Monthly Archives: September 2024

On 22 September 2024 the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted Resolution 79/1: The Pact for the Future without a vote. The UNGA voted 143-7 (15 abstentions) to take no action on an amendment tabled by Russia (see reporting). The Pact for the Future reaffirms the role of multilateralism and international institutions, including actions to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals therein. Covering a wide range of thematic topics, of interest to law of the sea, among others are:

Action 9. We will strengthen our actions to address climate change.
28. […] (e) Further emphasize the importance of conserving, protecting and restoring nature and ecosystems towards achieving the Paris Agreement temperature goal, including through enhanced efforts towards halting and reversing deforestation and forest degradation by 2030, and other terrestrial and marine ecosystems acting as sinks and reservoirs of greenhouse gases and by conserving biodiversity, while ensuring social and environmental safeguards, in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework;

Action 10. We will accelerate our efforts to restore, protect, conserve and sustainably use the environment.
29. We are deeply concerned about rapid environmental degradation, and we recognize the urgent need for a fundamental shift in our approach in order to achieve a world in which humanity lives in harmony with nature. We must conserve, restore and sustainably use our planet’s ecosystems and natural resources to support the health and well-being of present and future generations. We will address the adverse impacts of climate change, sea level rise, biodiversity loss, pollution, water scarcity, floods, desertification, land degradation, drought, deforestation and sand and dust storms. We decide to:
[…] (b) Take ambitious action to improve the health, productivity, sustainable use and resilience of the ocean and its ecosystems, and conserve and sustainably use and restore seas and freshwater resources, as well as forests, mountains, glaciers and drylands, and protect, conserve and restore biodiversity, ecosystems and wildlife; […]
(d) Accelerate efforts to address the pollution of air, land and soil, fresh water and the ocean, including the sound management of chemicals, and work towards the conclusion of an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment, with the ambition of completing negotiations by the end of 2024;

Action 22. We will address the serious impact of threats to maritime security and safety.
44. We recognize the need to address the serious impact of threats to maritime security and safety. All efforts to address threats to maritime security and safety must be carried out in accordance with international law, including particularly as reflected in the principles embodied in the Charter of the United Nations and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, taking into account other relevant instruments that are consistent with the Convention. We decide to:
(a) Enhance international cooperation and engagement at the global, regional, subregional and bilateral levels to combat all threats to maritime security and safety, in accordance with international law;
(b) Promote information-sharing among States and capacity-building to detect, prevent and suppress such threats in accordance with international law.

UNGA Resolution 79/1: The Pact for the Future

On 25 September 2024, the UN General Assembly hosted a High-Level Meeting on Sea Level Rise, the first time there has been a high-level meeting of the UNGA to address the issue of sea level rise caused by climate change. Other equally important elements were covered, but here we note numerous statements addressed law of the sea aspects, including reaffirmation of support towards the preservation of maritime zones and statehood, notwithstanding impacts arising from climate change-related sea-level rise (e.g., USA, New Zealand and Singapore), as well as the long held awareness, significance and call for action on the issue by small island States (e.g., Maldives referencing the 1989 Male’ Declaration on Global Warming and Sea Level Rise).