Professor (Chair) Wang Guiguo, Dean of the School of Law, has delivered two lectures via the internet at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York for the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law. The lectures are now permanently stored in the audiovisual library as a valuable teaching tool and resource for legal professionals.

Professor Wang is the first scholar from Hong Kong or the mainland invited to give lectures at the UN, a mark of recognition of the standing of CityU scholars internationally.

Professor Wang’s lectures were recorded in a webcast studio at the UN in April. The theme, “Redefining Sovereignty in the Globalised World”, comprised two parts of 45 minutes each. The bilingual recordings will be available from October, free-of-charge, via the UN’s internet home page.

Professor Wang said the globalised world wielded great influence over the sovereignty of all nations. “Under traditional sovereignty, a country has the right of jurisdiction and autonomy, while in a globalised world, the executive, legislative and judicial powers inevitably face challenges that necessitate a need to redefine sovereignty,” he said. He said he chose this topic because redefining sovereignty was theoretically and practically essential to international law, especially in China.

Professor Wang also met senior staff members of the Office of Legal Affairs and Codification Division to discuss joint projects involving the School of Law. The other partners of the UN in this endeavour are Columbia University and Yale University.

The UN has embarked upon a unique mode of teaching and research through the dissemination of archives comprising original documents, speeches, interviews and experts views. This new ocean of information about the UN will be available for free to students, academics and researchers. About 50 renowned scholars, including Professor Wang, have been invited to deliver e-lectures that will be saved in the audiovisual library’s permanent collection.