Background Release

Commission on Limits of Continental Shelf Meeting at Headquarters 15 July-30 August

 

NEW YORK, 9 August (United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs) — On 15 July, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf commenced its thirty-second session, which will continue until 30 August. 

The first plenary part of the session will be held from 12 to 16 August and the second plenary part will be held from 26 to 30 August, while the remainder of the time is being devoted to the technical examination of submissions at the Geographic Information Systems laboratories and other technical facilities of the Division.

There are currently six sub-commissions actively considering the submissions made by Uruguay, the Cook Islands concerning the Manihiki Plateau, Argentina, Ghana, Iceland in respect of the Ægir Basin area and in the western and southern parts of Reykjanes Ridge, and Denmark in the area north of the Faroe Islands. 

During the plenary parts of the session, the Commission will receive formal presentations by a number of submitting States.  During the first plenary part, it is anticipated that presentations will be made by:  the Russian Federation in respect of its partial revised submission in respect of the Okhotsk Sea; Pakistan; China in respect of its submission concerning part of the East China Sea; and Kiribati.

Additionally, during the second plenary part, it is anticipated that presentations will be made by: France and South Africa in respect of their joint submission in the area of the Crozet Archipelago and the Prince Edward Islands; France in respect of La Réunion Island and Saint-Paul and Amsterdam Islands; Tuvalu, France and New Zealand (Tokelau) with regard to their submission in respect of the area of the Robbie Ridge; and the Republic of Korea.

As required under the Rules of Procedure of the Commission, the executive summaries of all the submissions, including all charts and coordinates, have been made public by the Secretary-General through continental shelf notifications circulated to Member States of the United Nations, as well as States parties to the Convention.  The executive summaries are available on the Division’s website at www.un.org/Depts/los/clcs_new/clcs_home.htm.  The summaries of 18 recommendations thus far adopted by the Commission are also available on the above-referenced website.

For additional information on work of the Commission see the website of the Division at http://www.un.org/depts/los/index.htm.

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For information media • not an official record