Access To The Sea And An Ethiopia-Somaliland Port Deal: Legal, Economic, Political And Security Issues

The International Centre of the Horn of Africa (ICHA) and the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, will host a seminar, entitled, Access to the Sea and an Ethiopia-Somaliland Port Deal: Legal, Economic, Political and Security Issues, 21 May 2024, online

The International Centre of the Horn of Africa (ICHA), in cooperation with the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies, invites you to an international seminar on

Access to the Sea and an Ethiopia-Somaliland Port Deal: Legal, Economic, Political and Security Issues

In a rapidly changing global landscape, the Horn of Africa has emerged as a critical arena for geopolitical and economic interests.

This seminar will explore key issues such as the rights of landlocked states to access the sea, the status of Somaliland and its impact on international agreements, and Ethiopia’s renewed quest for sovereign access to the sea driven by economic, security, and geopolitical factors.

Additionally, we will discuss the intricate Somaliland-Somalia relations, the implications of an Ethiopia port deal, and the broader geopolitical and security ramifications of such agreements.

Experts from both inside and outside the Horn of Africa will provide valuable insights into these pressing topics and their implications for regional stability and international relations.

21 May 2024, 14.00h CET (16.00h Eastern African Time)

Register here

PROGRAM

• 14.00h CET (=16.00h EAT time) : Opening of the Seminar
  Dr Harry Post (Professor of international law, ret., University of Exeter, UK; co-founder of ICHA)14.15h CET (=16.15h EAT) : Presentations by the panelists

  15.45h CET (=17.45h EAT): Short reactions of the panelists

  

  16.00h CET (=18.00h EAT): Questions & Answers

  16.45h CET (=18.45h EAT): Closing of the Seminar

Panelists:

• Dr. Hilde Woker, University of Leiden, Netherlands – Access to the Sea and (sovereign) rights of land-locked states like Ethiopia
• Dr. Jed Odermatt, City University, London, United Kingdom – The status of Somaliland and the consequences for (military) agreements
• Dr. Henok Getachew, Institute of Foreign Affairs, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Ethiopia’s Renewed Quest for a sovereign access to the Sea
• Ambassador Mohamed Idd (TBC) – Somalia and an Ethiopia Port Deal
• Dr Mohamed Farah Hersi, Director of the Academy for Peace and Development, Hargeisa, Somaliland.
• Ambassador Alexander Rondos, Former Special Representative of the European Union for the Horn of Africa – Potential geopolitical and security ramifications of an Ethiopia Port Deal

Moderation: 

• Professor Michael Addo, Notre Dame University, London.

Visit Here