Special Session

Mr. ARISTYO RIZKA DARMAWAN

Aristyo Rizka Darmawan is an Indonesian legal Academics and junior lecturer in International Law at Universitas Indonesia. He received a Bachelor of Law majoring in International Law from Universitas Indonesia and a Master of International Law from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, US. Aristyo also works as a researcher at the Center for Sustainable Ocean Policy (CSOP) where he does involve in numerous consultancy and research work for the Indonesian Government and NGO’s such as; The Indonesian Coast Guard, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Oxfam Foundation. His articles and writings on the South China Sea and the law of the sea have appeared in international outlets, such as the Lowy Institute the Interpreter, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative CSIS, East Asia Forum ANU, Policy Forum ANU, the Jakarta Post, Bangkok Post.

Mr. DAISUKE KAWAI

Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA)

Daisuke Kawai is a Research Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) where he focuses on security issues in the Indo-Pacific region. His areas of expertise are Indo-Pacific security and arms control, in particular emerging security technologies. He is also an Associate Fellow at the Global Institute of Emerging Security Technology (GIEST) and secretary of the Council of Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP) Japan. Kawai has completed master’s degrees at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London and at the Division of Peace Studies, the University of Bradford with Distinction as a British Council Scholar. Prior, he also studied diplomacy at the University of Oxford.

Mr. Lai Anh Tu

Lai Anh Tu is a research fellow at the Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies, the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam. His research interests include U.S. foreign policy, U.S.-Vietnam relations, U.S.-China relations, and international relations in East Asia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the Diplomacy Academy of Vietnam and a Master of Arts in International Affairs from the Elliott School of International Affairs, the George Washington University. He has published in East-West Center’s Asia Pacific Bulletin, East Asia Forum, among others.

Mr. Nguyen Huy Son

Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam

Nguyen Huy Son is a fourth year student from Faculty of International Communication and Culture, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV). He is Vice President of Students’ Research Association, named Galileo Society, a gathering of young researchers who are passionate about carrying out in-depth research on foreign affairs and international politics issues.

He also currently serves as Communication Manager of ASEAN Youth Organization Vietnam (AYO), which is a youth-led organization aiming at empowering Vietnamese youth and endowing them with opportunities to work toward proposals addressing ASEAN’s issues. 

His main research interests focus on China study, journalism and cultural diplomacy. Son has published several research papers on the above topics. He is currently working as research assistant to the Bien Dong (South China Sea) Institute for Maritime Studies, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam.

Ms. ARIEL STENEK

Ariel STENEK is Director of the Young Leaders Program at Pacific Forum.  She manages Pacific Forum’s next-generation engagements, and supports its Women, Peace, and Security program. As a WSD-Handa fellow she researched and presented on US Freedom of Navigation Operations, and marine environment considerations in the South China Sea. Previously she was a Regional Security Studies Intern at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, and worked at UNESCO in the division of Social and Human Sciences on The Silk Roads Online Platform. She holds an MA in International Relations from Queen Mary, University of London. Her dissertation, “Four Cases Examining the Role of Maritime Militias in China’s Maritime Strategy,” won the J. Ann Tickner Prize for Best Masters Dissertation, and was presented at the 2018 International Graduate Student Conference at the East-West Center in Honolulu.

Ms. DITA LILIANSA

Dita Liliansa is a Research Associate at the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore. She obtained her law degrees from Universitas Indonesia and the University of Washington. The latter was completed under the sponsorship of the Fulbright program. She has previously worked as an academic in Indonesia, and has provided expertise to government agencies, international organizations, and private entities. Her current research focuses on the protection of the marine environment in the Seas of Southeast Asia, in which she investigates the extent to which ASEAN promotes the implementation of international laws related to the protection of the marine environment. In addition to research, she is involved in teaching university students and training government officials, and participates in international and regional intergovernmental meetings as an observer.