EU Statement – UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf

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EU Statement - UN Convention on the Law of the Sea: Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf

16.06.2023 Press and information team of the Delegation to the UN in New York

16 June 2023, New York - Statements on behalf of the European Union and its Member States at the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly Thirty-third Meeting of States Parties to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (12 to 16 June 2023 on Agenda item 10 - Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf

(a) Information reported by the Chair of the Commission (SPLOS/33/10)

Madame President,

The European Union and its Member States would like to thank the Chair of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, Mr Al-Azri, for his letter dated 11 April 2023 containing information about the progress of work of the Commission since the thirty-second Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The European Union and its Member States would also like to take this opportunity to express their gratitude to the current members of the Commission for their enduring commitment in implementing one of the most important contributions of UNCLOS and in serving one year longer than their original term of office. In addition, we would like to welcome the newly elected members of the Commission whose terms of office will start on 16 June.

In this context, we would like to reiterate our support for the work of the Commission, which is paramount in completing the process of coastal States' determination of the spaces on which they exercise their sovereign rights, and therefore is instrumental in refining the limits of the international seabed area.

We also wish to extend our gratitude to the Chair of the Commission, Mr Al-Azri, and the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea for the tremendous services rendered to the Commission.

Madame President,

The European Union and its Member States note with great satisfaction that the Commission has continued its work, including by holding its fifty-fifth, fifty-sixth and fifty-seventh sessions in 2022 and 2023. During these sessions several submissions from EU Member States and other States have been considered. We are also pleased to note that during the reporting period the Commission approved three sets of recommendations.

As noted by the Chair of the Commission, the backlog has increased to the extent that submitting States have to wait approximately 14 years between their submission and the establishment of a subcommission. In this respect, we welcome the establishment of the new merged open-ended working group on the working methods and technical needs of the Commission with a view to enhancing efficiency.

We note the technical upgrades requested by the Commission as described in the Annex of the letter mentioned above. We share the Chair of the Commission's opinion that is important that funding be sought to upgrade existing technical facilities as described in that Annex. We are also pleased that the Commission decided to review its working method on the consideration of revised submissions.In this respect, we note that the new policy on revised submissions will be kept under review to ensure the Commission's working methods efficiency and the fair and equitable treatment of submitting coastal States.

Finally, we welcome the establishment and work of the open-ended working group to consider and formulate proposals on how best facilitate the induction of new members of the Commission, in particular those whose terms of office will commence on 16 June.

Thank you, Madam President.

(b) Conditions of service of members of the Commission

Madam President,

In addition to the issues posed by the workload of the Commission, challenges related to the conditions of service of the members of the Commission still need to be considered with utmost attention.

The European Union and its Member States would like to commend the persistent efforts of the Co-Coordinators of the Open-ended Working Group on the Conditions of Service of the Members of the Commission in trying to find an appropriate solution which would be both pragmatic and satisfactory. In this context, we are pleased to note that the Commission has decided to appoint one of its members, Mr Njuguna, to act as a liaison between the Commission and the Co-Coordinators of the Open-ended Working Group.

We will continue to engage on this issue with other delegations in order to reach an efficient and lasting solution, which can meet the Commission's concerns.

Thank you, Madam President.

(c) Pattern of elections and commencement of the term of office of members of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (SPLOS/32/L.2)

Madam President,

The European Union and its Member States continue sharing the Chair of the Commission's opinion on the efficiency of holding elections one year before the expiration of the five-year term of office of the sitting members, and support his proposal to maintain this operational framework, which is relevant both in terms of organization of work and preparation of new members, and in terms of administrative and budgetary constraints for the Parties who support a member of the Commission.

Thank you, Madam President.

(d) Filling of a vacancy in the Commission

Madame President,

As the backlog has increased to the extent that submitting States have to wait approximately 14 years between their submission and the establishment of a subcommission, the European Union and its Member States believe that it is crucial that the Commission resumes its work at full capacity.

In this respect, we wish to reiterate our concern regarding the vacant post which has not been filled since 2015 and hope that an outcome to this situation can be found as soon as possible, either by the proposal of a candidate or by considering alternative solutions. Given the current backlog, a vacant seat is, probably more than ever in the past, prejudicial to the work of the Commission, in particular to the composition of subcommissions.

Thank you, Madame President.