States Parties to United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea Will Hold Resumed Twenty-Fifth Meeting at Headquarters, 15 January

The resumed twenty-fifth Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea will be held at Headquarters on 15 January, for the purpose of electing one member of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, following the resignation of Judge Vincente Marotta Rangel (Brazil), and one member of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, following the resignation of Nenad Leder (Croatia).  The Meeting had originally been convened from 8 to 12 June 2015.

The provisional agenda for the Meeting has been issued in document SPLOS/L.76.  The election procedures to be followed by the Meeting are set out in a note by the Registrar of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (document SPLOS/288) and a note by the Secretary-General (document SPLOS/291), respectively.  One candidate for the election of one member of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has been nominated by Brazil (document SPLOS/289), and the candidate’s curriculum vitae is available as document SPLOS/290.  To date, no candidate has been nominated for the election of one member of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf.

Often referred to as “the constitution for the oceans”, the Convention was opened for signature on 10 December 1982 and entered into force on 16 November 1994.  Its 320 articles and 9 annexes govern all aspects of ocean space and maritime issues, from navigational rights, maritime limits and marine scientific research to resource management, marine environment protection and dispute settlement.

Implementation of the Convention is supported by three bodies — the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (www.itlos.org), the International Seabed Authority (www.isa.org.jm) and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (www.un.org/depts/los/clcs_new/clcs_home.htm).  The treaty forms the basis for the creation of all three.

For further information on the Meeting, including documents for its consideration, please visit the website of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs, at: www.un.org/Depts/los/meeting_states_parties/resumedtwentyfifthmeetingstatesparties.htm.