RCI-POD
WEBINAR 21
3:00–4:30 pm (Manila) Platform: Microsoft Teams Meeting
Trade dispute resolution in Asia and the Pacific: Insights and policy challenges
The webinar, jointly organized by ADB’s Office of the General Counsel and Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department and to be opened by Vice President Bruce Gosper, will shed light on the current landscape of trade dispute resolution mechanisms in the Asia and Pacific region, their strengths, weaknesses, and potential implications in response to COVID-19 and the post-pandemic economic recovery. It will also help identify possible synergies in the dispute settlement mechanisms of regional trade agreements and understand the demand for capacity building among ADB’s developing member economies in this area.
Register with the RCI-POD Secretariat.
Video Link:
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Link to YouTube
Downloads:
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Agenda (PDF)
Previous Episode:
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ADB International Investment Agreement Tool Kit: A Comparative Approach
27 May 2021 3:00–4:30 pm
(Manila) Next Episode:
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Global value chain reshoring: Impact and policy responses
14 Jul 2021 3:00–4:30 pm
(Manila)
- Opening Remarks:
Bruce Gosper Vice-President for Administration and Corporate Management, Asian Development Bank (ADB)Bio PresentationBruce Gosper is the Vice-President for Administration and Corporate Management of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He assumed the position on 1 February 2021. Mr. Gosper is responsible for the overall management of the operations of the Budget, People, and Management Systems Department; Corporate Services Department; Office of the General Counsel; Information Technology Department; Office of the Secretary; and Procurement, Portfolio and Financial Management Department.
Prior to joining ADB, Mr. Gosper was the Australian High Commissioner to Singapore, and a member of the Asia Society Australia Advisory Council. With 40 years of experience working with multilateral and regional institutions and running large public sector organizations, he has profound knowledge and experience in digitalization, multilateral trade negotiations, regional cooperation, investments and trade promotions, international relations, diplomacy, and corporate administrations.
Mr. Gosper oversaw corporate reform initiatives as former Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Trade and Investment Commission and Deputy Secretary of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade that lifted gender diversity and equality, and put in place new policy directions toward greater client focus. As Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, he led Australia’s multilateral trade initiatives and chaired the WTO General Council and WTO Dispute Settlement Body. He held senior roles in the Australian Embassies in Washington and Tokyo, as well as served on the Board of the former Australian Export Finance.
Mr. Gosper has contributed in initiating policy and administrative reforms, supporting infrastructure developments, multilateral negotiations, and promoting trade and investment relationships.
Mr. Gosper completed his Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors at Macquarie University. He acquired a graduate certificate in Public Policy from University of New England.
Presentation:Trade Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in Asia and the Pacific: Prospects and Challenges
Rambod Behboodi International Trade Law and Policy SpecialistBio PresentationRambod Behboodi developed an in-depth understanding of dispute resolution in the Asia-Pacific Region while serving as Canada’s delegate to the APEC Dispute Mediation Experts Group. He gained particular insight into the operation of regional trade agreements as counsel in the Supply Management case, the first inter-state case under the NAFTA; he then negotiated the rules of procedure for the NAFTA’s highly innovative labour and environmental side agreement dispute resolution mechanisms; as General Counsel at Canada’s Finance Ministry, he worked closely on the dispute settlement mechanism of the Canada-EU CETA.
As a Canadian trade diplomat and litigator, he argued numerous cases before panels and the Appellate Body and served on postings to Brussels and Geneva, where he was deeply engaged in dispute settlement reform negotiations. He has taught international trade law in universities in Canada and Europe, and in the past five years has been deeply involved in training and capacity-building for developing countries.
Panel Discussion:Moderator:
Jong Woo Kang Principal Economist, Regional Cooperation and Integration Division, ERCD, ADBBioJong Woo Kang is principal economist at the Economic Research and Cooperation Department of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He is a seasoned economist with extensive knowledge and experiences on policy and strategic issues. He was senior advisor to the managing director general of ADB and senior economist at Strategy and Policy Department at ADB. He leads the annual publication of Asian Economic Integration Report. Areas of his research interest include regional integration, inclusive growth, macroeconomic and international trade policies, and aid effectiveness. He has published research articles in academic journals such as Journal of Development Economics and Journal of World Trade, and wrote numerous blogs and opinion articles on global macroeconomy and international trade and finance. Before joining ADB, he was director at Ministry of Finance and Economy of the Republic of Korea. He had got his BA in economics and MA in public administration from Seoul National University, and PhD in economics from University of Washington.
Panelists:
Yuka Fukunaga Professor, Waseda UniversityBioYuka Fukunaga is Professor at Waseda University, where she teaches public international law and international economic law. She is an Executive Council Member of the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL) and of the Japan Chapter of the Asian Society of International Law (AsianSIL), as well as Board Member of the Japan Association of International Economic Law. She is also a Book Review Editor for the Journal of International Economic Law (JIEL).
Professor Fukunaga was an assistant legal counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) (2012-2013) and an intern at the Appellate Body Secretariat, World Trade Organization (WTO) (2002).
Professor Fukunaga holds an LL.D. (2013) and an LL.M. (1999) from the Graduate Schools for Law and Politics, University of Tokyo, and an LL.M. (2000) from the School of Law, University of California, Berkeley.
Professor Fukunaga has published a number of articles and chapters in the field of international trade and investment law. She won the Waseda Research Award in 2017.
Jan Bohanes Senior Counsel, Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL)BioJan Bohanes is Senior Counsel at the Advisory Centre on WTO Law (ACWL) in Geneva, Switzerland, where he advises governments of developing Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on all matters of WTO law and in WTO dispute settlement. Before joining the ACWL, Jan was a legal officer in the WTO Appellate Body Secretariat and subsequently an associate attorney at the law firm Sidley & Austin. He regularly teaches international trade law in several academic institutions and has published extensively on issues in WTO law. A more detailed biography as well as a list of publications can be found at https://www.acwl.ch/team/mr-jan-bohanes/.
Jaemin Lee Professor, School of Law, Seoul National UniversityBioJaemin Lee is currently Professor of Law at School of Law, Seoul National University in Seoul, Republic of Korea. He obtained his LL.B., LL.M. and Ph.D. from Seoul National University; LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center; and J.D. from Boston College Law School. His major areas of teaching and research are public international law, international economic law and international dispute settlement. Upon graduation from College of Law, Seoul National University in 1992, he joined the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a foreign service officer. His post in the ministry included deputy directorship of the Treaties Division and the North American Trade Division. Between 2000 and 2004, he also practiced law with Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (Washington, D.C. office) as an associate attorney of the firm’s international trade group. From 2004 to 2013, he taught international law and international economic law at School of Law, Hanyang University in Seoul, Republic of Korea. He has published articles and books (including book chapters) on various topics of public international law, international investment law and international trade law. Since 2012, he has been participating in UNCITRAL Working Groups II and III as delegate of the Republic of Korea.
Q&A