Participants at the workshop (Photo: VNA)Khanh Hoa (VNA) – The ASEANRegional Forum (ARF) workshop on implementing the 1982 United NationsConvention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and other international instrumentstowards address emerging maritime issues was held in Nha Trang city in thecentral coastal province of Khanh Hoa on February 26.
The event was co-organised by Vietnam’s Ministryof Foreign Affairs and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade,with the participation of over 80 officials and experts on marine managementfrom 20 ARF member countries.
It was a follow-up event of two previous ARFworkshops on the UNCLOS held in 2011 and 2014 in the framework of the ARFworking group on maritime security, as well as an effort to realise the HanoiPlan of Actions to Implement the ARF Vision Statement and ARF Work Plan onMaritime Security 2018-2020.
The two-day workshop facilitated ARF members’discussions on ways to effectively implement international maritime documents,especially the 1982 UNCLOS, in order to address challenges in current maritimemanagement and seek cooperation opportunities among ARF members.
The workshop’s co-chairs - Director of theDepartment of Law and International Treaty under Vietnam’s Ministry of ForeignAffairs Le Thi Tuyet Mai and Deputy Director of the Legal Division underAustralia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Justin Whyatt -emphasisedthe importance of the 1982 UNCLOS as a comprehensive legal framework regulatingthe legitimate rights and interests of countries – including coastal,archipelagic, and landlocked nations – in using seas and oceans, exploiting andpreserving marine resources, and enhancing maritime cooperation between nations.
Discussions covered a wide range of topics,including challenges for traditional marine security in the region, emergingissues in the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, climatechange, and regional and international cooperation in the field.
Established in 1994, the ARF is a multilateralforum between the 10 ASEAN member nations and their partners to discuss peaceand security issues with the main target of building trust and increasingdialogues in the region with ASEAN playing the central role.
The forum currently has a total of 27 members,including 26 countries and the European Union. Both Vietnam and Australia werefounding members of the forum.–VNA
VNA
