Oceans and Law of the Sea

NEW YORK, 25 July (Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea) — On 24 July, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf held the first plenary meeting of its forty-fourth session, held from 24 July to 8 September.

NEW YORK, 19 July (Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea) ― The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf will hold its forty-fourth session from 24 July to 8 September.

NEW YORK, 20 June (Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea) ― The twenty-seventh Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was held at United Nations Headquarters from 12 to 15 June, finishing its work one day early.

The inaugural United Nations Ocean Conference concluded at Headquarters today, with Heads of State and Government and high-level representatives adopting a “Call for Action” to conserve and sustainably use the world’s oceans.

NEW YORK, 8 June (Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea) — The twenty-seventh Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea will be held at Headquarters from 12 to 16 June.

The Ocean Conference dedicated its penultimate day to commemorating World Oceans Day, with speakers in the General Assembly Hall emphasizing the need for immediate collective action to turn the tide on marine degradation and place oceans at the centre of sustainable development for future generations.

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

Speakers in the United Nations Ocean Conference today tackled ways to combat illegal fishing practices that were destroying vital marine habitats, as well as eliminate the $35 billion in harmful subsidies that had led to overfishing, distorted markets and chronic mismanagement of the world’s fisheries.

Speakers emphasized the urgency of expanding protected coastal and marine areas — one of the targets of Goal 14 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development — as well as tackling the problem of ocean acidification during partnership dialogues on the second day of the United Nations Ocean Conference.

The inaugural United Nations Ocean Conference opened today with a call for urgent action to improve the health of the world’s seas, now in peril after decades of pollution, overfishing and the unattended effects of climate change that were decimating marine life, and in turn, livelihoods.