Vietnam Calls for Continued Goodwill Implementation of UNCLOS 1982
Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu urged member states to persist in implementing the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in a spirit of goodwill. His appeal was made at the 34th meeting of States Parties to UNCLOS (SPLOS-34), held in New York from June 10-14.
Vu highlighted the convention’s role as the “Constitution of Oceans,” a comprehensive legal document that governs all activities related to seas and oceans. He underscored its importance as a foundation for achieving UN Sustainable Development Goal 14, which focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources.
He pointed out several challenges in the implementation process, including marine pollution, over-exploitation of resources, the development of new marine technologies, various maritime crimes, regional tensions, and unilateral actions that threaten maritime safety and security.
Regarding the East Sea, Vu urged member countries to adopt responsible and lawful maritime policies, working together to ensure peace, stability, prosperity, and sustainable development. He emphasized that a peaceful and stable environment in the East Sea can only be achieved when countries establish their maritime zones in accordance with UNCLOS, exercise their sovereignty and jurisdiction responsibly, and resolve disputes peacefully in line with international law, including the UN Charter and UNCLOS.
Vu affirmed Vietnam’s commitment to promoting respect for the convention and fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). He also stressed the importance of negotiating a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) consistent with international law.
He acknowledged the contributions of UNCLOS-established agencies, such as the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), and the International Seabed Authority (ISA), in maintaining maritime peace and security and establishing legal order in maritime affairs.
Vu emphasized the role of ITLOS in peacefully resolving disputes related to the application and interpretation of UNCLOS. He called on member states to respect ITLOS judgments and decisions and to utilize the convention’s dispute resolution mechanisms.
The Vietnamese delegation stressed the importance of determining the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles to delimit boundaries between member countries’ continental shelves and the international ocean floor area. This, they noted, would facilitate the full and effective implementation of UNCLOS regulations on the management and equitable sharing of benefits and mineral resources.
Vu called for practical measures to expedite the CLCS’s review process of reports on the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles that have been submitted.
On this occasion, the Vietnamese delegation met with the UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, the ITLOS President, the CLCS President, and representatives from the Philippines, Laos, and Malaysia. These meetings aimed to exchange views on mutual concerns and promote future cooperative activities.
