Special Guest Lecture on Disarmament, States and International Organizations by Dr. Sudhir T Devare, Former Ambassador

On the 13th of January, 2015, Dr. Sudhir T Devare, Former secretary,  Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and Ram Sathe Chair Professor, Symbiosis International University, Pune, delivered a lecture on ‘Disarmament, States and International organizations’ to the students of Symbiosis Law School, Pune at their new campus at Viman Nagar. Sir was also an ambassador to South Korea, Ukraine and Indonesia; Director General, Indian Council of world affairs.

The welcome speech was delivered by Dr. Shashikala Gurpur, Fulbright Scholar, Director, Symbiosis Law School, Pune and Dean, Faculty of Law, Symbiosis International University. Dr. Gurpur acknowledged Mr. Sudhir Devare’s experience in the International field; she expressed her desire to soon start a Master’s Programme in Global Law. Dr. Gurpur highlighted the need for countries in Asia to take a step further when it comes to International Law.

In his address, Mr. Sudhir Devare that he was greatly humbled to have had the chance to address a group of budding lawyers and help them gain further knowledge about international law from the point of view of the United Nations and other International Organizations. He spoke about international law as an evolving subject and it relevance in the recent years. He gave the audience a lot of practical insights from his own experience in the field. Mr. Devare then explained the different organizations in the United Nations like the UN General Assembly, the Security Council (UNSC), etc. and the duties they owe to the world. The United Nations aims to direct nations in a peaceful manner with the consensual following of the UN Charter which deals with security issues, economic and social development keeping the sovereignty of each nation intact.

He spoke about India’s relevance in the current international treaties, especially the Nuclear Disarmament Treaties such as the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the Partial Test Ban Treaty and the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty which is not in force yet. The aforementioned treaties were seen as a big step forward towards regulating and reducing risks of destruction through these lethal weapons.  

Mr. Devare, further enumerated the essentials of International Law. Citing an example from the chapter VII of the U.S. Constitution, he said, International Treaties binds everything together.  International Customs are considered to be a good source of law in international law and are greatly considered in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to decide upon the issues maintaining the sovereignty of nations. Mr. Devare ventured into various aspects of international economic trade which are imperative in nature for a country’s growth, drawing a timeline from the GATT to the WTO. In conclusion of his lecture, he enlightened the students on the benefits of taking up International Trade Law as it has great career prospects.

As the lecture ended, the floor was left open to questions, which were well thought and devised, and were also answered by Mr. Devare aptly. The lecture on Disarmament left the students enriched with new knowledge on such a wide yet crucial field of law from the point of view of a former Indian diplomat.