Vietnam Announces First-Ever Candidate for International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea
Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu has officially announced Vietnam’s candidate for the position of Judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026-2035 tenure. The candidate is Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Director General of the East Sea Institute under the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.
The announcement was made at the 34th meeting of States Parties to the UNCLOS (SPLOS-34) held in New York from June 10-14. During the event, Deputy FM Vu, head of the Vietnamese delegation, chaired an international seminar on sea level rise in the Pacific and the annual meeting of the Group of Friends of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Convention’s entry into force.
The seminar, organized by Vietnam in collaboration with UNCLOS Group of Friends member countries including Fiji, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Oman, and co-sponsored by Australia, Canada, Germany, the Philippines, and Singapore, attracted about 100 delegates and experts on the law of the sea from more than 60 countries, as well as scholars and representatives from several UN agencies.
Addressing the seminar, Deputy FM Vu underscored the historical significance of UNCLOS to the development of international law. Described as the “Constitution of the Oceans,” UNCLOS provides the most comprehensive legal framework regulating all activities of countries concerning seas and oceans and serves as a foundation for international cooperation in ocean and sea management in an orderly and sustainable manner.
Vietnam, he affirmed, will continue to collaborate with the 115 members of the Group of Friends to uphold and protect the universality of UNCLOS.
Vietnamese legal experts, including Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh and Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Hong Thao, a member of the International Law Commission (ILC), shared their insights from Vietnam’s perspective as a coastal country heavily impacted by climate change, particularly the threat of sea level rise.
They emphasized the need to adhere to and fully implement UNCLOS provisions to address emerging challenges in ocean governance, such as marine environmental pollution, climate change, and sea level rise. They also called for support in preserving baselines, maritime boundaries, and delimitation results agreed upon by countries through negotiations or established by international judicial decisions to maintain stability and legal order at sea.
The seminar, organized based on Vietnam’s initiatives, is a significant contribution in preparation for the upcoming UN Summit on sea level rise scheduled for September.
Established in 2021, the UNCLOS Group of Friends was initiated and co-chaired by Vietnam and Germany. It currently has 115 members from all regions, including 12 core countries responsible for coordinating the group’s activities.
