Fourth Manfred Lachs International Conference on Conflicts in Space and the Rule of Law

Friday 27 May 2016

Day 1

7:30 – 8:30 REGISTRATION 

Room: Mont Royal I [20th floor]

8:30 – 9:30 WELCOMING REMARKS

• Ram Jakhu, Associate Professor, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University, CANADA
  Welcome Remarks and Introduction
• Paul Dempsey, Director, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University, CANADA
• Daniel Jutras, Dean of Faculty of Law, McGill University, CANADA
• Rosie Goldstein, Vice-Principal (Research and Innovations), McGill University, CANADA

KEYNOTE SPEECH

• David Kendall, Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (2016-2017), CANADA
• Niklas Hedman, Chief of the Committee of the Policy and Legal Affairs Section of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, AUSTRIA

9:30 – 10:30    SESSION 1 - Technological Developments and New Threats – Weapons Systems, Space Regulation, Sustainability and (Peaceful) Uses of Space

CO-CHAIRS:

• David Kendall, Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (2016-2017), CANADA
• Paul Meyer, Adjunct Professor of International Studies, Fellow in International Security, Simon Fraser University and Senior Fellow, The Simons Foundation, CANADA

SPEAKERS:

1. Laura Grego, Senior Scientist, Global Security Program, Union of Concerned Scientists, USA
Current and future anti-satellite technologies: what challenges do they present?

2. Bhupendra Jasani, Visiting Professor, Department of War Studies, King’s College London, UK
Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance from space

3. Joseph D Pelton, Executive Board, International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, USA
Urgent security concerns in the Protozone

4. Igor Ashurbeyli, Editor-in-Chief, ROOM, The Space Journal, RUSSIA
Protecting planet Earth from military and non-military space danger 

RAPPORTEURS:

• Stacey Henderson, Research Development Officer, Research Unit on Military Law & Ethics, University of Adelaide
• Peter Slater, Post-Graduate Student, University of Adelaide

10:30 – 11:00    REFRESHMENT BREAK

11:00 – 12:30    SESSION 2 - Technological Developments and New Threats (continues)

CO-CHAIRS:

• Igor Ashurbeyli, Editor-in-Chief, ROOM, the Space Journal, RUSSIA
• John D Rummel, Visiting Scholar, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University, USA

SPEAKERS:

1. Attila Matas, Head Space Publications and Registration Division, International Telecommunications Union, Radiocommunications Bureau (BR), SWITZERLAND
Conflicts related to radio frequency interference, jamming, frequency misuses, abuse of procedures, etc.

2. Lucien Rapp, Professor, Scientific Director of the Space Institute for Research on Innovative Uses of Satellites (SIRIUS), University of Toulouse, FRANCE, Nadège Carme, PhD Candidate at SIRIUS, FRANCE & Remy Durand-Carrier, PhD Candidate at SIRIUS, FRANCE
Space industrial war: Towards a risk of creeping takeovers in the global space industry?

3. Melissa de Zwart, Professor, Adelaide Law School, University of Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
GOOGLE in space? How will space governance accommodate non-State actors?

4. Sanat Kaul, Chair, India Chapter of International Foundation for Aviation, Aerospace and Development, INDIA
GNSS and conflict: Indian perspective
 

RAPPORTEURS:

• Bayar Goswami, Graduate Student, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University
• Maria Rhimbassen, Accountant/Librarian, International Space University

12:30 – 14:00   LUNCH

Keynote Luncheon Speech by Frank de Winne, Astronaut from European Space Agency, BELGIUM

14:00 – 17:30    Session 3 & Session 4 (concurrent sessions)

SESSION 3 - Emerging Strategic Space Issues: Areas of Potential Conflict
Room: Mont Royal I (20th floor)

CO-CHAIRS:

• Bhupendra Jasani, Visiting Professor, Department of War Studies, King’s College London, UK
• Niklas Hedman, Chief of the Committee of the Policy and Legal Affairs Section of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, AUSTRIA

1. Ward Munters, Doctoral Researcher, Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies - Institute for International Law, KU Leuven, BELGIUM  & Jan Wouters, Director, Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies - Institute for International Law, KU Leuven, BELGIUM
The road not yet taken for defusing potential conflicts in active debris removal: a multilateral organization

2. Christopher D Johnson, Project Manager, Secure World Foundation, USA
The inevitability of conflict in space? Communicating and harnessing long-term State interests

3. James D Rendleman & Brian D Green, USSTRATCOM JFCC SPACE, Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA
Space weapons according to Stewart

4. Eytan Tepper, Doctoral Candidate, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University
The regime complex of conflicts in space: A roadmap to space governance

15:30 – 16:00   REFRESHMENT BREAK

5. Florence Gaillard-Sborowsky, Research Fellow, Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique, FRANCE
Space and security relationships issues from a political and technological point of view

6. Tommaso Sgobba, Executive Director, International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, THE NETHERLANDS
Civil and military space traffic management

RAPPORTEURS:

• Ted A Newsome, Graduate Student, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University
• Aram D Kerkonian, Graduate Student, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University

SESSION 4 - Conflicts Related to Exploitation of Space Natural Resources
Room: Ville-Marie (4th floor)

CO-CHAIRS:

Steven Freeland, Professor, School of Law, Western Sydney University, AUSTRALIA
Joseph Pelton, Executive Board, International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, USA

1. John D Rummel, Visiting Scholar, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University, USA
Selling lunar resources for fun, profit, and export: A test that the OST cannot pass?

2. Philip de Man, Senior Researcher, Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies - Institute for International Law, KU Leuven & Jan Wouters, Director, Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies - Institute for International Law, KU Leuven, BELGIUM
A workable exploitation of ‘celestial bodies’: key principles for avoiding conflicts

3. Maria Manoli, Research Assistant, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University
Commercial space as a source of conflicts and the need for ‘space pluralism’

RAPPORTEURS:

• Stacey Henderson, Research Unit on Military Law & Ethics Research Development Officer, University of Adelaide
• Peter Slater, Post-Graduate Student, University of Adelaide

18:30 – 22:30   COCKTAIL & DINNER

Venue: McGill Faculty Club, 3450 McTavish Street, H34 0E5

Keynote Speaker:

• Paul Meyer, former Canada’s Ambassador to the UN and the CD; Adjunct Professor of International Studies, Fellow in International Security, Simon Fraser University and Senior Fellow, The Simons Foundation, CANADA

Saturday 28 May 2016

Day 2

9:00 – 12:30    Session 5 & Session 6 (concurrent)

SESSION 5 – Different Forms of Use of Force
Room: Ville-Marie (4th floor)

CO-CHAIRS:

• Natália Archinard, Deputy Head of the Education Science and Space Section, Department of Foreign Affairs, SWITZERLAND
• José Monserrat Filho, Vice-President, Brazilian Association of Air and Space Law, BRAZIL

SPEAKERS:

1. Deborah Housen-Couriel, Research Fellow, Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center, Tel Aviv University, ISRAEL
Cyber and space security: intersecting challenges

2. George Kyriakopolous, Lecturer in International Law, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, GREECE
Challenges posed by the action of non-State actors in outer space

3. Jessica West, Manager and Editor, Space Security Index, Project Ploughshares, CANADA
End of a global commons? Can strategic restraint in space be maintained?

10:30 – 11:00    REFRESHMENT BREAK

4. P J Blount, Adjunct Professor, LL.M. in Air and Space Law, University of Mississippi, USA
Sorting out self-defense in space: Understanding the conflicting views over self-defense in the EU code of conduct

5. Kiran Nair, Wing Commander, Indian Air Force, INDIA
Exploring the role of United Nations in tapping potential of international law and international cooperation to alleviate risk of space conflict

RAPPORTEURS:

• Sandy Belle Habchi, Research Assistant, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University
• Aleksandra Puscisnka, Graduate Student, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University

SESSION 6 – Conflicts in Space and International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
Room: Mont Royal I (20th floor)

• Paul Dempsey, Director, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University, CANADA
• Dale Stephens, Director, Research Unit on Military Law and Ethics, University of Adelaide, AUSTRALIA

1. Tare Brisibe, former Chair of Legal Sub-Committee of the UNCOPUOS, SWITZERLAND
Outer space and the law of weaponry

2. Guy Phillips, Commander (Retired), Adjunct & Sessional Assistant Professor, Royal Military College of Canada, CANADA
Rules of engagement (ROE) for military space operations

3. Ayhan Sorgucu, Military Judge in the Turkish Airforce, TURKEY
Security based space activities, ‘peaceful uses’ of outer space and new threats

10:30 – 11:00    REFRESHMENT BREAK

4. Kuan-Wei (David) Chen , Research and Administrative Assistant, Manual on International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space(MILAMOS) Project, CANADA
“Principles of humanity” and “dictates of public conscience”: The origins and evolution of the Martens Clause and its applicability to armed conflict in outer space

5. Yaw Nyampong, Senior Legal Officer, African Union Commission (Pan-African University), ETHIOPIA/CANADA
A critical analysis of the international humanitarian law principle of distinction as it relates to the use of dual-use space-based assets in armed conflict

RAPPORTEURS

• Iseoluwa Christopher Akintunde, Graduate Student, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University
• Harris Innes-Miller, Student, Political Sciences, McGill University

12:30 – 14:00    LUNCH & POSTER PRESENTATIONS BY

1. Ali Aghahosseini, Doctoral Candidate, University of Nantes, FRANCE
U.S. commercial space launch competitiveness Act of 2015: National legislation as a new source of conflict or an opportunity for reform?

2. Bayar Goswami, Graduate Student, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University, INDIA
rotection of celestial bodies – Avoiding the mistakes of Earth in exploration of outer space

3. Biswanath Gupta, Research Scholar, Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, IIT Kharagpur, INDIA & K D Raju, Associate Professor of Law, Rajiv Gandhi School of Intellectual Property Law, IIT Kharagpur, INDIA
Security issues in commercial launching: A case study of India

4. Iseoluwa Christoper Akintunde & Rizkia Amelia Sania Putri, Graduate Students, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University, NIGERIA & INDONESIA
Legal issues and conflicts arising from passenger participation in suborbital flights : Rethinking the definition of ‘astronaut’ under international law

5. Malgorzata Polkowska, Professor, National Defense Academy, Warsaw, POLAND
Polish perspectives on legal challenges of military use of outer space

6. Ramya Sankaran & Nivedita Raju, Gagrats Advocates & Solicitors, INDIA
Will empires strike back – unilateral legislation fuel space wars

14:00 – 15:30   SESSION 7 – The Way Forward: Models for future Global Space Governance

CO-CHAIRS:

• Yaw Nyampong, Senior Legal Officer, African Union Commission (Pan-African University), ETHIOPIA/CANADA
• Jan Wouters, Director, Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies - Institute for International Law, KU Leuven, BELGIUM

SPEAKERS:

1.  Paul Meyer, Adjunct Professor of International Studies, Fellow in International Security, Simon Fraser University and Senior Fellow, The Simons Foundation, CANADA
The dark forces awaken: prospects for space arms control in an adversarial age

2. Natália Archinard, Deputy Head of the Education Science and Space Section, Department of Foreign Affairs, SWITZERLAND
Global space governance and the role of middle space powers

3. John S Goehring, Major, Headquarters, US Air Force, Space Command, USA
Real-world lessons on achievable space governance from the international code of conduct for outer space activities, the Iran Nuclear Agreement, and the Paris Climate Agreement

4. José Monserrat Filho, Vice-President, Brazilian Association of Air and Space Law, BRAZIL
Toward a collective space security

5. Thomas Gillon, Senior Advisor-Business Development, Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation, CANADA
The uniqueness of space! Bringing space power theory back down to Earth

RAPPORTEURS:

• Maria Rhimbassen, Accountant/Librarian, International Space University
• Tetyana Krupiy, Post-Doc Fellow, Faculty of Law, McGill University
  
  15:30 – 15:45    REFRESHMENT BREAK

15:45 – 17:15 SESSION 8 – The Need for and Scope of a Manual on International Law Applicable to Military Uses of Outer Space (MILAMOS)

 CO-CHAIRS:

• Ram Jakhu, Associate Professor, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University, CANADA
•  Tare Brisibe, former Chair of Legal Sub-Committee of the UNCOPUOS, SWITZERLAND
   

SPEAKERS:

1. Dale Stephens, Director, Research Unit on Military Law and Ethics, University of Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
The normative role of international operational military law manuals

2. Peter Hulsroj, Director, European Space Policy Institute (ESPI), AUSTRIA & Anja Nakarada Pecujlic, External Consultant, ESPI, AUSTRIA
Space through the lens of neutrality

3. Cassandra Steer, Erin JC Arsenault Post-Doctoral Fellow, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University, AUSTRALIA
Is there a risk of condoning space warfare by regulating it?

RAPPORTEURS:

• Sandy Belle Habchi, Research Assistant, Institute of Air & Space Law, McGill University