Results of the eleventh Competition for the International Law in the XXI Century Award
We are happy to announce the winner of the Competition 2024/25, Vladislav Donakanyan, a graduate of the Master’s program at MGIMO University, with his paper Greening Flights: How Does the Ecologisation of Air Traffic Regulation Affect Current International Air Law?
The Award Council also gave special recognition to the paper Protection of Foreign Investment in Armed Conflicts by Viktoria Polshakova, a graduate of the Master’s program at HSE University.
Vladislav Donakanyan explores in his paper the interaction between international environmental and international air law on the example of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA). The author analyses the negotiation process of CORSIA through the lens of the fragmentation and convergence of international law, addressing both institutional and normative aspects. The implementation of CORSIA has led to a resurgence of debate surrounding the legal force of the Annexes to the Chicago Convention, which, in the author’s view, was finally resolved in the Advisory Opinion on Climate Change issued by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. Using the example of the European Union, the author also examines the relationship between CORSIA and regional CO₂ emissions reduction systems, and seeks to assess the legality of their extraterritorial application. The author notes that the greening of air transport has a significant impact on general issues of international air law.
In her paper, Viktoria analyzes the notion of foreign investment protection in armed conflicts through the prism of three lenses: the law of international treaties, international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The author dissects the colonial nature of the origins of investment law, as well as the effectiveness of its regulatory framework in times of conflicts and uncertainty. Using the Republic of Colombia as an example, the author concludes that international legal regulation of such protection should not be reduced to a dichotomy, whilst taking into account only the economic interests of the investor and the state. Rather, a greater appreciation should be shown for the third, no less important share, which is the interests of local communities and indigenous peoples, whose suffering from human rights violations continues to this day.
The winner is awarded a cash prize of 500,000 rubles. The author of the highly commended paper receives a certificate for the purchase of legal literature from the organizer of the Competition — the International and Comparative Law Research Center.
Our congratulations to Victoria and Vladislav, thanks to all the participants and good luck!
The twelfth Competition will be announced very soon. Follow the information on the Center’s website and social networks!