Tag: UNCLOS

At a recent UN Security Council meeting on 20 May, Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized that maritime security is a prerequisite for global stability, warning that growing threats, from piracy and smuggling to cyberattacks and geopolitical tensions, are putting oceans under increasing strain.

The IMO and ITLOS joint Workshop on 28 March was held at IMO Headquarters in London to explore maritime legal issues.

World Human Rights Day, celebrated on December 10th, marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Italian Coast Guard has detained rescue vessel Louise Michel, in Lampedusa, an Italian island between Malta and Tunisia, on Sunday 26th March, after rescuing 178 refugees and migrants on March 25th. 

The linkages between the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and IMO were explored during an event held on 28 November at IMO Headquarters to mark 40 years since the “Constitution for the Oceans” was adopted in 1982.

Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) continues to lobby for the inclusion of fundamental human rights protections for persons at sea to be included within the proposed UNCLOS marine biological diversity Convention being presently discussed by States at the UN.

Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) notes that the UK Government's response to the International Defence and Relations Committee Inquiry into the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982 being 'Fit for Purpose in the 21st Century' is weak in respect to human rights protections for people at sea.

The House of Representatives recently approved on final reading a measure proclaiming maritime zones under the jurisdiction of the Philippines.

Despite contemporary human rights concerns, UK Government believes that UNCLOS remains fit for purpose.

The House of Lords International Relations and Defence Select Committee received additional expert evidence from Dr Sofia Galani, Assistant Professor in Public International Law, Panteion University, Greece, and Professor Natalie Klein of the Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales, Australia, covering the issue of the lack of application of human rights at sea under the UNCLOS regime.