Category Archives: International Organizations

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has extended until 5 October 2018 its authorization for Member States to intercept vessels suspected of being used for smuggling migrants through Libya. By unanimously adopting resolution 2380 (2017), the UNSC extended the authorization for a third one-year period, the first having been established by resolution 2240 (previously reported here). The UNSC stressed that its authorization of those measures would require good-faith efforts to obtain the consent of the vessel’s flag State prior to any action, and would not supersede sovereign immunity under international law. More information is available here.

Today is World Maritime Day! The theme selected for this year is “Connecting Ships, Ports and People”. The aim is to build on the World Maritime Day theme for 2016, “Shipping: indispensable to the world”. More information on the events taking place at the IMO in London is available here. Information about the parallel event, to be held in Panama on 1-3 October 2017, is available here.

The International Seabed Authority annual session was held, 31 July-4 August 2017 for the Legal & Technical Commission and 7-18 August 2017 for the 23rd Session, at ISA headquarters (Kingston, Jamaica).

Draft Regulations on Exploitation of Mineral Resources in the Area (8 August 2017) discussed are available here. For documentation from the 23rd Session see here, and the IISD summary report here.

Significant amendments adopted in 2007 to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Convention (NAFO), Convention on Cooperation in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, entered into force on the 18 May 2017. In practice, many of the obligations have already been provisionally applied.

For more information, see the press release and Convention (ed. 18 May 2017).

The Second Intergovernmental Consultations on UN Ocean Conference Call for Action was held 24-27 April 2017, at UN Headquarters (New York, USA). The first round was held 20-22 March 2017 and the third round is anticipated to be the final.

A report of the outstanding issues identified during consultation is available on the SDG Knowledge Hub website. For more information on the event and the Draft Call for Action discussed, see the letter of the co-facilitators.

The first working version of the Information System of the Global Record for Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels (Global Record) was launched 21 April 2017. This follows a number of progressive calls for its development and noted benefits for e.g. the Port State Measures Agreement.

For more information and access, see the press release and dedicated website.

As previously reported, the United Nations (UN) is hosting the Oceans Conference in June this year, to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14. In preparation for that meeting, the UN Oceans Action Hub is hosting a set of open online discussions. The current one is about the implementation of international law as reflected in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This online debate is open to contributions between 3 – 21 April 2017 and can be joined here.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Body adopted a decision at its 329th Session based upon a Committee report in respect of non-observance by Thailand of the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29). The focus of the report is in respect of fisheries carried out under Thailand’s flag state jurisdiction and responsibility.

For further information see the Report of the Committee, and the Governing Body Decision.

The UN General Assembly proclaimed the 2 May as the “World Tuna Day”, spotlighting the vital socioeconomic importance of the widely consumed fish to peoples around the globe. The Assembly then adopted another resolution by consensus, titled “Sustainable fisheries, including through the 1995 Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, and related instruments” (document A/71/L.24). More information in the UN’s press release.

All member states of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) have agreed to a joint USA/New Zealand proposal to establish a 1.55 million km² area of the Ross Sea with special protection from human activities. This new MPA, to come into force in December 2017, will limit, or entirely prohibit, certain activities in order to meet specific conservation, habitat protection, ecosystem monitoring and fisheries management objectives. More information is available here.

Reference to the PCA, South China Sea Arbitration Award of 12 July 2016, was dropped from the communique issued by the first meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) foreign ministers since the issue of the Award, following objection by Cambodia. The communique and joint-statement emphasize the peaceful settlement of disputes, and reaffirm the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

See the Joint Communiqué of the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, and the Joint Statement of the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN Member States and China on the Full and Effective Implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea.

IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC) has confirmed that ship construction rules for oil tankers and bulk carriers submitted by 12 classification societies conform to the goals and functional requirements set by the Organization for new oil tankers and bulk carriers. This marks a significant new development in how international standards for ship construction are determined and implemented. For the first time, IMO has been given a role in auditing and verifying the structural rules developed by the classification societies for new-build oil tankers and bulk carriers. More information can be found here.

The Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has approved mandatory requirements for ships to record and report their fuel consumption.The draft mandatory data collection requirements will be put forward for adoption at the 70th MEPC session in October this year and could enter into force in 2018. The data collection system is enshrined in draft amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), which were approved by the 69th session of the MEPC, meeting at IMO Headquarters in London this week (18 to 22 April). More information on the matter available here.

On the 2 March 2016 the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 2270,  Non-proliferation/Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. This contains a number of port state and flag state obligations, of particular note see paragraphs 18, 22, and, 19, 20, 29-31, respectively. Media reports suggest China has already barred a North Korean vessel’s entry to the port of Rizhao.

The UNSC Resolution can be found here.

Updated guidelines for the application of the de minimis (exempt) concept for radioactive substances which may be considered for dumping at sea have been adopted. The 2015 Guidelines for the application of the de minimis concept include recognition of effects of radiation on marine fauna and flora. They were adopted by the 37th Consultative Meeting of Contracting Parties (London Convention 1972) and 10th Meeting of Contracting Parties (London Protocol 1996), which were meeting for their regular joint meeting at IMO in London. More information can be found here.

The secretariat of the Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control has announced that, following an acceptation procedure, the Republic of Panama and the Republic of Peru have been accepted as full members of the organization. More information on this can be found here.

The United Nations Security Council adopted on 9 October a resolution authorizing states to exercise exceptional powers with respect to ships suspected of being engaged in human trafficking and migrant smuggling on the high seas off the costs of Libya. The resolution can be found here.

Today is the World Maritime Day 2015, dedicated to the theme “Maritime education and training”.

As we can learn from the UN website, the theme was adopted to focus attention on the wider spectrum of maritime education and training, in particular its adequacy and quality, as the bedrock of a safe and secure shipping industry, which needs to preserve the quality, practical skills and competence of qualified human resources, in order to ensure its sustainability.

The IMO is holding a symposium on “Shipping’s future needs people: Is global maritime education and training on course?” Speakers from the shipping and maritime industry and academia will address three sessions, covering (1) Opportunities for the young generation in the maritime industry (2) Seafaring as a profession and (3) Developing seafarer skills through quality maritime education and training. More information on this event can be found here.

The Russian Federation has submitted its revised information on the outer limits of its continental shelf beyond 200nm, in respect of the Arctic Ocean (2nd August, 2015). The submission was made in accordance with UNCLOS, art. 76(8) and is in respect to an area previously covered in the first Submission of the Russian Federation (December 2001), considered at the 11th session of the Commission from 24 to 28 June 2002.

See the submission page and Notification. For more information, see the Russian Federation Executive Summary.

The Zero draft of the outcome document for the UN Summit to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda, has been released ahead of the United Nations Summit to adopt the post-2015 development agenda which will be held 25-27th September 2015, New York. Of note for those interested in the law of the sea is the proposed sustainable development goal 14.

The document may be found here.

The Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction, has concluded its final meeting (20-23 January 2015) by adopting a number of recommendations to the UN General Assembly. Of particular note the UN General Assembly should “[d]ecide to develop an international legally-binding instrument under the Convention on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction”.

For more information see the Working Group and its recommendations.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has adopted the International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code), and related amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) to make it mandatory, marking an historic milestone in the Organization’s work to protect ships and people aboard them, both seafarers and passengers, in the harsh environment of the waters surrounding the two poles. The continuation of this official press release can be found here.

A key step on the way to a mandatory Polar Code for ships operating in Arctic and Antarctic waters has been reached with the approval by the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) of the environmental provisions in the draft International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (the Polar Code), together with associated draft amendments to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), to make the Code mandatory. You can follow this update in more detail on the IMO website

The 69th United Nations General Assembly convened on the 16th September 2014, with the General Debate being held 24-30th September 2014 (UN Coverage). The opening of the General Debate on the 24th September marked the beginning of the intergovernmental negotiations on the future Sustainable Development Goals – which will expand on their predecessor: the Millennium Development Goals. The basis for negotiations, the UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals Outcome Document, currently includes:

Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

For further coverage, please follow the IISD Reporting Services.

The draft International Code of Safety for Ships using Gases or other Low flashpoint Fuels (IGF Code), along with proposed amendments to make the Code mandatory under SOLAS, were agreed by the inaugural session of the Sub-Committee on Carriage of Cargoes and Containers (CCC 1). The basic philosophy of the IGF Code is to provide mandatory provisions for the arrangement, installation, control and monitoring of machinery, equipment and systems using low flashpoint fuels, such as liquefied natural gas (LNG),  to minimize the risk to the ship, its crew and the environment, having regard to the nature of the fuels involved. More on this can be found here.

New requirements under the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) to require all ships to have plans and procedures to recover persons from the water are among a set of SOLAS amendments entering into force on 1 July 2014.  More information here.

Government, employer and worker delegates to the International Labour Conference (ILC), at the 103rd annual meeting of International Labour Organization (ILO), overwhelmingly voted in favour of approving amendments to the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC,2006) in order to better protect abandoned seafarers, and provide financial security for compensation to seafarers and their families in cases of a seafarer’s death or long-term disability. These international legal measures are aimed at improving working and living conditions for seafarers, the most globalized of the world’s workers. These amendments can be found here and this ILO press release continues here.

Countries took a major step forward in the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing today as they endorsed a set of international guidelines that will hold states more accountable for the activities of fishing vessels flying their flags. The FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Flag State Performance spell out a range of actions that countries can take to ensure that vessels registered under their flags do not conduct IUU fishing, one of the greatest threats to sustainable fisheries and related livelihoods. All the information on the results of the thirty-first session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries can be found here.

Countries today endorsed a set of wide-reaching guidelines that will boost the already vital role of small-scale fishers in contributing to global food security, nutrition and poverty eradication. The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication are designed to support the world’s millions of small-scale fishers, particularly in developing countries, by promoting their human rights and safeguarding the sustainable use of the fishery resources they depend upon for their livelihoods. Those guidelines, endorsed by FAO’s Committee on Fisheries, are published here.

In an effort to highlight the role of the oceans, and thus the importance of the Law of the Sea, the 8th June marked this year’s World Oceans Day. The celebration of World Oceans Day 2014 coincides with the first day of the twenty-fourth Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This year marks the twentieth anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention. On this occasion, some important statements have been produced:

• United Nations Secretary General message
• Director General of UNESCO
• President of the General Assembly

World Oceans Day has been marked since 2009, having been established by General Assembly Resolution 63/111, para. 171.

Ministers from participating States in the Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden (the Djibouti Code of Conduct) have recognized the need to develop a mechanism for the region to run its own counter-piracy agenda, following the successful implementation by IMO of numerous projects aimed at improving regional capacity to counter piracy by developing enhanced regional cooperation and coordination. More information on this agreement can be found here.