CONTACT DETAILS
CEPMLP |
Room 1.05 Telephone: +44 (0)1382 388384 |
Contact Email: m.g.desta@dundee.ac.uk
Dr Melaku Geboye Desta is a reader in international economic law at CEPMLP and director of our PhD programme.
Dr Desta joined the Centre in 2001. Previous to his appointment at CEPMLP, he has served as teaching assistant at the Institute for International Trade Law, University of Leuven, Belgium, and external counsel in WTO law to the Brussels Office of Stibbe, an international law firm. Between 1993 and 1995, Dr Desta was an Assistant Lecturer at the Faculty of Law of Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
Dr Desta obtained a PhD degree in international trade law, and LLM degree (Magna cum Laude) at the University of Leuven, Belgium; LLB degree (distinction, first-ranking and winner of the Chancellor's Medal) from Addis Ababa University; and a university diploma in education (distinction and first-ranking) from Bahir Dar Teachers' College, Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.
Research
His research interests include WTO law, agriculture, energy, trade and development, international business transactions, human rights and environment. He is also Corresponding Editor for the International Legal Materials responsible for "Agriculture and Natural Resources under the WTO System and Africa"; member of the editorial board for the Law and Development Review; and Executive Council member of the Society of International Economic Law (SIEL).
Dr Desta consults governments (recent examples include Ethiopia and Mauritius), international organizations (including the UN FAO, UNCTAD, OPEC, UNECA, IGAD, the PMU, etc.) and companies on international trade law issues. Finally, Dr Desta also lectures in other universities, including the Graduate Institute (Geneva) and the KU Leuven Faculty of Law (Belgium).
Teaching
International Arbitration (On-Campus)
To provide the candidate with an overview of the law and practice of international arbitration as a major means of settling international disputes. The course will be taught comparatively with reference to various international laws, the arbitration rules of UNCITRAL, the rules of leading arbitration institutions (e.g. AAA, ICC, LCIA, ICSID), and the major international instruments relevant to international arbitration.
International Trade Law (On-Campus)
The main objective of this course is to provide students with an understanding of the overall regulatory framework within which international business transactions take place. This includes an understanding of international treaties regulating cross-border trade relations and the operation of pertinent international organisations administering those treaties, particularly the WTO. The course approaches most issues from a natural resources perspective.
