Protecting Human Rights at Sea

Seminar presented by

Professor Natalie Klein, FAAL; FASSA

University of New South Wales, Faculty of Law and Justice

At any one moment, there are an estimated 30 million people working or travelling by sea. These people include seafarers, fishers, defence personnel, scientists, tourists on cruise ships, migrants, drug smugglers and pirates. We might expect that human rights apply at sea as they do on land. However, the legal situation is complex – especially in contemplating who owes human rights and how those rights might be protected. This seminar will address ongoing efforts to improve the interaction of the law of the sea with international human rights law, reflecting on the work of the ILA Committee on the Protection of People at Sea and contemporary examples of human rights violations at sea.

Presenter:

Professor Natalie Klein is Associate Dean (Academic) and a Professor at UNSW Sydney’s Faculty of Law & Justice, Australia. She teaches and researches in different areas of international law, focusing on law of the sea and international dispute settlement. Australia has nominated Professor Klein as a conciliator under Annex V and arbitrator under Annex VII of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Professor Klein is past President of the International Law Association (Australia) and currently serves as Co-Rapporteur to the ILA Committee on the Protection of People at Sea.