6/18/23,r1:23rPM ExamrNovemberr2015,rquestionsrandranswers
Publicr Internationalr Lawr –r Examiner’sr Comments
2015-1997
LAWS5154rPublicrInternationalrLawr-
rSemesterrTwor2015rExamr Examiners’rFeedback
Generalr Feedback
Givenrthernaturerofrtherquestionsronrtherexam,rthererwasrconsiderablerscoperforrquestion
sr torberansweredreffectivelyrinrdifferentrways.r Thermarkingrguidesrforrtherquestionsrtheref
orer hadrtorberflexible.r Therpointsrnotedrbelowrwerernotrtheronlyronesrconsideredrwhen
r marking.r Theyrdorhoweverrindicate rthermajorrareasrthatrshouldrorrcouldrhaverbeenr co
nsideredrinransweringrtherquestions.
Asr withr mostr formsr ofr assessment,r accountrwasralsor takenr ofr ther qualityr ofrexpression.
Questionr1
Withrtherclimate-changerinducedrthawingrofrtherArcticrice-
capsrandrincreasingraccessibilityrtortherArctic,rthererhasrbeenr skyrocketingrinterestrinrwhatrisrseenrasrtherpotentialrunl
ockingrofrincrediblyrvastrnaturalrresourcesrofrtherArcticrOcean.rInr2007,r Russiarsymbolicallyrclaimedritsrstakertorbillionsr
ofrdollars’rworthrofroilrandrgasrreservesrinrtherArcticrOceanrbyrplantingrarflagronr therseabedrofrtherNorthrPole,rwhichri
trarguedrwasrarnaturalrextensionrofritsrcontinentalrshelf—
armoverwhichrwasrstrenuouslyr objectedrtorbyrarnumberrofrotherrStates.
Inr2012,rtherConventionronrtherTemporaryrSuspensionrofrExplorationrorrExploitationrofrtherNaturalrResourcesrofrtherArct
icrwasr concludedrbetweenrdulyrauthorisedrrepresentativesrofrCanada,rDenmark,rtherEuropeanrUnion,rIceland,rNorway,
rtherUnitedr KingdomrandrRussia.rTherConventionrread,rinrrelevantrpart:
Preamble:
RecognisingrtherlackrofrcertaintyraboutrterritorialrclaimsrtorcertainrStates’rcontinentalrshelvesrsaidrtorextendr
intor therArcticrOcean,
Cognisantrofrtherpotentialrforrsuchrterritorialrclaimsrtorgiversovereignrrightsrtorexploitrthernaturalrresour
cesrofr thercontinentalrshelfrtortherterritorialrState,
Acknowledgingr thatr suchr uncertaintiesr arer unlikelyr tor ber resolvedr inr ther immediater future,
Desiringr tor maintainr internationalr peacer andr security,
Resolvedr toraddressrthereffectsr ofrclimater changerinr ar concertedrandrcooperativerman
ner,r TherPartiesrhaveragreedrasrfollows:
Articler1
PartiesrtortherpresentrConventionrshallrsuspendranyrexplorationrorrexploitationractivityrrelatingrtortherna
turalr resourcesrofrtherArcticrOceanrforrtherperiodrofrfiveryears.
Articler5
AfterrtherexpiryrofrtherfiveryearrperiodrreferredrtorinrArticler1,randrafterrtherresolutionrofrterritorialr claims,r
torther extentrthatronerofrtherpartiesrhasrarvalidrclaimrtoranrextendedrcontinentalrshelfrinrtherArcticrOc
ean,rthatrStater shallrconsultrwithrtherotherrpartiesrtorthisrConventionrbeforerapprovingranyrexplorationror
rexploitationractivityrinr therArcticrOcean,rhavingrduerregardrtortherneedrtorpreservertherArcticrenvironm
ent.
Articler12
Nor partyr mayr denounce/withdrawr fromr thisr treaty.
AnrearlierrdraftrofrArticler1rhadrusedrtherlanguager“shallrsuspendranyrexplorationrorrexploitationractivityrrelatingrtoroilra
ndrgas”r butritrwasrchangedrduringrtherfinalrdraftingrstagerwithoutranyrrealrdiscussionrasrtortherreasonrforrtherchange.
InrAugustr2014,rarCanadianrsponsoredrArcticrresearchrunitrbeganrmissionsrinrtherArcticrOcean,rgatheringrdataronrthereffectr
ofrther meltingrice-
capsronrpolarrbears.rRussiarobjectedrtortherresearchrmissions,rarguingrthatrtheyrcouldrberarfrontrforroilrandrgasr explo
rationractivitiesrandrthat,rinranyrevent,rpolarrbearsrwerer“naturalrresources”randrthereforerthersuspensionrobligationrapplied
r torprohibitrscientificrmissionsrstudyingrpolarrbearsrtoo.
Canadar arguedr thatr ther Conventionr doesr notr suspendr scientificr researchr onr polarr bears.r Ther Canadianr Foreignr Ministerr state
dr atr ar pressrconferencerinrSeptemberr2014rthatr“therparties,rwhenrsigningrther2012rConvention,rneverrintendedrtorex
cluderongoingr scientificrandrecologicalrresearchrandrconservationrefforts.rWhatrwasrtargeted,rrather,rwasrtheroilrandrg
asrresourcesrinrther continentalrshelfrinrtherArcticrOcean.rCanadarisrfulfillingritsrobligationsrunderrotherrenvironmentalrtreati
esritrisr arpartyrto,rsuchrasr ther1ft73rAgreementronrtherConservationrofrPolarrBears.”
Articlesr 2r andr 7r ofr ther 1ft73r Agreementr onr ther Conservationr ofr Polarr Bearsr read:
Articler2
EachrContractingrPartyrshallrtakerappropriateractionrtorprotectrtherecosystemsrofrwhichrpolarrbearsr
arerar partr…randrshallrmanagerpolarrbearrpopulationsrinraccordancerwithrsoundrconservationrpracti
cesrbasedronr therbestravailablerscientificrdata.
Articler7
TherContractingrPartiesrshallrconductrnationalrresearchrprogrammesronrpolarrbears,rparticularlyrrese
archr relatingrtortherconservationrandrmanagementrofrtherspecies.
TherCanadianrForeignrMinisterrpointedroutrthatrallrtherotherrpartiesrtorther2012rConventionrwereralsorpartiesrtorther1
ft73r AgreementronrtherConservationrofrPolarrBears.rSherfurtherrstatedrthat:r“Whenrtherfiveryearrperiodrexpires,r ifrtherpar
tiesrauthoriser explorationrandrexploitationractivities,rgeneralrinternationalrlawrimposesranrobligationrtordoranrenvironmentalrimpa
ctrassessmentr becausertherArcticrOceanrisrarsharedrresource.rTherresearchrcollectedrbyrtherCanadianrArcticrpolarrbearrun
itrwouldrberinvaluabler forrthatrassessmentrwhichrmustrberpartrofrtherconsultationrreferredrtorinrArticler5.”
about:blank 1/128
,6/18/23,r1:23rPM ExamrNovemberr2015,rquestionsrandranswers
2
Ther Governmentr ofr Russiar hasr askedr your forr advicer onr allr ofr ther following:
(a) Howr isr itr thatr ther EUr canr ber ar partyr tor ther 2012r Conventionr whenr ther EUr isr notr ar State?
(b) Whetherrther2012rConventionrdoesrexcluderscientificrresearchrmissionsronrpolarrbearsrandrinrcomingrtortherconcl
usionr forrthatrquestion,raddress:
a. Whatr rulesr ofr internationalr lawr governr ther interpretationr ofr ther 2012r Convention?
b. Whetherr ther Canadianr Foreignr Minister’sr statementr aboutr whatr wasr intendedr atr ther timer ofr ther conclusion
ofr ther 2012r Conventionr isr relevantr torinterpretationr andr ifr so,r how?
c. Whetherrther1ft73rAgreementronrtherConservationrofrPolarrBearsrisrrelevantrtorinterpretationrandrifr so,
how?
d. Whetherrthererisr arcustomaryrobligationrtordoranrenvironmentalrimpactrassessment,rwhetherritr isr relevant
tor interpretationr andr ifr so,r how?
e. Whetherr therearlierr draftr ofr ther 2012r Conventionr isr relevantr tor interpretationr andr ifr so,r how?
(c) Whetherr Russiar canr getr outr ofr ther 2012r Convention?
Feedbackr onr Questionr 1
Averagermarkroutrofr25ronrthisrquestion:r18
Studentsransweredrthisrquestionrrelativelyrwell.rThererwasrarlotrtorcover,rbutrthererwasrscop
er forrallrstudentsrtorshowrtheirrlevelrofrknowledge.
(a) EUrpartyrtorther2012rConvention
Thisrquestionrrequiredrdiscussionrofrinternationalrorganisationsrasrsubjectsrofrinternationa
lr law.rTherReparationrcasershouldrhaverbeenrdiscussedrandrreferencershouldrhaverbeenrma
der tortherinternationalrlegalrpersonalityrofrorganisations rbeingrlimitedrbyrtheirrfunctions.
r ApplicationrtortherEUrwouldrhaverresultedrinrtherconclusionrthatrtherEUrisrarsubject rofr i
nternationalrlawrwithrlegalrpersonalityrandrtherabilityrtorenterrintortreaties.rReferencercoul
dr haverbeenrmadertortherEUrconstitutiverinstrument rreferringrtoritrhavingr“legalrpersonal
ity”r andrtorotherrtreatiesrthatrtherEUrisrarpartyrto,rsuchrasrUNCLOS.rSomerstudentsrsaidrth
atrther EUrisrarpartyrtortherECHRrbutritrisrnotryetr(butritrcouldrbecomersorinrtherfuture).rR
eferencer couldralsorhaverbeenrmadertortherVCLT’sracknowledgementrthatrotherrsubjectsr
ofr internationalrlawrthatrarernotrStatesrcanrberpartiesrtortreaties,randrtortherViennarConve
ntionr onrtherLawrofrTreatiesrBetweenrStatesrandrInternationalrOrganisationsrorrBetweenr
InternationalrOrganisationsrwhichrisrnotryetrinrforce.
ManyrstudentsrmerelyrnotedrthatrtherEUrwasranrinternational rorganisationrthatrcanrhave
r internationalrlegalrpersonalityrwithoutrexplainingrwhy.rSomerstudentsrdiscussedrwhetherrth
er EUrcouldrberar“State”rforrtherpurposerofrtherMontevideorConventionrandrthereforerber
ar partyrtorthertreatyrunderrtherVCLTrwhichrwasrarmisguidedrapproach.
(b) 2012rConventionr andr scientificr researchr missionsr onr polarr bears
Studentsrwererexpectedrtorgiverarconclusionrtortherquestionrofrwhetherrorrnotrther2012r
Conventionrexcludedrscientificrresearchrmissionsronrpolarrbearsreitherratrtherbeginningrorra
tr therconclusionrofrtheirrconsiderationrofrthersubrparas.
(i) Rulesr governingr treatyr interpretation
StudentsrneededrtoridentifyrArtsr31-
32rofrtherVCLTrasrbeingrtherstartingrpointrfromrwhichrtor considerrtreatyrinterpretation.rEa
syrmarksrcouldrbergottenrforrdiscussingrtherapplicationrofr therVCLTrtorther2012rConventi
onr(ierwhetherrther2012rConventionrmetrtherdefinitionrofrar treaty,rwhetherritrpost-
datedrtherentryrintorforcerofrtherVCLT)rbutrasritrwasrprettyrclear,rthisr wasrdiscussionrwasr
notrabsolutelyressentialrtorargoodranswer.
ThersituationrwasrcomplicatedrbyrtherfactrthatrtherEU,rarnon-
State,risrpartyrtorther2012r ConventionrandrtherVCLTronlyrappliesrtortreatiesrbetweenrStat
esr(Artr1,rArtr2(1)(a),rArtr3).r MostrstudentsridentifiedrthatrArtsr31-
32rarerreflectiverofrcustomranyway,rsorthererisrnor materialrdifferencerinrtherrulesrtorbera
pplied.rBetterrstudentsralsorcitedrArtr3(c)randr identifiedrthatrtherVCLTrwouldrapplyrasrbet
weenrtherStatesrpartiesrtorther2012rConvention,r andrthatrcustomrwouldrgovernrtherrelati
onshipr betweenrther Statesrandr therEU,rbutr thatras
about:blank 2/128
,6/18/23,r1:23rPM ExamrNovemberr2015,rquestionsrandranswers
3
theradvicerconcernsrardisputerbetweenrRussiarandrCanada,rtherVCLTrcanrberdirectlyrapplied
.r Therbetterrstudents ralsormaderexplicitrtherpresumptionrthatrallrther2012rConventionrpart
iesr wereralsorpartiesrtortherVCLT.
Mentionralsorcouldrhaverbeenrmaderofrotherrrulesrofrinternationalrlawrthatrarer“relevant”rt
or treatyrinterpretation,rsuchrasrenvironmentalrlaw,rtherlawrofrthersea,rpresumptionsrabo
utr restrictiverinterpretationsrinvolvingrsovereigntyrandrsoron.rSomerstudentsrmentionedrt
her effectivenessrprinciple,rlexrspecialisrandrlexrposterior,rbutrtheserarertechnicallyrinclude
dr withinrtherVCLTritselfrsordidrnotrneedrtorberstatedrseparately.
InrapplyingrArtr31-
32rtortherquestion,rtherbetterrstudentsridentifiedrthatrtherkeyrphraserforr interpretationris
rthermeaningrofr“naturalrresources”.rTherordinaryrmeaningrofr“naturalr resources”rshouldr
haverbeenrconsidered.rStudentsrcouldrmakerargumentsreitherrwayraboutr thermeaningrincl
udingrlivingrresourcesrorrbeingrarreferencersolelyrtorenergyrresources.rTher preambler(Artr
31(2)rVCLT)rreferencesrtorterritorialrclaims,rthercontinentalrshelf,randr explorationrandrex
ploitationrcouldrgivercontextrtor“naturalrresources”rtorsupportrther conclusionrthatritrdoes
rnotrincluderpolarrbears.rThisrcouldrbersupportedrbyrtherpreambularr referencertorclimater
change.rOnrtherotherrhand,rtherShrimprTurtlercase,rwhichrheldrspeciesr ofrsearturtlesrtorbe
r“naturalrresources”rmightrsupportrtherconclusionrthatr“naturalrresources”r does rincluderpol
arrbears.rSomerstudentsropinedrthatrNorwayrandrIcelandrarereconomicallyr dependentronr
fisheries,rincludingrinrtherArctic,randrthatritrwouldrberunlikelyrthatrtheyrwouldr foregorexplo
itationrofrfisheryrresourcesrforrfiveryearsrunderrtherConvention.rTherdraftrtorArtr1r couldrberd
iscussedrherer(Artr32rVCLT)rorrinrsectionr(v)rbelow.rItrcouldrberreliedruponrtorarguer eitherr
way.rTherchangerfromr“oilrandrgas”rtor“naturalrresources”rcouldrhaverindicatedranr intent
ionrtorbroadenrtherscoperofrwhatrwasrcovered.rHowever,rtherlackrofrdiscussionr attending
rtherchangermightrhaverindicatedrthat rnorsubstantiverchangerinrmeaningrwasr intended,ro
rrthatrtherissuerwasrnotrconsciouslyrbeingrconsideredratrthertimerofrtherchange.
(ii) Canadianr FM’srstatement
Therbestranswerrtorthisrquestionrwasrthatrtherstatementrwasrnotrrelevant.rItrdoesrnotrfall
r withinrArtr31rorr32rVCLT.rItrwasrarstatementrgivenrbyronerpartyrsubsequentrtortherconclusi
onr ofrthertreaty.rTherICJrinrQatarrvrBahrainrindicatedrthatrsuchrstatementsrwererirreleva
ntrtor interpretation.
Marksrwerergivenrtorstudentsrwhordiscussedrwhyrthisrstatementrwasrnotranrinterpretativ
er declarationrorrarreservation.
MarksrwerergivenrtorstudentsrwhordiscussedrthatrtherstatementrdidrnotrfallrintorArtr31(2)ra
sr itrwasrnotranragreementrorrinstrumentrmaderinrconnectionrwithrtherconclusionrofrthertre
aty.r Marksrwerergivenrtorstudentsrwhordiscussedrthatrthisrstatementrwasrnotrarsubseque
ntr agreementrorrsubsequent rpracticerunderrArtr31(3)(a)rorr(b)rbecauseritrwasrnotrsharedr
byrallr therpartiesrevidencingrarcollectiverinterpretation.rMarksrwerergivenrtorstudentsrwh
or discussedrwhetherritrcouldrgortowardsrestablishingrsubsequentrpracticerunderrArtr31(3)(
b)rifr itrwerersharedrbyrallrotherrpartiesrwho,rforrexample,rmightrhavertheirrownrscientificr
andr environmental rresearchrunitsroperatingrinrtherArctic,rbutrstudentsrhadrtorclearlyrgive
rar reasonrhowritrcouldrbersubsequentrpracticerinrlightrofrtherlimitedrfactsrabout rtherviewsro
frther otherrparties.
Arcommonrmistakerwasrtortreatritrasrsupplementaryrorrpreparatoryrmeansrforrinterpretatio
nr underrArtr32.rPreparatoryrworksr/rthertravauxr/rcircumstancesrofrconclusionrarerlimited
rtor therrecords,rstatementsrandreventsrduringrtherdraftingrandrconclusionrofrthertreaty.rT
hisr statementrwasrgivenrtworyearsrlaterrandrbyronerpartyronly.rTherermightrhaverbeenra
nr argumentrthatrtherreferencertor“supplementaryrmeans”rinrArtr32risrbroaderrthanrjustrt
her preparatoryrmaterial,rbutrstudentsrwouldrhavertormakerthisrcontroversialrargumentrexpli
citlyr andrdefendrwhyrtherviewrofrarsinglerpartyrwouldrberrelevantrtordeterminingrtherinten
tionrofr allrtherparties.rNorstudentrdidrthis.
(iii) 1973rConventionr onr Polarr Bears
about:blank 3/128
, 6/18/23,r1:23rPM ExamrNovemberr2015,rquestionsrandranswers
4
Ther1ft73rConventionrisrrelevantrtorinterpretationrthroughrArtr31(3)(c)rVCLTrasrrelevantrrule
sr ofrinternationalrlawrapplicablerbetweenrallrtherparties.
StudentsrshouldralsorhaverconsideredrArtr30rregardingrsuccessivertreatiesrrelatingrtorther
samersubjectrmatter.rStudentsrshouldrhaverconsideredrwhetherrthertreatiesrrelatedrtorthe
r samersubject rmatter.rThisrwouldrinrpartrberdependentronrwhetherr“naturalrresources”r i
ncludesrpolarrbearsrorrnot.rIfritrdidrArtr30(3)rprovides rthatrther1ft73rConventionrwouldrappl
yr tortherextentrthatritsrprovisionsrarercompatiblerwithrther2012rConvention.rStudentsrsho
uldr haverconsideredrwhetherritrisrpossiblertor construerthemrconsistentlyrandrwhetherrArt
r31(3)
(c) VCLTrrequiresrthis,rinrwhichrcaserthererwillrbernorconflict.rReferencercouldrhaverbeenr
madertortherpreamblertorther2012rConventionrandrprovisionsrofrther1ft73rConventionrto
r demonstraterhowrtheyrcanrberinterpretedrconsistently.rTherrelevancertortherinterpretationr
ofr “naturalrresource”rshouldrhaverbeenrdiscussed.
(iv) EIA
Studentsrwererexpectedrtortakerarpositionronrwhetherrthererisrarcustomaryrobligationrtord
or anrenvironmentalrimpactrassessment.rPulprMillsrshouldrhaverbeenridentifiedrasrauthority
rforr thercustomaryrobligation.rBetterrstudentsrexplainedrwhenrtherobligationrappliesr(thre
sholdr ofrharm)randrexplainedrthatrPulprMillsrconcernedrtransboundaryrharmrtoranotherrS
tate’sr environment, rbutrthatrtherITLOSrDeeprSeabedrAdvisoryrOpinionrextendedrthisrtorsh
aredr resourcesrbeyondranyrState’srjurisdiction.rTherobservationrshouldrhaverbeenrmadert
hatrther ArcticrOceanrisrarsharedrresourcerbeyondranyrState’srjurisdiction.rThisr customaryrobl
igationrisr relevantrtorinterpretationrofrtherobligationrinrArtr5rthroughrArtr31(3)(c)rVCLT.
SomerstudentsrdiscussedrtherobligationrtorpreventrtransboundaryrharmrtorotherrStatesr(Trail
r Smelter)randrtherPrecautionaryrPrinciple rwhichrwerernotrdirectlyrrelevant rhere.
(v) DraftrArtr1rofrther2012rConvention
TherdraftrwasrrelevantrtorinterpretationrthroughrArtr32rVCLTrasrpreparatoryrworks.rSeer d
iscussionraboverinr(i).rArcommonrerrorrwasrtorassumerthatrArtr32rmaterialrcouldronlyrber l
ookedratrwhenrthermeaningrisrambiguousrorrabsurd,rbutritrcanrberlookedrtorinrorderrtor c
onfirmrthermeaningrgivenrbyrtherapplicationrofrArtr31.
(c)rRussiargettingroutrofrther2012rConvention
StudentsrwererexpectedrtordiscussrtherapplicationrofrPartrVrofrtherVCLT.r Artr42rspecifies rth
atr thertreatyrcanronlyrberavoidedrbyrwayrofrtherprovisionsrinrPartrV.rArtr54rVCLTrprovides
rthatr Russiarcouldrterminaterorrwithdrawrinraccordance rwithrthertreaty’srprovisionsrorrbyrc
onsentr ofrallrtherparties.rArtr12rofrther2012rConventionrprohibitsrdenunciationrorrwithdr
awal,randr consent risrunlikelyronrtherfacts.rStudentsrshouldrthenrhaverconsideredrwhether
rthererwerer anyrgroundsrforrinvalidityrorrforrterminationrunderrPart rV.r Errorr(Artr48) rsho
uldrhaverbeenr consideredrinsofarrasrRussiarmightrseekrtorarguerthatritsrconsentrwasrcond
itionalruponritsr understandingrofrnaturalrresourcesrasrincludingrlivingrresources.rStudents
rshouldrhaver discussedrtherconditions rforrerrorrinrArtr48randritsrlikelyrsuccess.r Material rbr
eachr(Artr60)rbyr Canadarwouldrberrelevantrtorconsiderrifrtherconclusionrinr(b)rwasrthatr“n
aturalrresources”r doesrincluderlivingrresourcesrandrthereforerarscientificrresearchrmission
ronrpolarrbearsrisr prohibited.rTherconditionsrforrArtr60rshouldrhaverbeenrconsidered.rProc
eduralrrequirementsr couldrhaverbeenrmentioned.
ArcommonrmistakerwasrtorconsiderrtherapplicationrofrArtr56,rwhichrdoesrnotrapplyrhere.rAr
tr 56rappliesronlyrwhererthererisrnorprovisionrinrthertreatyronrtermination,rdenunciationro
rr withdrawal.rInrther2012rConvention,rArtr12risranrexplicitrprovisionronrdenunciationrand
r withdrawal.
about:blank 4/128
Publicr Internationalr Lawr –r Examiner’sr Comments
2015-1997
LAWS5154rPublicrInternationalrLawr-
rSemesterrTwor2015rExamr Examiners’rFeedback
Generalr Feedback
Givenrthernaturerofrtherquestionsronrtherexam,rthererwasrconsiderablerscoperforrquestion
sr torberansweredreffectivelyrinrdifferentrways.r Thermarkingrguidesrforrtherquestionsrtheref
orer hadrtorberflexible.r Therpointsrnotedrbelowrwerernotrtheronlyronesrconsideredrwhen
r marking.r Theyrdorhoweverrindicate rthermajorrareasrthatrshouldrorrcouldrhaverbeenr co
nsideredrinransweringrtherquestions.
Asr withr mostr formsr ofr assessment,r accountrwasralsor takenr ofr ther qualityr ofrexpression.
Questionr1
Withrtherclimate-changerinducedrthawingrofrtherArcticrice-
capsrandrincreasingraccessibilityrtortherArctic,rthererhasrbeenr skyrocketingrinterestrinrwhatrisrseenrasrtherpotentialrunl
ockingrofrincrediblyrvastrnaturalrresourcesrofrtherArcticrOcean.rInr2007,r Russiarsymbolicallyrclaimedritsrstakertorbillionsr
ofrdollars’rworthrofroilrandrgasrreservesrinrtherArcticrOceanrbyrplantingrarflagronr therseabedrofrtherNorthrPole,rwhichri
trarguedrwasrarnaturalrextensionrofritsrcontinentalrshelf—
armoverwhichrwasrstrenuouslyr objectedrtorbyrarnumberrofrotherrStates.
Inr2012,rtherConventionronrtherTemporaryrSuspensionrofrExplorationrorrExploitationrofrtherNaturalrResourcesrofrtherArct
icrwasr concludedrbetweenrdulyrauthorisedrrepresentativesrofrCanada,rDenmark,rtherEuropeanrUnion,rIceland,rNorway,
rtherUnitedr KingdomrandrRussia.rTherConventionrread,rinrrelevantrpart:
Preamble:
RecognisingrtherlackrofrcertaintyraboutrterritorialrclaimsrtorcertainrStates’rcontinentalrshelvesrsaidrtorextendr
intor therArcticrOcean,
Cognisantrofrtherpotentialrforrsuchrterritorialrclaimsrtorgiversovereignrrightsrtorexploitrthernaturalrresour
cesrofr thercontinentalrshelfrtortherterritorialrState,
Acknowledgingr thatr suchr uncertaintiesr arer unlikelyr tor ber resolvedr inr ther immediater future,
Desiringr tor maintainr internationalr peacer andr security,
Resolvedr toraddressrthereffectsr ofrclimater changerinr ar concertedrandrcooperativerman
ner,r TherPartiesrhaveragreedrasrfollows:
Articler1
PartiesrtortherpresentrConventionrshallrsuspendranyrexplorationrorrexploitationractivityrrelatingrtortherna
turalr resourcesrofrtherArcticrOceanrforrtherperiodrofrfiveryears.
Articler5
AfterrtherexpiryrofrtherfiveryearrperiodrreferredrtorinrArticler1,randrafterrtherresolutionrofrterritorialr claims,r
torther extentrthatronerofrtherpartiesrhasrarvalidrclaimrtoranrextendedrcontinentalrshelfrinrtherArcticrOc
ean,rthatrStater shallrconsultrwithrtherotherrpartiesrtorthisrConventionrbeforerapprovingranyrexplorationror
rexploitationractivityrinr therArcticrOcean,rhavingrduerregardrtortherneedrtorpreservertherArcticrenvironm
ent.
Articler12
Nor partyr mayr denounce/withdrawr fromr thisr treaty.
AnrearlierrdraftrofrArticler1rhadrusedrtherlanguager“shallrsuspendranyrexplorationrorrexploitationractivityrrelatingrtoroilra
ndrgas”r butritrwasrchangedrduringrtherfinalrdraftingrstagerwithoutranyrrealrdiscussionrasrtortherreasonrforrtherchange.
InrAugustr2014,rarCanadianrsponsoredrArcticrresearchrunitrbeganrmissionsrinrtherArcticrOcean,rgatheringrdataronrthereffectr
ofrther meltingrice-
capsronrpolarrbears.rRussiarobjectedrtortherresearchrmissions,rarguingrthatrtheyrcouldrberarfrontrforroilrandrgasr explo
rationractivitiesrandrthat,rinranyrevent,rpolarrbearsrwerer“naturalrresources”randrthereforerthersuspensionrobligationrapplied
r torprohibitrscientificrmissionsrstudyingrpolarrbearsrtoo.
Canadar arguedr thatr ther Conventionr doesr notr suspendr scientificr researchr onr polarr bears.r Ther Canadianr Foreignr Ministerr state
dr atr ar pressrconferencerinrSeptemberr2014rthatr“therparties,rwhenrsigningrther2012rConvention,rneverrintendedrtorex
cluderongoingr scientificrandrecologicalrresearchrandrconservationrefforts.rWhatrwasrtargeted,rrather,rwasrtheroilrandrg
asrresourcesrinrther continentalrshelfrinrtherArcticrOcean.rCanadarisrfulfillingritsrobligationsrunderrotherrenvironmentalrtreati
esritrisr arpartyrto,rsuchrasr ther1ft73rAgreementronrtherConservationrofrPolarrBears.”
Articlesr 2r andr 7r ofr ther 1ft73r Agreementr onr ther Conservationr ofr Polarr Bearsr read:
Articler2
EachrContractingrPartyrshallrtakerappropriateractionrtorprotectrtherecosystemsrofrwhichrpolarrbearsr
arerar partr…randrshallrmanagerpolarrbearrpopulationsrinraccordancerwithrsoundrconservationrpracti
cesrbasedronr therbestravailablerscientificrdata.
Articler7
TherContractingrPartiesrshallrconductrnationalrresearchrprogrammesronrpolarrbears,rparticularlyrrese
archr relatingrtortherconservationrandrmanagementrofrtherspecies.
TherCanadianrForeignrMinisterrpointedroutrthatrallrtherotherrpartiesrtorther2012rConventionrwereralsorpartiesrtorther1
ft73r AgreementronrtherConservationrofrPolarrBears.rSherfurtherrstatedrthat:r“Whenrtherfiveryearrperiodrexpires,r ifrtherpar
tiesrauthoriser explorationrandrexploitationractivities,rgeneralrinternationalrlawrimposesranrobligationrtordoranrenvironmentalrimpa
ctrassessmentr becausertherArcticrOceanrisrarsharedrresource.rTherresearchrcollectedrbyrtherCanadianrArcticrpolarrbearrun
itrwouldrberinvaluabler forrthatrassessmentrwhichrmustrberpartrofrtherconsultationrreferredrtorinrArticler5.”
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,6/18/23,r1:23rPM ExamrNovemberr2015,rquestionsrandranswers
2
Ther Governmentr ofr Russiar hasr askedr your forr advicer onr allr ofr ther following:
(a) Howr isr itr thatr ther EUr canr ber ar partyr tor ther 2012r Conventionr whenr ther EUr isr notr ar State?
(b) Whetherrther2012rConventionrdoesrexcluderscientificrresearchrmissionsronrpolarrbearsrandrinrcomingrtortherconcl
usionr forrthatrquestion,raddress:
a. Whatr rulesr ofr internationalr lawr governr ther interpretationr ofr ther 2012r Convention?
b. Whetherr ther Canadianr Foreignr Minister’sr statementr aboutr whatr wasr intendedr atr ther timer ofr ther conclusion
ofr ther 2012r Conventionr isr relevantr torinterpretationr andr ifr so,r how?
c. Whetherrther1ft73rAgreementronrtherConservationrofrPolarrBearsrisrrelevantrtorinterpretationrandrifr so,
how?
d. Whetherrthererisr arcustomaryrobligationrtordoranrenvironmentalrimpactrassessment,rwhetherritr isr relevant
tor interpretationr andr ifr so,r how?
e. Whetherr therearlierr draftr ofr ther 2012r Conventionr isr relevantr tor interpretationr andr ifr so,r how?
(c) Whetherr Russiar canr getr outr ofr ther 2012r Convention?
Feedbackr onr Questionr 1
Averagermarkroutrofr25ronrthisrquestion:r18
Studentsransweredrthisrquestionrrelativelyrwell.rThererwasrarlotrtorcover,rbutrthererwasrscop
er forrallrstudentsrtorshowrtheirrlevelrofrknowledge.
(a) EUrpartyrtorther2012rConvention
Thisrquestionrrequiredrdiscussionrofrinternationalrorganisationsrasrsubjectsrofrinternationa
lr law.rTherReparationrcasershouldrhaverbeenrdiscussedrandrreferencershouldrhaverbeenrma
der tortherinternationalrlegalrpersonalityrofrorganisations rbeingrlimitedrbyrtheirrfunctions.
r ApplicationrtortherEUrwouldrhaverresultedrinrtherconclusionrthatrtherEUrisrarsubject rofr i
nternationalrlawrwithrlegalrpersonalityrandrtherabilityrtorenterrintortreaties.rReferencercoul
dr haverbeenrmadertortherEUrconstitutiverinstrument rreferringrtoritrhavingr“legalrpersonal
ity”r andrtorotherrtreatiesrthatrtherEUrisrarpartyrto,rsuchrasrUNCLOS.rSomerstudentsrsaidrth
atrther EUrisrarpartyrtortherECHRrbutritrisrnotryetr(butritrcouldrbecomersorinrtherfuture).rR
eferencer couldralsorhaverbeenrmadertortherVCLT’sracknowledgementrthatrotherrsubjectsr
ofr internationalrlawrthatrarernotrStatesrcanrberpartiesrtortreaties,randrtortherViennarConve
ntionr onrtherLawrofrTreatiesrBetweenrStatesrandrInternationalrOrganisationsrorrBetweenr
InternationalrOrganisationsrwhichrisrnotryetrinrforce.
ManyrstudentsrmerelyrnotedrthatrtherEUrwasranrinternational rorganisationrthatrcanrhave
r internationalrlegalrpersonalityrwithoutrexplainingrwhy.rSomerstudentsrdiscussedrwhetherrth
er EUrcouldrberar“State”rforrtherpurposerofrtherMontevideorConventionrandrthereforerber
ar partyrtorthertreatyrunderrtherVCLTrwhichrwasrarmisguidedrapproach.
(b) 2012rConventionr andr scientificr researchr missionsr onr polarr bears
Studentsrwererexpectedrtorgiverarconclusionrtortherquestionrofrwhetherrorrnotrther2012r
Conventionrexcludedrscientificrresearchrmissionsronrpolarrbearsreitherratrtherbeginningrorra
tr therconclusionrofrtheirrconsiderationrofrthersubrparas.
(i) Rulesr governingr treatyr interpretation
StudentsrneededrtoridentifyrArtsr31-
32rofrtherVCLTrasrbeingrtherstartingrpointrfromrwhichrtor considerrtreatyrinterpretation.rEa
syrmarksrcouldrbergottenrforrdiscussingrtherapplicationrofr therVCLTrtorther2012rConventi
onr(ierwhetherrther2012rConventionrmetrtherdefinitionrofrar treaty,rwhetherritrpost-
datedrtherentryrintorforcerofrtherVCLT)rbutrasritrwasrprettyrclear,rthisr wasrdiscussionrwasr
notrabsolutelyressentialrtorargoodranswer.
ThersituationrwasrcomplicatedrbyrtherfactrthatrtherEU,rarnon-
State,risrpartyrtorther2012r ConventionrandrtherVCLTronlyrappliesrtortreatiesrbetweenrStat
esr(Artr1,rArtr2(1)(a),rArtr3).r MostrstudentsridentifiedrthatrArtsr31-
32rarerreflectiverofrcustomranyway,rsorthererisrnor materialrdifferencerinrtherrulesrtorbera
pplied.rBetterrstudentsralsorcitedrArtr3(c)randr identifiedrthatrtherVCLTrwouldrapplyrasrbet
weenrtherStatesrpartiesrtorther2012rConvention,r andrthatrcustomrwouldrgovernrtherrelati
onshipr betweenrther Statesrandr therEU,rbutr thatras
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3
theradvicerconcernsrardisputerbetweenrRussiarandrCanada,rtherVCLTrcanrberdirectlyrapplied
.r Therbetterrstudents ralsormaderexplicitrtherpresumptionrthatrallrther2012rConventionrpart
iesr wereralsorpartiesrtortherVCLT.
Mentionralsorcouldrhaverbeenrmaderofrotherrrulesrofrinternationalrlawrthatrarer“relevant”rt
or treatyrinterpretation,rsuchrasrenvironmentalrlaw,rtherlawrofrthersea,rpresumptionsrabo
utr restrictiverinterpretationsrinvolvingrsovereigntyrandrsoron.rSomerstudentsrmentionedrt
her effectivenessrprinciple,rlexrspecialisrandrlexrposterior,rbutrtheserarertechnicallyrinclude
dr withinrtherVCLTritselfrsordidrnotrneedrtorberstatedrseparately.
InrapplyingrArtr31-
32rtortherquestion,rtherbetterrstudentsridentifiedrthatrtherkeyrphraserforr interpretationris
rthermeaningrofr“naturalrresources”.rTherordinaryrmeaningrofr“naturalr resources”rshouldr
haverbeenrconsidered.rStudentsrcouldrmakerargumentsreitherrwayraboutr thermeaningrincl
udingrlivingrresourcesrorrbeingrarreferencersolelyrtorenergyrresources.rTher preambler(Artr
31(2)rVCLT)rreferencesrtorterritorialrclaims,rthercontinentalrshelf,randr explorationrandrex
ploitationrcouldrgivercontextrtor“naturalrresources”rtorsupportrther conclusionrthatritrdoes
rnotrincluderpolarrbears.rThisrcouldrbersupportedrbyrtherpreambularr referencertorclimater
change.rOnrtherotherrhand,rtherShrimprTurtlercase,rwhichrheldrspeciesr ofrsearturtlesrtorbe
r“naturalrresources”rmightrsupportrtherconclusionrthatr“naturalrresources”r does rincluderpol
arrbears.rSomerstudentsropinedrthatrNorwayrandrIcelandrarereconomicallyr dependentronr
fisheries,rincludingrinrtherArctic,randrthatritrwouldrberunlikelyrthatrtheyrwouldr foregorexplo
itationrofrfisheryrresourcesrforrfiveryearsrunderrtherConvention.rTherdraftrtorArtr1r couldrberd
iscussedrherer(Artr32rVCLT)rorrinrsectionr(v)rbelow.rItrcouldrberreliedruponrtorarguer eitherr
way.rTherchangerfromr“oilrandrgas”rtor“naturalrresources”rcouldrhaverindicatedranr intent
ionrtorbroadenrtherscoperofrwhatrwasrcovered.rHowever,rtherlackrofrdiscussionr attending
rtherchangermightrhaverindicatedrthat rnorsubstantiverchangerinrmeaningrwasr intended,ro
rrthatrtherissuerwasrnotrconsciouslyrbeingrconsideredratrthertimerofrtherchange.
(ii) Canadianr FM’srstatement
Therbestranswerrtorthisrquestionrwasrthatrtherstatementrwasrnotrrelevant.rItrdoesrnotrfall
r withinrArtr31rorr32rVCLT.rItrwasrarstatementrgivenrbyronerpartyrsubsequentrtortherconclusi
onr ofrthertreaty.rTherICJrinrQatarrvrBahrainrindicatedrthatrsuchrstatementsrwererirreleva
ntrtor interpretation.
Marksrwerergivenrtorstudentsrwhordiscussedrwhyrthisrstatementrwasrnotranrinterpretativ
er declarationrorrarreservation.
MarksrwerergivenrtorstudentsrwhordiscussedrthatrtherstatementrdidrnotrfallrintorArtr31(2)ra
sr itrwasrnotranragreementrorrinstrumentrmaderinrconnectionrwithrtherconclusionrofrthertre
aty.r Marksrwerergivenrtorstudentsrwhordiscussedrthatrthisrstatementrwasrnotrarsubseque
ntr agreementrorrsubsequent rpracticerunderrArtr31(3)(a)rorr(b)rbecauseritrwasrnotrsharedr
byrallr therpartiesrevidencingrarcollectiverinterpretation.rMarksrwerergivenrtorstudentsrwh
or discussedrwhetherritrcouldrgortowardsrestablishingrsubsequentrpracticerunderrArtr31(3)(
b)rifr itrwerersharedrbyrallrotherrpartiesrwho,rforrexample,rmightrhavertheirrownrscientificr
andr environmental rresearchrunitsroperatingrinrtherArctic,rbutrstudentsrhadrtorclearlyrgive
rar reasonrhowritrcouldrbersubsequentrpracticerinrlightrofrtherlimitedrfactsrabout rtherviewsro
frther otherrparties.
Arcommonrmistakerwasrtortreatritrasrsupplementaryrorrpreparatoryrmeansrforrinterpretatio
nr underrArtr32.rPreparatoryrworksr/rthertravauxr/rcircumstancesrofrconclusionrarerlimited
rtor therrecords,rstatementsrandreventsrduringrtherdraftingrandrconclusionrofrthertreaty.rT
hisr statementrwasrgivenrtworyearsrlaterrandrbyronerpartyronly.rTherermightrhaverbeenra
nr argumentrthatrtherreferencertor“supplementaryrmeans”rinrArtr32risrbroaderrthanrjustrt
her preparatoryrmaterial,rbutrstudentsrwouldrhavertormakerthisrcontroversialrargumentrexpli
citlyr andrdefendrwhyrtherviewrofrarsinglerpartyrwouldrberrelevantrtordeterminingrtherinten
tionrofr allrtherparties.rNorstudentrdidrthis.
(iii) 1973rConventionr onr Polarr Bears
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, 6/18/23,r1:23rPM ExamrNovemberr2015,rquestionsrandranswers
4
Ther1ft73rConventionrisrrelevantrtorinterpretationrthroughrArtr31(3)(c)rVCLTrasrrelevantrrule
sr ofrinternationalrlawrapplicablerbetweenrallrtherparties.
StudentsrshouldralsorhaverconsideredrArtr30rregardingrsuccessivertreatiesrrelatingrtorther
samersubjectrmatter.rStudentsrshouldrhaverconsideredrwhetherrthertreatiesrrelatedrtorthe
r samersubject rmatter.rThisrwouldrinrpartrberdependentronrwhetherr“naturalrresources”r i
ncludesrpolarrbearsrorrnot.rIfritrdidrArtr30(3)rprovides rthatrther1ft73rConventionrwouldrappl
yr tortherextentrthatritsrprovisionsrarercompatiblerwithrther2012rConvention.rStudentsrsho
uldr haverconsideredrwhetherritrisrpossiblertor construerthemrconsistentlyrandrwhetherrArt
r31(3)
(c) VCLTrrequiresrthis,rinrwhichrcaserthererwillrbernorconflict.rReferencercouldrhaverbeenr
madertortherpreamblertorther2012rConventionrandrprovisionsrofrther1ft73rConventionrto
r demonstraterhowrtheyrcanrberinterpretedrconsistently.rTherrelevancertortherinterpretationr
ofr “naturalrresource”rshouldrhaverbeenrdiscussed.
(iv) EIA
Studentsrwererexpectedrtortakerarpositionronrwhetherrthererisrarcustomaryrobligationrtord
or anrenvironmentalrimpactrassessment.rPulprMillsrshouldrhaverbeenridentifiedrasrauthority
rforr thercustomaryrobligation.rBetterrstudentsrexplainedrwhenrtherobligationrappliesr(thre
sholdr ofrharm)randrexplainedrthatrPulprMillsrconcernedrtransboundaryrharmrtoranotherrS
tate’sr environment, rbutrthatrtherITLOSrDeeprSeabedrAdvisoryrOpinionrextendedrthisrtorsh
aredr resourcesrbeyondranyrState’srjurisdiction.rTherobservationrshouldrhaverbeenrmadert
hatrther ArcticrOceanrisrarsharedrresourcerbeyondranyrState’srjurisdiction.rThisr customaryrobl
igationrisr relevantrtorinterpretationrofrtherobligationrinrArtr5rthroughrArtr31(3)(c)rVCLT.
SomerstudentsrdiscussedrtherobligationrtorpreventrtransboundaryrharmrtorotherrStatesr(Trail
r Smelter)randrtherPrecautionaryrPrinciple rwhichrwerernotrdirectlyrrelevant rhere.
(v) DraftrArtr1rofrther2012rConvention
TherdraftrwasrrelevantrtorinterpretationrthroughrArtr32rVCLTrasrpreparatoryrworks.rSeer d
iscussionraboverinr(i).rArcommonrerrorrwasrtorassumerthatrArtr32rmaterialrcouldronlyrber l
ookedratrwhenrthermeaningrisrambiguousrorrabsurd,rbutritrcanrberlookedrtorinrorderrtor c
onfirmrthermeaningrgivenrbyrtherapplicationrofrArtr31.
(c)rRussiargettingroutrofrther2012rConvention
StudentsrwererexpectedrtordiscussrtherapplicationrofrPartrVrofrtherVCLT.r Artr42rspecifies rth
atr thertreatyrcanronlyrberavoidedrbyrwayrofrtherprovisionsrinrPartrV.rArtr54rVCLTrprovides
rthatr Russiarcouldrterminaterorrwithdrawrinraccordance rwithrthertreaty’srprovisionsrorrbyrc
onsentr ofrallrtherparties.rArtr12rofrther2012rConventionrprohibitsrdenunciationrorrwithdr
awal,randr consent risrunlikelyronrtherfacts.rStudentsrshouldrthenrhaverconsideredrwhether
rthererwerer anyrgroundsrforrinvalidityrorrforrterminationrunderrPart rV.r Errorr(Artr48) rsho
uldrhaverbeenr consideredrinsofarrasrRussiarmightrseekrtorarguerthatritsrconsentrwasrcond
itionalruponritsr understandingrofrnaturalrresourcesrasrincludingrlivingrresources.rStudents
rshouldrhaver discussedrtherconditions rforrerrorrinrArtr48randritsrlikelyrsuccess.r Material rbr
eachr(Artr60)rbyr Canadarwouldrberrelevantrtorconsiderrifrtherconclusionrinr(b)rwasrthatr“n
aturalrresources”r doesrincluderlivingrresourcesrandrthereforerarscientificrresearchrmission
ronrpolarrbearsrisr prohibited.rTherconditionsrforrArtr60rshouldrhaverbeenrconsidered.rProc
eduralrrequirementsr couldrhaverbeenrmentioned.
ArcommonrmistakerwasrtorconsiderrtherapplicationrofrArtr56,rwhichrdoesrnotrapplyrhere.rAr
tr 56rappliesronlyrwhererthererisrnorprovisionrinrthertreatyronrtermination,rdenunciationro
rr withdrawal.rInrther2012rConvention,rArtr12risranrexplicitrprovisionronrdenunciationrand
r withdrawal.
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