Lessons learned from the World Commission on Dams

The World Commission on Dams was an independent international body created under initiatives of the World Bank and the World Conservation Union in order to address environmental and social impacts of large dams. It published its final report in November 2000 after 2.5 years of extensive studies, public hearings, and discussions. The report included recommendations that were expected by some to become internationally acceptable standards for the planning, assessment, design, construction, operation, and monitoring of large dam projects. However, to date, none of these recommendations have been either officially accepted by major international financial institutions, including the World Bank, or by a large number of national governments, including China and India, which are the world’s top and third largest dam-building countries. Several factors have prevented their broad acceptance: (1) the World Bank lost its stake in the development of policy as the original scope of the review expanded from solely Bank-funded projects to cover all large dam projects in the world; (2), the World Bank was neither included in the secretariat nor did it provide Commissioners, thereby providing the Bank with an excuse not to accept the recommendations; (3) the Commission had the heavy tasks of carrying out both scientific study and developing policies, under serious time constraints, resulting in premature recommendations that were difficult to apply in the real world; (4) the character of the final recommendations was not clearly explained in the report, giving stakeholders unrealistic expectations.

A compass but not a road map: Diversity considerations with the AFCC Guidelines on Parenting Plan Evaluations

The 2022 Guidelines for Parenting Plan Evaluations in Family Law Cases were developed taking into account membership feedback which identified guidance around issues of Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) as a high priority. The current Guidelines have integrated issues of diversity in many areas of the document, by adding a section on guiding principles and values, expanding and clarifying evaluator education and training, and embedding cultural and diversity considerations in many sections of the document. The Guidelines do not provide more direct instruction or education on specific topics or aspects of culture and diversity.     

《国际商事仲裁示范法》对临时性保全措施条款的修订

临时性保全措施是国际商事仲裁程序中的措施,旨在使仲裁程序顺利进行,保障裁决作出后得以执行。在阐述联合国贸法会2006年对其1985年《国际商事仲裁示范法》关于临时性保全措施规定修改要点基础上,结合我国现行法律对有关临时性保全措施的规定进行比较研究,进而对我国现行立法的修订提出自己的看法。     

《正当防卫指导意见》中的程序问题评析

《正当防卫指导意见》中关于程序问题的若干规范对于正确办理涉正当防卫案件意义重大。侦查机关在取证工作中,应当着重注意对于能够证明不法侵害行为存在证据的及时收集。公检法机关在依法公正处理涉正当防卫案件时,尤其应当认真听取辩护方意见,及时披露案件信息,回应社会关切。对属于正当防卫的案件应当及时作出不予追究决定。但对于防卫过当案件均应适用认罪认罚从宽制度的要求似乎不妥。对于陪审制的运用应扬长避短。在案件办理的不同环节均应注意释法析理,尤其应当注意在认定为正当防卫的案件中对被害人及其家属进行释法析理。在做好法治宣传教育工作中,既要教育公民自觉遵守法律,更要教育公民敢于拿起法律的武器,积极行使防卫权利。     

治外法权与中国司法近代化之关系——调查法权委员会个案研究

中国司法近代化与治外法权问题紧密相关,调查法权委员会及其报告书是近代中国撤废治外法权的一个阶段性标志。通过考证调查法权委员会组织的前后经过,对作为调查结论的报告书内容进行分析,可以认为该事件强化了近代中国自学习西方法律和司法制度以来一直存在的为废除治外法权而改良法律和司法的论证逻辑;导致了在此之后发动民众,以运动的方式参与法律和司法事务的先河,从而对中国法律和司法近代化产生了深远影响。     

海盗的历史、现状与《海上刑事法案准则》（草案）

分析海盗的法律概念、由来及特点,介绍全球联手打击海盗的措施与效果,详细介绍国际海事组织（IMO）针对海盗和海上犯罪行为专门制定的《海上刑事法案准则》（草案）。     

Best practices for structuring a family court parenting plan evaluation under the 2022 AFCC Guidelines

Evaluation appointment orders provide enforceable scaffolding for conduct of family court parenting plan evaluations, and use of the evaluator's reports, feedback, file, and testimony. Unlike a contract, a stipulated or adjudicated appointment order is directly enforceable by the family court. It unambiguously positions the evaluator as the family court's appointee – answerable directly to the court and, in some jurisdictions, protected by quasi-judicial immunity from damages claims. A well-crafted appointment order governs the roles and expectations of the court, the evaluator, the parties, the lawyers, and the collateral witnesses. An appointment order mandates the legal duties, rights, powers, and responsibilities of the professionals, the parties, and the collateral witnesses. At minimum, an appointment order articulates the legal basis for the appointment, the purpose and scope of the evaluation, compensation of evaluator, and the duty of the parties to participate in the process. A written evaluation protocol or procedures statement discloses in advance the methods of investigation and assessment that the evaluator intends to use. Together, the appointment order and written protocol help the evaluator, lawyers, parents, and judge manage the complexity of the evaluation process.     

科学发展观的战略思维本质

重视战略性思维是我们党的优良传统。战略思维,是着眼于研究全局性、长远性和根本性问题的思维方式,是人们分析和解决宏观性、前瞻性、政策性等重大战略问题的立场、观点和方法。科学发展观具有战略思维的本质。善于进行战略思维,从战略层面把握科学发展观,是落实科学发展观的重要保证。     

刑法学发展报告

改革开放以后,我国刑法学发展迅速,在经历了复苏阶段、展开阶段、繁荣阶段后进入推进阶段,并取得斐然战绩。2004年的刑法学研究更是基础理论研究成果迭出,研究视野更加开阔,外向型刑法研究与犯罪学研究引人瞩目,学术活动异常活跃。当然,理论研究中的重复与浪费现象、刑事法学研究各学科发展不平衡和研究方法与研究视域的拓展亦需引起关注。未来刑法学的发展还将彻底转变刑法观念,建立法治国的刑法文化;适应时代发展需要,完善现有的刑法学体系,加大外向型刑法的研究力度,在加强判例研究、密切关注实践要求等方向上前进。     

科学发展观视域下的公共政策创新

为适应创新型国家建设、构建和谐社会的需要,公共政策必须及时创新。科学发展观为公共政策理念创新、内容创新和政策手段创新指明了方向。因此,在实现公共政策创新目标的过程中,政策主体必须深入学习与实践科学发展观,实现政策理念的转变;废旧立新并举,实现政策内容的切换;创新政策运行机制,实现政策目标的转换。     

新时期思想政治教育"以人为本"的价值内涵

社会主义市场经济的快速发展,使效益优先的原则得到人们的共识,但由此对经济利益最大化的追求与膜拜,却日益消解着人们的价值观念、理想信念,责任和义务,从而偏离了人的全面发展的价值尺度的目标。思想政治教育要积极应对这一现实,就必须在深刻理解和把握马克思关于人的全面发展理论的基础上,在继续坚持其保证功能、导向功能以促进社会稳定发展的同时,进一步彰显其"育人"功能,即要注重培育人的综合素质和健全的社会精神以促进人的自由、全面的发展。这就是新时期思想政治教育"以人为本"价值观最根本的内涵和体现。为此,新时期思想政治教育在价值取向上要确立以人为本位;在教育立场上要实现"两个需要"的统一;在教育任务上要促进人的个性的自由充分发展;在教育方法上贯彻双重主体思想,尊重人、理解人、关心人,以实现价值认同。     

当代中国"法治理论"三十年发展的省思

十一届三中全会以来,我国的法治理论经历了“法治”与“人治”之争、依法治国基本方略的确立以及社会主义法治理念的提出三个大的阶段。我国的法治理论有着鲜明的特色,即具备了满足中国的法治现实之需、以邓小平理论为指导、政府和学界的良性互动、借鉴西方国家的法治理论、百家争鸣的学术氛围以及理论界主体的回归等特征。这些特征又将把法治理论研究导向注重法治实践的具体方式和路径、关注中国的传统与现实等方向上。     

论我国以人为本的刑事诉讼制度的应有结构——科学发展观的刑事司法解读

科学发展观的核心理念是以人为本,现代刑事诉讼制度的根本目的在于人权保障。科学发展观既是真理观又是方法论。一旦人权保障真正成为刑事诉讼制度与实践的元价值,就必然会以审判为中心,形成控辩平等、控审分离和审判中立的等腰三角形诉讼结构。     

The Commission for Environmental Cooperation and North American Migratory Bird Conservation: The Potential of the NAAEC Citizen Submission Procedure

This article examines the citizen submission process laid out in Articles 14--15 of the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), the 1993 environmental NAFTA “side agreement.” These articles set out a process by which nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or individuals may file a submission alleging that one of the Parties to the agreement “is failing to effectively enforce its environmental law.” The paper traces developments set in motion by two submissions alleging failure to enforce migratory bird legislation. The first targets the United States, the second, Canada. Developments in these and other Article 14--15 cases have enfeebled an instrument that, from the outset, many regarded as having quite limited potential. These cases indicate, nonetheless, that the procedure still has some limited usefulness as a way of highlighting implementation failures. NGOs that do choose to invest in pursuing a citizen submission process would be advised to combine these efforts with other approaches to mobilizing public pressure.     

论中国外商投资法的发展趋势——中国改革开放30年外商投资法律制度的回顾和展望

在对外开放的30年中，外商投资企业作为利用外商直接投资的主要形式，中国已经积累了丰富的经验。与此同时，中国外商投资企业法律制度也随之得以产生和发展，并在世界贸易组织规则的框架下得到了进一步的完善。在中国加入世界贸易组织、实行社会主义市场经济的今天，改革当初以企业立法形式确立的外商投资企业法已不能完全适应中国当前改革开放和世界经济一体化进程的需要。在世界贸易组织的“国民待遇”原则下，中国外商投资企业法必然地会从目前实行的“双轨制”企业立法阶段发展到国家宏观调控立法阶段的外商投资法典制阶段，从而使外商投资者和中国国内的各市场经济主体一样，在中国享有真正法律意义上的国民待遇。     

改革开放以来我国民族立法观刍议

民族立法观是支配民族立法乃至整个民族法制工作的重要指导思想。改革开放以来,我国民族立法工作取得的快速发展是坚持科学民族立法观的必然结果。当前指导我国民族立法工作的根本指针就是邓小平理论、＂三个代表＂重要思想、科学发展观中的民族立法观。认真理解和准确把握这些内涵丰富、与时俱进的民族立法思想,对于进一步健全具有中国特色社会主义的民族法律法规体系而言意义重大。     

The European Trips-Plus Model and The Arab World: From Co-Operation to Association— A New Era in the Global IPRS Regime?

The advocation of stronger and higher levels of Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) protection has been on the rise in recent years, particularly since the establishment of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 1995. Although its establishment signalled the beginning of a new phase in the protection of IPRs internationally, no more than a decade later, it is seen that such a regime is still undergoing a number of significant changes. In this regard, the rise of bilateralism and the retreat of multilateralism resulted in the so-called ‹TRIPS-Plus’ recipe in which developing countries are increasingly giving way to the demands of the industrialised countries through incorporating higher levels of IPRs protection domestically. Although the USA has often been viewed as the primary advocator and enforcer of the TRIPS-Plus recipe globally, this article shows that in fact the European Union (EU) advocated the TRIPS-Plus recipe long before the USA. Thus, this article discusses the case of the European TRIPS-Plus model with the Arab World as a clear demonstration of such a trend. Developing and Arab countries are now faced with two determined superpowers acting at both the unilateral and bilateral levels to achieve their desired higher standards of IPRs protection worldwide. This will further erode the flexibilities of the TRIPS Agreement, and will entail grave repercussions for both the developing and Arab countries. LLM, PhD, Lecturer in Law, University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN), UK. The author may be contacted at mel-said@uclan.ac.uk     

论统筹区域发展的财政税收立法

统筹区域发展是艰巨、复杂、长期的事业,亟需以科学发展观为指导,借鉴国际经验,以法律来保障其实施。现行财政税收法律在统筹区域发展上存在不足,需要从立法宗旨和基本原则、立法结构和主要内容、法律执行、法律监督以及法律责任等几方面共同构建统筹区域发展的财政税收法律。     

环境法学研究范式变革的基础与导向

环境法学研究范式的确立对环境法学理论体系的建构、指导环境问题的解决有重要的意义.当下"主客一体"的革命性范式,彰显了相关论者范式建构的自觉,并推动了环境法理论的多元化发展.但是,这种范式由于一定程度上忽视"人"的价值序位而遭遇同样的困境,以理论建构为重心同样忽视了对应对环境问题实践的有用性的追求.环境法学研究范式变革应以"以人为本"、协调发展为指导,在一定限度内完成向"实践导向"的转变.重建现代环境法学方法论应该从主体要求、价值观要求、技术要求及规范要求四个维度展开,社会工程哲学基础上的创新恰恰涵盖了这四个方面的规定性.因此我们的任务就是如何将社会工程的系统论哲学恰当地应用于环境法学研究范式的变革中.