Hague Academy of International Law’s Special Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean, 10-20 March 2026

Second-year NUS Law PhD student, Mr Huang Fan, recently returned from Cartagena, Colombia, where he participated in the Hague Academy of International Law’s Special Programme for Latin America and the Caribbean. As the only participant from Asia among 113 attendees representing five continents, Fan immersed himself in an intensive ten-day programme that featured thematic lectures, academic exchanges, and site visits to institutions such as Colombia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and local dispute resolution centres.

The programme’s curriculum, delivered in the Spanish language, covered courses on international arbitration, advocacy before international courts, and the impact of trade wars on free trade agreements. It also provided critical frameworks for analysing the intersection of development and international economic law. This is closely aligned with Fan’s doctoral research, which focuses on the Third World, development concepts, and dispute resolution.

Beyond the academic gains, Fan valued the programme’s distinctive Latin American perspective, taught by leading scholars from the Global South. The insights offered fresh regional viewpoints that enrich his Third World-centred research approach. He also built meaningful connections with renowned academics, practitioners, and peers from around the world, laying the groundwork for future collaboration within the broader international law community