SWEDEN BECOMES 100TH PARTY TO SEA LAW CONVENTION

26 June 1996

Press Release
L/T/4338*
SEA/1516

SWEDEN BECOMES 100TH PARTY TO SEA LAW CONVENTION

19960626 NEW YORK, 25 June (Office of Legal Affairs) -- Sweden today deposited with the Secretary-General its instrument of ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. It, thus, became the 100th State to adhere to the Convention, marking a new landmark in its progress as the single universal instrument governing all ocean uses and resources.

The Convention was adopted by the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea in 1982 and entered into force on 16 November 1994 -- one year after the deposit of the sixtieth instrument of ratification or accession. During July 1994, the Assembly had adopted an agreement relating to the implementation of Part XI of the Convention, which contains provisions regulating deep seabed mining beyond the limits of national jurisdiction. That action was seen as clearing the way for many of the large, industrialized countries to become parties to the Convention.

Recently, Algeria, China, Finland, Ireland, Japan and Norway have joined the rapidly expanding list of States parties to the Convention. A number of others, including the United Kingdom and the United States, have submitted it for domestic ratification or accession procedures.

The Convention embodies a comprehensive framework and detailed rules governing nearly all aspects of jurisdiction over ocean space and exploitation of ocean resources. Its underlying purpose is to define States' rights and obligations in the use of the oceans so as to avoid conflicts and promote stability in international relations. The General Assembly has repeatedly reaffirmed the fundamental importance of the Convention for the maintenance and strengthening of international peace and security, as well as for the sustainable use and development of the seas and oceans and their resources.

The Convention is recognized by nearly all States -- including those who have yet to formally adhere to it -- as the main reference point in such areas as delimiting their zones of jurisdiction, defining navigational rights,

__________ * Press Release L/T/228 dated 17 January 1996 should have been numbered L/T/4337.

- 2 - Press Release L/T/4338 SEA/1516 26 June 1996

managing fish stocks, developing offshore oil and gas resources, protecting the marine environment, and settling maritime disputes. A number of major conferences -- including the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and the United Nations Conference on Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks -- have relied it as the cornerstone for national and international action, and for further development of specific aspects of the law of the sea.

* *** *