• 3 min de lectura
• 3 min de lectura
The Panama Canal today inaugurated the International Congress on Canal Law, an academic and institutional event of international scope aimed at analyzing and disseminating the legal framework that underpins the operation of the interoceanic waterway. The inaugural session marks the beginning of two days of high-level technical exchange focused on the Treaty of Neutrality, the Constitutional Title, and the Organic Law that governs the institution.
During the opening, the Canal Administrator, Ricaurte Vásquez Morales, emphasized the study of Canal Law as an essential task for the Panamanian nation and the legal community, key to ensuring the Canal's future projection and protection. "Understanding generates pride, and pride generates commitment," he stated.
The Congress brings together national and international jurists, academics, authorities, and specialists, who address, from different perspectives, the legal foundations of the Canal, as well as contemporary issues related to its governance, sustainability, and its role in the global environment.
The inauguration was attended by the Minister for Canal Affairs, Jose Ramón Icaza, magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice, deputies of the Republic, members of the Cabinet, and national and local authorities.
Throughout the agenda, panels and presentations delve into the evolution of the Canal's legal framework, its practical application, and its relevance in the face of new realities in trade and geopolitics.
In this context, the Vice President of Legal Advisory for the Canal, Agenor Correa, presented the conceptualization of Canal Law, addressing its development as a discipline and its role in the institutional structure that sustains the operation of the interoceanic waterway.
From an international perspective, academics Oona Hathaway, from Yale University, and Kal Raustiala, from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), examined the Treaty of Neutrality and its application mechanisms, as well as how international law supports the Canal's legal framework and its functioning in the global context.
The agenda also included an academic debate on the legal structure of the Constitutional Title of the Panama Canal, with the participation of prominent national jurists such as Doctors Jorge Eduardo Ritter, Alfredo Ramírez, Jr., Miguel Antonio Bernal, and Rigoberto González.
The two sessions aim to generate input that contributes to institutional strengthening and the preservation of the principles that guarantee the neutral, efficient, and safe operation of the Panama Canal.
With this initiative, the Panama Canal reinforces its commitment to promoting knowledge, transparency, and specialized dialogue, bringing together key stakeholders to reflect on the Canal's legal framework.
