Oceans and Law of the Sea

Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science.  Only one in three science and engineering researchers in the world is a woman.  In his message, the Secretary-General says that this inequality is depriving our world of enormous untapped talent and innovation.

Acting on the recommendations of its Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) and Sixth Committee (Legal), the General Assembly today adopted a total of 51 resolutions and 13 decisions on items ranging from decolonization to the power, study and dissemination of international law.

The resumed thirty-first Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, presided by Holger Martinsen (Argentina), was held at United Nations Headquarters on 8 December.

As the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea approaches its fortieth anniversary next December, delegates at the General Assembly today laid out the urgency of using the international treaty to sustain the oceans, protect marine resources and shield communities facing rising sea levels.

The resumed thirty-first Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea will be held at Headquarters on 8 December 2021 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., for the purpose of filling one vacant seat in the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf allocated to the members of the Commission from Latin American and Caribbean States.

NEW YORK, 24 November (Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea) ― The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf held its fifty‑third session at United Nations Headquarters from 6 October to 23 November.

The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf will hold its fifty‑third session from 6 October to 23 November 2021.  This is the first session of the Commission convened since the onset of the COVID‑19 pandemic.  It will be held in‑person at United Nations Headquarters with the necessary risk‑mitigating measures in place.

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message for World Maritime Day, observed today:

In Afghanistan, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reports that its first aircraft carrying life‑saving medical supplies arrived yesterday in Kabul through the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Airbridge.  It will cover the needs of 100,000 children and women for the next three months.

Maritime security is being undermined at an alarming pace by challenges around contested boundaries, the depletion of natural resources and armed attacks — from piracy to terrorism — senior United Nations officials told the Security Council today, as world leaders adopted a presidential statement outlining their concerns over the increasing frequency of such events.