legislative Drafting
- Oves Anwar (Director Research, RSIL)
The day ended with an interactive activity where participants were divided into teams and asked to draft legislation on the following topics:
- Transpose the ‘Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography’ into Domestic Pakistani Law.
- Transpose the Articles of the ‘Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance’ into Domestic Pakistani Law
- Transpose the Articles of the UN Convention Against Torture into Domestic Pakistani Law.
- Draft a Bill for the National Assembly of Pakistan on Domestic Violence.
Day 3 – Law of Conflict
Day 3 of ILCC was designed to focus on the Laws of Conflict. This included lectures on the following:
- Introduction to International Humanitarian Law
- Ayesha Malik (Research Fellow, RSIL)
- Legal Aspects of the Kashmir Issue
- Jamal Aziz (Executive Director, RSIL)
In addition to the lectures, Day 3 also included a panel discussion on Legal Implications of the US Withdrawal from Afghanistan. The panelists included Mr. Salman Zaidi (Director Programs, Jinnah Institute), Mr. Ali Sultan (Vice President, RSIL) and Ms. Ayesha Malik (Research Fellow, RSIL). The session was moderated by Mr. Oves Anwar (Director Research, RSIL)
Day 4 — Criminal Justice and International Law
The fourth day of ILCC involved discussions on the intersection of Criminal Justice and International Law. This included lectures on the following
- Impact of International Law on Domestic Criminal Law in Pakistan
- Jamal Aziz (Executive Director, RSIL)
- Challenges Faced by Criminal Justice Sector in Pakistan
- Kamran Adil (DIG Headquarters, Islamabad Police)
- Legal Challenges in Investigation and Prosecution of Heinous Offences in Pakistan
- Zainab Mustafa (Deputy Director, RSIL)
- FATF and Pakistan
- Noor Fatima (Research Associate, RSIL)
The lectures were followed an interactive activity where participants were tasked with giving presentations on different aspects of Criminal Justice and International Law. The presentations covered topics such as
- Effectiveness of Witness Protection Programs in Pakistan
- International Cooperation and the FATF Framework
- Legal Framework Governing Sexual Violence Offences
- Interplay between International Human Rights Law and Pakistan’s Criminal Justice System.
Day 5 – Climate Change, Skills and Career Development, Debates
The final day of ILCC 2021 was a blend of theoretical learning and career development. The lectures covered the following:
- International Environmental Law
- Ayesha Malik (Research Fellow, RSIL)
- Graduate Studies Abroad
- Moderated by Noor Fatima (Research Associate, RSIL)
- Legal Research Skills
- Semra Islam (Junior Research Associate, RSIL)
- Career Opportunities at International Organisations
- Saad ur Rehman (Project Manager at ICMPD)
The lectures were followed by an interactive activity where the participants were divided into 8 teams and given topics to debate on. Each team was represented by two speakers who had a total of 10 minutes to present their stance. The topics of debate included:
- Climate change disproportionately impacts developing countries
- Revocation of Article 370 is an internal matter for India
- Does the law of armed conflict make war more acceptable?
- Public hangings are an acceptable punishment for heinous crimes
In addition to the lectures and activities, there was also a panel discussion on Climate Change and Pakistan. The panelists included Hassan Sipra (Climate Finance Fellow, RSIL), Kashmala Kakakhel (Climate Finance Expert) and Ahmed Rafay Alam (Advocate High Court). The discussion was moderated by Ayesha Malik (Research Fellow, RSIL).
Following the conclusion of the debates, Mr. Ahmer Bilal Soofi (Founder and President of RSIL) engaged with participants and answered their questions about the importance of International Law for Pakistan, as well as career prospects for Pakistani lawyers. After this, the judges announced the best performers of ILCC 2021.
- Best Candidates (awarded month long paid internship at RSIL)
- Khalil Khan Sahibzada
- Syed Qasim Abbas
- Honourable Mention
- Areesha Shahid
- Best Team in Debates Competition
- Ali Raza
- Syed Qasim Abbas
- Best Performer in Online Activities
- Muhammad Ajlal
With initiatives like ILCC, RSIL aims to continue to act as a facilitator enhancing the understanding of international law in Pakistan and to provide the aspiring international law experts in the country with the background knowledge that will lead to further research and perhaps eventually a career in international law.
The final day of ILCC 2021 was a blend of theoretical learning and career development. The lectures covered the following:
- International Environmental Law
- Ayesha Malik (Research Fellow, RSIL)
- Graduate Studies Abroad
- Moderated by Noor Fatima (Research Associate, RSIL)
- Legal Research Skills
- Semra Islam (Junior Research Associate, RSIL)
- Career Opportunities at International Organisations
- Saad ur Rehman (Project Manager at ICMPD)
The lectures were followed by an interactive activity where the participants were divided into 8 teams and given topics to debate on. Each team was represented by two speakers who had a total of 10 minutes to present their stance. The topics of debate included:
- Climate change disproportionately impacts developing countries
- Revocation of Article 370 is an internal matter for India
- Does the law of armed conflict make war more acceptable?
- Public hangings are an acceptable punishment for heinous crimes
In addition to the lectures and activities, there was also a panel discussion on Climate Change and Pakistan. The panelists included Hassan Sipra (Climate Finance Fellow, RSIL), Kashmala Kakakhel (Climate Finance Expert) and Ahmed Rafay Alam (Advocate High Court). The discussion was moderated by Ayesha Malik (Research Fellow, RSIL).
