Looking Back to the Future in the Law of the Sea: UNCLOS III and the LOSC at 40
Photo credit: Francisco Blaha
On 10 December 1982, after almost 15 years of discussion, deliberation and negotiation, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was adopted and opened for signature in Jamaica. The support for the Convention was immediate, and unprecedented – as demonstrated by the 119 signatures appended to the Convention on the day of its adoption. Support for the Convention has remained strong over the intervening 40 years: the Convention has now been ratified by 168 States Parties and further developed through two implementing agreements, with a third currently under negotiation. It has become globally accepted as a key framework of international law and is considered ‘The Constitution of the Oceans’.
In anticipation of the 40th anniversary of the Convention’s adoption on 10 December 1982, the Centre for International and Public Law (CIPL, ANU) and the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL) are hosting a program of events throughout 2022.
Webinar series
A series of webinars will be convened throughout the year, commencing in February 2022, with a particular focus on the development of the Convention and the negotiations at the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III). The webinars will provide an opportunity for senior scholars and practitioners who have engaged with the Convention over the course of the last forty years to reflect on those negotiations and their impact upon the law of the sea in 2022, and to reflect on UNCLOS III and the Convention from Australian, New Zealand, Pacific and global perspectives, and to consider the role and effects of the institutions of the Convention, and its dispute settlement framework. The webinars are open to all. Please find more details for each seminar through the links below, and register to join via Zoom.
40th Anniversary Conference
To conclude the year, a conference will be convened on 10 December 2022, which will provide an opportunity to assess the Convention at 40 and debate and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing the law of the sea in this decade and beyond. The conference will have a forward-looking focus, and will strongly feature early career researchers and practitioners, and doctoral candidates. Conference details will be released in coming months.
Program of Events
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Webinar 1
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Australian and New Zealand Perspectives on the Negotiations at UNCLOS III |
Thursday 24 February 2022 5-6:30pm AEST |
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Webinar 2
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Tuesday 26 April 2022 5-6:30pm AEST |
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Webinar 3 |
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Webinar 4 |
UNCLOS III and the Institutions of the LOSC |
Tuesday 23 August 2022 5-6:30pm AEST |
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Webinar 5 |
UNCLOS III and the LOSC Dispute Settlement Framework |
Tuesday 25 October 2022 5-6:30pm AEST |
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Conference
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Working Title: What’s next for the law of the sea? The LOSC at 40 and its Future |
Saturday 10 December 2022 Details TBC |
Past events
- Dr Transform Aqorau
- Judge Neroni Slade
- Dr Manumatavai Tupou-Roosen
The second webinar of the series Looking Back to the Future in the Law of the Sea: UNCLOS III and the LOSC at 40, presented by the Centre for International and Public Law (CIPL, ANU) and the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL).
- Mr Henry Burmester AO QC
- Mr Bill Mansfield
- Dr Penny Ridings MNZM, University of Auckland
- Mr Richard Rowe PSM, ANU College of Law
- Dr Camille Goodman
The first webinar of the series Looking Back to the Future in the Law of the Sea: UNCLOS III and the LOSC at 40, presented by the Centre for International and Public Law (CIPL, ANU) and the Australian and New Zealand Society of International Law (ANZSIL).
