Proceedings of the Workshop on the Continental Shelf: Post-May 2009 Perspectives

PUBLICATION DATE:

Sunday, November 01, 2009

PUBLICATION TYPE:

Meeting Documents

STATUS:

Only Available Online

DESCRIPTION:

This publication summarizes the results of one of the workshops held during the East Asian Seas Congress 2009 on the Continental Shelf: Post-May 2009 Perspectives. This workshop on the national submissions of continental shelf extensions was one of the most important features of the East Asian Seas Congress. In many instances in the past, disputes over land territory pose threats to peace and stability. Quieting of opposing claims and settlement of maritime boundaries will promote regional peace and stability, which is a prerequisite to cooperation in the region to achieve any objective. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which entered into force in 1994, established a new order in the regime of seas. Article 76 of the Convention requires coastal states to establish the outer limits of their continental margin where the margin extends beyond 200 nautical miles from its baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured. The UN’s Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (Commission) is mandated to investigate the impact of Article 76 and to facilitate its implementation. So far, the Commission has received 51 submissions and 44 preliminary information notes. The workshop looked at the impacts of national submissions from the perspectives of the academe and ocean policy experts. Discussion on issues of maritime boundaries is a necessary academic exercise because undeniably, these may impact peace and stability, and future cooperation in the Seas of East Asia. Mr. Galo Carrera, a member of the Commission, chaired the workshop with Ms. Valentina Germani from the UN DOALOS, as co-chair.