Category Archives: International Organizations

The fifteenth meeting of the Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea will take place between the 27-30 May, 2014, at the United Nations Headquarters. The topic of the meeting is “the role of seafood in global food security”. More information on this meeting, and all previous meetings is available here.

The European Maritime Safety Agency has just published its 5-year strategy for 2014-2019. The strategy provides clear and concrete guidelines for EMSA’s future development and has been updated to reflect the changes brought about by the revised founding regulation, in force since March 2013. The document is now available here.

The European Parliament has adopted the Commission’s proposed new Directive on marine equipment. Better rules on marine equipment in the EU will result in safer journeys for the ships and their crew, less red tape for Member States, reduced costs for business, and increased competitiveness of the EU industry. European Commission Vice-President Siim Kallas, responsible for transport, said “These new rules are an important development in this sector as marine equipment represents a significant fraction of the value of a ship, and its quality and safe operation are critical for the safety of the ship and its crew. It is equally important for the prevention of maritime accidents and pollution of the marine environment”. More information here.

The seventh meeting of the UN Working Group on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction took place in New York from 1 to 4 April 2014. It was the first of three meetings planned to discuss the scope, parameters and feasibility of a new instrument under UNCLOS on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas and international seabed area. This meeting delved deeply into the scope, parameters and feasibility of a new instrument under the convention. The vast majority of countries are now calling for a third “Implementing Agreement” to UNCLOS for this purpose. The next meeting is scheduled for the 16 to 19 June 2014. More information on the preparation and results of this meeting can be found here. A summary (not official) of this meeting has been posted here.

The International Seabed Authority is to convene a Sensibilization Seminar on April 16, 2014. The aim of the seminar is to brief representatives and delegates of Permanent Missions and Observers of the United Nations, headquartered in New York. on current issues relating to the work of the Authority including inter alia the status of seabed mineral exploration and prospects for exploitation, the work of the Council and of the Legal and Technical Commission and issues to be considered during the twentieth session of the Authority, schedule for 14-25 July 2014, Kingston, Jamaica. The event will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. More information here.