STATES PARTIES TO LAW OF SEA CONVENTION TO ELECT FIRST 21 JUDGES TO INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL

25 July 1996

Press Release
SEA/1517

STATES PARTIES TO LAW OF SEA CONVENTION TO ELECT FIRST 21 JUDGES TO INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL

19960725 Judges to Be Sworn by Secretary-General At Inauguration of Tribunal on 18 October in Hamburg

NEW YORK, 25 July (Office of Legal Affairs) -- The States parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, meeting at United Nations Headquarters from 24 July to 2 August, are to elect the first 21 judges to serve on the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. They are also expected to approve the draft agreement on the privileges and immunities of the Tribunal, its judges, its Registry and its staff.

The Tribunal's 21 judges will be chosen from a list of 33 candidates nominated by more than 35 States, during elections scheduled for 1 August. Under the Convention, the election must ensure that there is equitable geographical distribution in the Tribunal and among its judges, and that the Tribunal must represent the principal legal systems of the world. (For the complete list of nominees, see document SPLOS/10.)

Upon entry into force of the Convention, the States parties held their first meeting on 21 and 22 November 1994. They decided to defer the first election of judges to the Tribunal on a one-time basis. One reason for that was to promote wider international representation on the Tribunal by allowing time for more States to complete their ratification or accession procedures. Since then, the number of States parties has increased from 60 to 102 States.

The Tribunal's members are to meet at Hamburg on 1 October to organize its work and elect officials, including its President. They will constitute the seabed disputes chamber, adopt the Tribunal's procedural rules, enter into a headquarters agreement with the host country, and address such matters as staff and financial regulations and various practical arrangements. The official inauguration of the Tribunal is to take place on 18 October in Hamburg, at a ceremony in which the judges will be sworn in by the Secretary- General of the United Nations.

The Convention on the Law of the Sea requires States parties to settle their disputes on interpretation or application of the Convention by peaceful means. Where no settlement has been reached, the dispute shall be submitted at the request of any party to a court or tribunal having jurisdiction. The

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International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, with its seat at Hamburg, Germany, is identified as the central forum for that purpose.

States Parties

As of 24 July, 102 States had deposited ratifications, accessions or successions to the Convention with the Secretary-General. They are: Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Cape Verde, China, Comoros, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Honduras, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq.

Also: Ireland, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania, Uruguay, Viet Nam, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

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