On April 2, the 5th Wuhan University International Law Forum 2018 was successfully held in Room 323 of Law School. The speaker was Shinya Murase, a member of UN International Law Committee. He gave a speech with the theme of the international law and the protection of the atmosphere—and the proceeding of the work of the UN International Law Committee, while the host is Prof. NIE Jianqiang.

Prof. Shinya Murase is a visiting Professor at Peking University Law School, an honorary retired Professor at Jochi University in Japan, a member of the International Permanent Court of Arbitration, a member of the Institute of International Law, a member of the Executive Committee of the International Law Association, a member of the Executive Committee of the Japan Branch of the International Law Association, legal adviser to the Japanese delegation of the Committee and distinguished expert of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum.

Prof. Shinya Murase first introduced the development process of the United Nations International Law Commission from the perspective of historical evolution, focusing on the criteria for the selection of issues of the United Nations International Law Commission. He pointed out that atmospheric mobility is transnational and international atmospheric legal cooperation is necessary. Prof. Shinya Murase analyzed the legal norms, policy documents and judgments of the International Court of Justice on atmospheric protection, introduced the cooperation between the scientific community and the international jurisprudence in atmospheric protection, and discussed the draft guiding principles for atmospheric protection in the discussion of the UN International Law Commission. The content of the case demonstrates the protection of special populations, the implementation of domestic and international law, dispute settlement and procedural rules. Prof. Shinya Murase concluded that the most important international legislation in the 21st century should be the Convention on Atmospheric Protection.

In the Q&A session, regarding the legal issues of transnational air pollution, Prof. Shinya Murase emphasized that the relevant work of the UN International Law Commission is focused on international cooperation rather than legal accountability. The host Prof. Nie Jianqiang finally summarized the contents of Prof. Shinya Murase's lecture. He believed that atmospheric protection and climate environmental protection should be different. The international community needs to strengthen global legal cooperation on atmospheric protection to jointly meet new challenges.

Writer: Pu Yuntao