On November 15, 2010, Mr. Michael Wood, an international legal scholar who was invited to visit the Wuhan University Law School, gave a lecture on “The United Kingdom and the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes” to all the teachers and students of the International Law Institute. The wonderful lectures of Settlement of International Disputes were hosted by Professor Yi Xianhe, Distinguished Professor of the Ministry of Education and Professor of International Law.
Before the lecture, Professor Yi Xianhe gave a brief introduction to Mr. Michael Wood's main experience. Mr. Michael Wood is currently a member of the United Nations International Law Committee, a senior research fellow from the Lauterpacht International Law Institute at Cambridge University, and a former FCO legal adviser to the United Kingdom; as an agent of the British Government, he participated in the Lockerbie case, the lawful use of force, etc. He has participated in many cases in other international courts and tribunals and has rich practical experience and high prestige in the resolution of international dispute cases.
Mr. Michael Wood elaborated on the topic of the lecture in two parts. First, he analyzed the importance and solutions of the peaceful settlement of international disputes in conjunction with Articles 2, 33 and 36 of the UN Charter, with particular emphasis on the role of the UN International Court of Justice in the peaceful settlement of international disputes. Secondly, he elaborated on the practice and efforts of the United Kingdom in international dispute settlement in combination with specific cases. First, the way in which the United Kingdom resolves international disputes is diversified, and in practice, judicial solutions are adopted. He pointed out that the United Kingdom is A country that has consistently accepted the jurisdiction of the United Nations International Court of Justice, analyzed the changes in the United Kingdom’s acceptance of the jurisdiction of the United Nations International Court of Justice, and elaborated on the differences between the United Kingdom’s acceptance of the United Nations International Court of Justice’s Declaration of Jurisdiction in 2004 and the previous declaration; Second, the United Kingdom resolves disputes through bilateral and multilateral treaties with other countries. Third, the United Kingdom also actively accepts the jurisdiction of other courts and tribunals in the world. Fourth, the United Kingdom is active as a third party outside the dispute. Participate in international dispute resolution.
During the course of the lecture, Mr. Michael Wood also mentioned his views on the UN International Court of Justice's advisory opinion on the Kosovo Unilateral Declaration.
The entire lecture lasted for 2 hours from 7:00 to 9:00 pm and had an active atmosphere. The students expressed that Mr. Michael Wood's wonderful lectures and patient answers have deepened their understanding of the international law dispute settlement mechanism, and hope that there will be more opportunities to listen to such high-level academic lectures in the future. Finally, the host, Professor Yi Xianhe, once again expressed his gratitude to Mr. Michael Wood, and the whole lecture ended in a warm applause! Before the seminar, Sir Michael Wood was invited to have dinner with Vice President Xie Hongxing and Professor Yu Minyou.
Writer: ZHU Lingling
