Oceans and Law of the Sea

The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf will hold its sixty-sixth session from 9 February to 13 March at United Nations Headquarters.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for the entry into force of the Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, in New York today:

In Venezuela, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs today said that the UN, along with its partners, continues to deliver aid across the country. This includes food, school meals, healthcare and psychosocial support.

The General Assembly today adopted four resolutions on governance of the world’s oceans, with delegations starkly divided on whether to include references to sustainable development conferences in its annual omnibus resolution.

The General Assembly today underscored the vital role of oceans in global connectivity, sustainability and climate action, as it was presented several resolutions on the matter, with the 193-member body’s President highlighting that nearly all international internet traffic relies on undersea cables.

The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf held its sixty-fifth session at Headquarters, from 20 October to 21 November.

The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf will hold its sixty-fifth session from 20 October to 21 November.

The following statement by UN Secretary-General António Guterres was issued today:

New York, 19 September — Today, an important milestone for the ocean and our planet was reached as the conditions for entry into force of the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction were met.

Areas of global concern including human rights, protection of the environment, trade, terrorism and the law of the sea are at the centre of this year’s treaty event, taking place during the United Nations General Assembly high-level week marking the UN’s eightieth anniversary. Themed “Eighty Years of Multilateral Treaty Making at the United Nations”, this year’s treaty event at UN Headquarters from 23 to 26 September comes at a pivotal moment to renew global commitment to multilateralism, solidarity and shared action for people and planet.