AGENDA

The Center conducts research on the sources of international law, international responsibility, sanctions, and jurisdictional immunities. The Center's experts prepare opinions on topical legal issues considered at various international venues for the Russian government agencies, business representatives, the expert community, and other interested parties.

The COVID ∙ 19 pandemic has become a global challenge for hu-manity. It aсtualized the question of relevance to present realities of exist-ing regulation of a variety of issues, both at the international and national levels. The ICLRC analyzes best ap-proaches and practices, proposes new guidelines and mechanisms for better response to emergencies, including in the health sector, in the future. Together with government agencies, international organizations, including UNCITRAL The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law , and the expert community the ICLRC participates in the discussion and solution of relevant problems.

One of the ICLRC’s priorities is to promote the expert agenda in the field of sustainable development. Key topics in this context are international and foreign climate regulation, business strategies to reduce carbon intensity of their processes, legal mechanisms to minimize potential social and economic risks. The ICLRC actively participates in expert support of legislation improvement process. The Center is the only Russian organization that has received the status of the UNEP FI Financial Initiative of the United Nations Environment Program  Supporting Institution. In June 2022, The ICLRC has received accreditation with the UNEP UN Environment Programme , as well as an observer status in the UN Environment Assembly, the UNEP managing body. The Center is also an observer to UNFCCC  The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change .

The Center analyzes issues related to the regimes of various maritime spaces under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, exploration and development of mineral resources beyond national jurisdiction, and the consequences of sea level rise for coastal States. Since 2018, the Center has been advising the delegation of the Russian Federation to the ISA International Seabed Authority  on various issues arising in the context of work on the Draft Rules on Exploitation for Mineral Resources in the Area The seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (Article 1 (1) of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea) . The Center's materials are used by the Russian delegation during negotiations and are published on the ISA website. As part of the work in this area, in 2019, the Center also took part in the preparation of proposals for the development of Russian legislation regulating activities in the Area.

The ICLRC analyzes current issues in the Arctic from the perspective of current regulation and prospects for its development, paying special attention to the problems of climate change in this region. The Center focuses on the applicable law and regime of the Arctic maritime spaces, regulation of economic activity in the context of climate change, tools for effective management and promotion of sustainable development goals (marine spatial planning, sustainable finance).

Harmonization of legal mechanisms regulating cross-border trade is one of the main prerequisites for creating a favorable investment climate and an environment of trust in various markets. The focus of the Center's attention is on international instruments for the unification of trade relations and the consideration of commercial disputes, which are being worked on within the framework of UNCITRAL The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law , UNIDROIT The International Institute for the Unification of Private Law , and other international organizations. The Center participates in the work of three UNCITRAL Working Groups as an observer.

Digitalization is one of the key factors that may ensure the growth of world trade, which entails the need to study the legal aspects of new tools of the digital economy, including artificial intelligence, blockchain, smart contracts, and Big Data. The Center conducts research in the field of cross-border recognition of electronic documents, participates as an observer in the UNCITRAL The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law  Working Group IV which works upon the use and cross-border recognition of the management of identification data and identity services.

The gradual transition to renewable energy sources has become one of the key trends determining the development of the global economy. The Center became involved in the expert agenda related to energy transition issues, organizes and participates in events and research. In 2021, the ICLRC joined a government project to adapt the Russian economy to the global energy transition, actively engaging from the first session with Prime Minister in July, and then — within the working groups developing the operational plan and regulatory framework to implement the Strategy of Socio-Economic Development of Russia With a Low Level of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Until 2050.

The importance of Eurasian integration in the current realities will increase steadily and be reflected in the economic processes of all member states of the EAEU Eurasian Economic Union . The ICLRC studies from a legal perspective the impact of integration on the development of trade between the EAEU countries, the development of the services market, mutual investment flows and, in general, trends emerging within the Union. The ICLRC also has experience in the unification of legislation, preparing supranational regulation. For many years, the ICLRC has also been a co-organizer of the moot court competition “Dispute Resolution in the EAEU”.