Oceans and the Law of the Sea

A/RES/53/32No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 38aLaw of the sea, published in 1999.

What other versions does this mandate have?

29 versions · 1998–2025

This is an older version — the most recent is A/RES/80/110

2025A/RES/80/110Oceans and the law of the seaLatestCompare with previous version
2024A/RES/79/144Oceans and the law of the seaCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/78/69Oceans and the law of the seaCompare with previous version
2023A/RES/77/248Oceans and the law of the seaCompare with previous version
2021A/RES/76/72Oceans and the law of the seaCompare with previous version

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What does this mandate say?

28 operative paragraphs

Calls upon all States that have not done so, in order to achieve the goal of universal participation, to become parties to the Convention and the Agreement;

Reaffirms the unified character of the Convention;

Calls upon States to harmonize as a matter of priority their national legislation with the provisions of the Convention, to ensure the consistent application of those provisions and to ensure also that any declarations or statements that they have made or make when signing, ratifying or acceding are in conformity with the Convention and to withdraw any of their declarations or statements that are not in conformity;

Encourages States parties to the Convention to deposit with the Secretary-General charts and lists of geographical coordinates, as provided for in the Convention;

Requests the Secretary-General to convene the Meeting of States Parties to the Convention in New York from 19 to 28 May 1999, during which, on 24 May, the election of seven judges of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (“the Tribunal”) will take place;

Notes with satisfaction that the Tribunal, established in accordance with annex VI to the Convention as a new means for the settlement of disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention and the Agreement, delivered its first judgement on 4 December 1997;

Encourages States parties to the Convention to consider making a written declaration choosing from the means set out in article 287 for the settlement of disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention and the Agreement, and invites States to note the provisions of annexes V, VI, VII and VIII to the Convention concerning, respectively, conciliation, the Tribunal, arbitration and special arbitration;

Requests the Secretary-General to circulate lists of conciliators and arbitrators drawn up and maintained in accordance with annexes V and VII to the Convention and to update these lists accordingly;

Notes with satisfaction the progress in the work of the International Seabed Authority (“the Authority”), and emphasizes the importance of continued progress towards the adoption of the regulations on prospecting and exploration for polymetallic nodules;

Notes with appreciation the adoption of the Agreement concerning the Relationship between the United Nations and the Authority and the Agreement on Cooperation and Relationship between the United Nations and the Tribunal;

Appeals to all members of the Authority and all States parties to the Convention to pay their assessed contributions to the Authority and to the Tribunal, respectively, in full and on time in order to ensure that they are able to carry out their functions as provided for in the Convention;

Notes with satisfaction the progress in the work of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (“the Commission”) during its third and fourth sessions, held in New York from 4 to 15 May and from 31 August to 4 September 1998, respectively, in adopting its rules of procedure and in adopting provisionally its scientific and technical guidelines aimed at assisting States to prepare their submissions regarding the outer limits of their continental shelf;

Approves the convening by the Secretary-General of the fifth and sixth sessions of the Commission in New York from 3 to 14 May and from 30 August to 3 September 1999, respectively;

Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the annual comprehensive report on oceans and the law of the sea5 and for the activities of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs of the Secretariat, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention and the mandate set forth in resolutions 49/28 and 52/26;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure that the institutional capacity of the Organization adequately responds to the needs of States, the newly established institutions under the Convention and other competent international organizations by providing advice and assistance, taking into account the special needs of developing countries;

Also requests the Secretary-General to continue to carry out the responsibilities entrusted to him in the Convention and related resolutions of the General Assembly, including those mentioned in paragraph 11 of resolution 52/26, and to ensure that the performance of such activities is not adversely affected by savings as may be realized under the approved budget for the Organization;

Notes with appreciation the continued efforts of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea to provide timely information on the oceans, marine affairs and the law of the sea through its Web site on the Internet;

Reaffirms the importance of ensuring the uniform and consistent application of the Convention and a coordinated approach to its overall implementation, and of strengthening technical cooperation and financial assistance for this purpose, stresses once again the continuing importance of the efforts of the Secretary-General to these ends, and reiterates its invitation to the competent international organizations and other international bodies to support these objectives;

Invites Member States and others in a position to do so to contribute to the further development of the Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe Memorial Fellowship Programme on the Law of the Sea established by the General Assembly in resolution 35/116 of 10 December 1980, and to support the training activities under the TRAIN-SEA-COAST programme of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea;

Notes with interest the ongoing work of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization towards a convention for the implementation of the provisions of the Convention, relating to the protection of the underwater cultural heritage, and stresses the importance of ensuring that the instrument to be elaborated is in full conformity with the relevant provisions of the Convention;

Invites States to cooperate in carrying out hydrographic surveys and nautical services for the purpose of ensuring safe navigation as well as to ensure the greatest uniformity in charts and nautical publications and to coordinate their activities so that hydrographic and nautical information is made available on a worldwide scale;

Urges all States, in particular coastal States in affected regions, to take all necessary and appropriate measures to prevent and combat incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea and to investigate or cooperate in the investigation of such incidents wherever they occur and bring the alleged perpetrators to justice, in accordance with international law;

Calls upon States to cooperate fully with the International Maritime Organization to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships, including by submitting reports on incidents to that organization;

Takes note of the work of the Independent World Commission on the Oceans, and of its report entitled “The Ocean ... Our Future”, and welcomes its issuance in the context of the International Year of the Ocean;

Reaffirms its decision to undertake an annual review and evaluation of the implementation of the Convention and other developments relating to ocean affairs and the law of the sea;

Reaffirms also its decision, in resolution S–19/2 of 28 June 1997, to consider the results of the review by the Commission on Sustainable Development of the sectoral theme of “Oceans and seas” in 1999, under the agenda item “Oceans and the law of the sea”;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-fourth session on the implementation of the present resolution, including other developments and issues relating to ocean affairs and the law of the sea, in connection with his annual comprehensive report on oceans and the law of the sea, and to circulate the report sufficiently in advance of consideration by the General Assembly of the item concerning oceans and the law of the sea;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-fourth session the item entitled “Oceans and the law of the sea”.

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Oceans and the Law of the Sea

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