United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

By: Izabella Swaren

History

The convention occurred because the seas were being over usedThere was no law or restrictions on most of the seas They were being exploited environmentally and for their resources, such as fishCountries started moving their influence farther and farther from the coast

Conference

-The convention was so important and ground-breaking because it set limits for everyone regarding the seas-No longer could countries decide for themselves what to do and what not to do-Gave rights to all countries whether they are located on a sea or not for example-Now were able to settle disputes with more ease

Arvid Pardo in 1967 President of Malta

NavigationCountries needed regulations around where they could go

Allows countries to peacefully pass through the water areasMust respect international and coastal states laws

EEZs around the World

Deep Seabed Mining

An example of how the convention works

Works to make the international community come together to “behave in a consistent manner” when it comes to sea laws, with “dialogue, negotiations and agreement”

Protection of the Marine EnvironmentThe convention addresses six main sources of ocean pollution:-Land-based and coastal activities-Continental-shelf drilling-Potential seabed mining-Ocean dumping-Vessel-source pollution-Pollution from or through the atmosphere

Marine Scientific Research

Researchers are allowed to go into other country’s seas to conduct peaceful research

Settlement of Disputes

Two approaches (regarded as a landmark in the international law) were decided upon:

-Direct negotiations

-Binding settlements

Canadian Interests

Ice Covered Areas

Gulf of Maine Dispute

Actions of the Canadian Government

In 2006 Prime Minister Steven Harper called upon the United States to “ratify the UN convention on the law of sea”

In 2008 the Federal Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn said that countries interested in Canada’s north are all working together to divide it up and create boarders (USA, Denmark with Canada)

Goal of the Convention

“the goal of the organization is to help states to better understand and implement the convention in order to utilize their marine resources in an environment relatively free of conflict and conductive to development, safeguarding the rule of law in the oceans”

The Future