Global Cooperation, Optimal Application of Legal Agreements Key to Sustaining Healthy Marine Environment, Life on Earth, Speakers Tell General Assembly
The General Assembly today underscored the importance of the ocean in sustaining life on Earth for present and future generations, underlining the need to maintain and promote a healthy, sustainable and rules-based global marine life as it considered the Secretary-General’s related report (document A/79/340).
Delegates highlighted the imperatives of global cooperation in this regard, especially through maximally utilizing the different related agreements and cross-territorial legal structures in not just disputes or judicial settlements but also in daily harmonious coexistence.
Speaking on behalf of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries, the representative of Portugal said from sea-level rises to warming waters and acidifying ecosystems to increasing marine pollution, concerted international action is required to address the many challenges facing oceans. To this end, his group of countries share best practices and promote research partnerships, also working constructively in the International Seabed Authority, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. “These efforts aim to position our nations as a model for equitable and sustainable ocean governance,” he said.
Cyprus’s speaker said the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, beyond being a “guiding force for the sustainable management, peaceful use and equitable stewardship of the world’s oceans”, stands as a testament to the power of multilateralism. Her country has therefore aligned its national maritime legislation with the Convention and delimited its maritime zones with several neighbouring States and remains committed to peacefully resolving any maritime disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean in full compliance with international law.
The speaker for the European Union, in its capacity as observer, expressed concern over the ocean’s declining health, due to the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution together with the “severe threats from human activities” like overfishing, plastics and microplastics pollution and anthropogenic underwater noise. “It is imperative that we continue addressing these threats with the greatest possible urgency,” he said. Further, the Convention, being rightly regarded as the constitution of the ocean, makes it incumbent that the freedoms enjoyed under it by all States — particularly of navigation, overflight and of the laying of submarine cables and pipelines — are respected.
States Urged to Resolve Territorial and Maritime Disputes Peacefully
Concerned by the need to preserve these liberties, the United States’ representative said: “As we see attempts to impede the lawful exercise of navigational rights and freedoms,” it is more crucial than ever to uphold those rights. She called on all States to resolve their territorial and maritime disputes peacefully and expressed concern about “expansive and unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea that do not have a basis in the [Law of the Sea] Convention”. Straight baselines may only be used in the specific and precise circumstances provided by the Convention, she stressed. Sea-level rise, driven by human-induced climate change, should not diminish the maritime zones on which island States and other coastal States rely, including for food and livelihoods. Further, the International Seabed Authority must work towards a stable science-based internationally recognized regulatory framework for developing seabed mineral resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction, she added.
Disagreement over Rights to South China Sea
In agreement with this line of thought, the Philippines’ delegate, drawing attention to the “ocean emergency” confronting his nation and others like it and underscoring the need to comply with the Convention, condemned China’s announcement of baselines around the Bajo de Masinloc and its depositing with the UN Secretary-General a related chart. That region, he emphasized, has always been an integral part of his country’s territory. Therefore, “only the Philippines, in the exercise of its sovereignty, has the right to establish baselines, and the breadth of the territorial sea around Bajo de Masinloc, in line with UNCLOS [Law of the Sea Convention]”, he said, rejecting narratives depicting the South China Sea as a theatre of major power rivalry.
Countering these positions, China’s speaker said the Assembly is not an appropriate forum to address the South China Sea issue. However, because of some countries’ “erroneous statements”, it is pertinent to note that Beijing’s position on that issue is “consistent, clear and firm”. The Arbitral Tribunal violated the principle of consent of the State, exceeds its authority in the proceedings and made an arbitrary decision in serious violation of the Convention and general international law. “Its award is illegal, null and void,” he said. Therefore, his country neither accepts nor recognizes it, and its sovereignty, rights and interests in the South China Sea will not be affected thereby “under any circumstances”. Further, the Philippines’ recent introduction of the “so-called” Maritime Zones Act infringes China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights. Beijing therefore strongly opposes it and hopes that that country will abide by international law in good faith and refrain from undermining the rights of all parties thereunder.
Speakers Highlight Material and Economic Benefits of Healthy Ocean Environment
Speakers also readily identified several ways in which a well-preserved ocean environment can greatly benefit the international community in terms of material and economic prosperity, with calls to act in those directions.
Noting that the “unprecedented challenges” faced by the ocean requires closer global cooperation, Indonesia’s representative underscored its role in global food security and called for innovative, accessible technologies and best practices in securing sustainable food supply and supporting vulnerable communities. Further, international partnerships should be strengthened to deliver practicable cost-effective solutions that “ensure a steady and sustainable flow of aquatic foods while reducing nutritional and economic losses throughout supply chains”.
Similarly, Monaco’s delegate said that at the national level, his country is putting into place innovative solutions, while its scientific institutions are working to tackle the threats confronting the fragile species of red coral. Noting that 2024 was “particularly fruitful” for his country’s commitment to preserve oceans, he also highlighted a Monaco-based startup that is working to process toxic algae into compounds useful in agroforestry.
Sustainable Partnerships with Private Sector
Describing his country as “99 per cent water and 1 per cent land”, the representative of the Marshall Islands highlighted the adoption of "crew labour standards" last week by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, adding that, his Government and the Nature Conservancy have reached an agreement to supply the retailer Walmart with certified sustainable canned tuna. “At last, we have a pathway towards the international supply chain using our own resources and participation,” he said, urging Pacific partners to realize that sustainable partnership can help address underlying economic fragility.
Key Role of Accurate Scientific Information
Costa Rica’s delegate, noting that oceans generate “50 per cent of the oxygen we breath” and sustain crucial biodiversity, said it is vital to “avoid headbutting” and ensure the active participation of small island developing States when considering resolutions on this topic. Expressing concern that some of the input received from one of the established bodies was not correct, she said all UN system entities are obliged to provide “true, precise and neutral information” to States. “The time for the oceans has come”, she said, inviting all States to participate at the highest possible level in the upcoming UN Oceans Conference, which will be hosted by her country and France in 2025.
Emphasizing the importance of genuine protection of seabed ecosystems, she said: “No country should be able to say it defends the oceans when at the same time it is prepared to begin exploitation of the seabed without the minimum scientific information” required to understand the damage this will cause to the marine environment, and prior to the adoption of a strong legal framework on this. Inviting all States to consider joining the group of 32 States which have publicly expressed support for a halt on seabed exploration, she reaffirmed the key role of the International Seabed Authority in regulating such activities.
Concerns over Unregulated Aquatic Ecosystem
Some delegations, on the other hand, warned of the downsides of an unregulated aquatic ecosystem with the representative of India expressing concern about the misuse of sea routes for criminal behaviour, particularly piracy and terrorist activities. Climate change poses a severe threat to least developed countries with low adaptive capacities, she said, noting that it has resulted in mass migration and forced displacement. She also drew attention to the gender dimension in ocean-related sectors and called on countries to focus on empowering women in these sectors by creating adequate capacity-building programmes.
Pacific Islands: Custodians of One-Quarter of Earth’s Surface
The representative of Tonga, speaking for the Pacific Islands Forum, said being “custodians of nearly 20 per cent of the Earth’s surface”, its members depend on their vast ocean, island resources and “the integrity of our natural environment”. The Forum therefore welcomes the adoption, this year, of the “Oceans and the Law of the sea” resolution and commends the progress made on developing an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment. Acknowledging that climate change poses a significant threat to their region — the Blue Pacific — he expressed confidence that the 2023 declaration on the Continuity of Statehood and the Protection of Persons in the face of Climate Change-Related Sea-Level Rise “underscores that such a threat does not extend to the status of Forum members as States under international law”.
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