At the conference (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – As partof the ongoing 11th South China Sea International Conference inHanoi, delegates on November 6 afternoon attended a special session marking the25th anniversary of the entry into force of the 1982 United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and 25 years since Vietnam approvedthe convention.
At the session, delegatesreviewed the process of formation and the importance of the 1982 UNCLOS whichis considered as the UN “charter of the oceans” after 25 years of enforcement.
Prof. Stanislaw Michal Pawlak,Judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), said the 1982UNCLOS became effective on November 16, 1994. The convention created acomprehensive legal system, helping to shape the order at oceans and seasaround the world and establish principles to adjust the use of resources of theoceans and seas, he said.
Over the last quarter of thecentury, the 1982 UNCLOS has remarkably contributed to ensuring peace, cooperationand friendly relations among nations across the globe, he said.
While highlighting a number ofmajor contents of the 1982 UNCLOS, Pawlak said, for coastal states, theconvention has clear regulations stipulating the sovereignty, sovereignty rightsand jurisdiction over their exclusive economic zones and continental shelves.
Under the terms of the 1982UNCLOS, the member states must settle any disputes among parties concerned viapeaceful measures in line with Article 2 of the United Nations Charter, headded.
While evaluating the ITLOS, thejudge said the tribunal was set up under the 1982 UNCLOS and has experienced aprocess of smooth operation. Over the past 23 years, as many as 28 lawsuitshave been lodged to the tribunal, covering a wide range of aspects, he said.
Pawlak affirmed that the ITLOShas contributed to promoting respect for law at sea as well as maintainingpeace, justice and progress in international relations.
During the session, leadingexperts and scholars of Vietnam and foreign countries discussed a variety ofaspects regarding the application of the 1982 UNCLOS in specific lawsuits aswell as solutions to force coastal nations to comply with the convention.
The 11th South China Sea InternationalConference with the theme of “Cooperation forregional security and development” is being co-organised in Hanoi on November 6 and 7 by the DiplomaticAcademy of Vietnam (DAV), the Foundation for East Sea Studies (FESS) and the VietnamLawyers Association (VLA. It has brought together more than 50 speakers andsome 250 officials, scholars and diplomats of Vietnam and foreign countries./.
VNA
