Recently, Tomas Heidar, President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), paid a visit to KoGuan School of Law, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The guest was received by Professor Peng Chengxin, Dean of the School; Zhang Peng, Deputy Party Secretary; Professor Xue Guifang; Professor Hu Jiaxiang; and Associate Professor Zhang Guobin, Assistant to the Dean. The two sides held friendly talks. During the meeting, both parties had thorough communication and exchanges on maritime law talent training, internships at ITLOS and other related matters.

After the talks, Tomas Heidar gave a special lecture titled The Contribution of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to the Development of International Law: From Continental Shelf Issues to Climate Change. The lecture was hosted by Professor Xue Guifang. Professor Peng Chengxin delivered opening remarks. Professor Hu Jiaxiang and Postdoctoral Fellow Pan Kaijun acted as discussants. Associate Professors Xu Xiaobing, Xu Xiangxin and other faculty members and students attended the lecture.

In the lecture, Tomas Heidar introduced the dispute settlement mechanism under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Based on the Tribunal's jurisdiction and functions, he cited judicial practices over continental shelf delimitation and climate change to explain ITLOS's contributions to the development of the law of the sea and relevant international law.

Furthermore, Tomas Heidar held a forum with representatives of the School's moot court team. They conducted in-depth discussions on hot topics including global governance and the training of international civil servants.

Tomas Heidar has served as a judge of ITLOS since 2014 and was elected President in 2023. Before taking office as a judge, he worked as Legal Counsel (Ambassadorial Rank) of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Iceland. He represented Iceland in maritime law negotiations at the United Nations and other major international organizations for many years, with profound experience in diplomacy and legal practice. This visit ushers in a new stage for KoGuan School of Law and ITLOS to deepen academic exchanges and build cooperation links. Moving forward, the School will take this opportunity to build high-end platforms for international legal exchanges, and boost the cultivation of foreign-related legal professionals and the expansion of international cooperation.