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UNCLOS

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) evolved from the historical struggle for coastal state control over marine areas, culminating in several conferences. The first three conferences (UNCLOS I, II, and III) aimed to codify laws regarding territorial seas and maritime zones, with UNCLOS III ultimately establishing key definitions and provisions for maritime governance. The convention came into force in 1994, addressing issues such as resource exploitation and environmental protection.

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10 views1 page

UNCLOS

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) evolved from the historical struggle for coastal state control over marine areas, culminating in several conferences. The first three conferences (UNCLOS I, II, and III) aimed to codify laws regarding territorial seas and maritime zones, with UNCLOS III ultimately establishing key definitions and provisions for maritime governance. The convention came into force in 1994, addressing issues such as resource exploitation and environmental protection.

Uploaded by

Ramesha Ganganna
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

UNCLOS

The law of the sea developed from the struggle between coastal states, who sought to
expand their control over marine areas adjacent to their coastlines. By the end of the
18th century, it was understood that states had sovereignty over their territorial sea.
The maximum breadth of the territorial sea was generally considered to be three miles
- the distance that a shore-based cannon could reach and that a coastal state could
therefore control.

After the Second World War, the international community requested that the United
Nations International law Commission consider codifying the existing laws relating to
the oceans. The commission began working towards this in 1949 and prepared four
draft conventions, which were adopted at the first UN Conference on the Law of the
Sea:

The First United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS I) from
February 24 until April 29, 1958. UNCLOS I adopted the four conventions, which are
commonly known as the 1958 Geneva Conventions:

 The Convention on the Territorial Sea and Contiguous Zone;


 The Convention on the High Seas;
 The Convention on Fishing and Conservation of the Living Resources of the
 High Seas; and
 The Convention on the Continental Shelf.

While considered to be a step forward, the conventions did not establish a maximum
breadth of the territorial sea.

The Second United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS II) from
March 17 until April 26, 1960. UNCLOS II did not result in any international
agreements. The conference once again failed to fix a uniform breadth for the
territorial or establish consensus on sovereign fishing rights.

The Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III) from
1973 to 1982. UNCLOS III addressed the issues bought up at the previous
conferences. Over 160 nations participated in the 9-year convention, which finally
came into force on November 14, 1994, 21 years after the first meeting of UNCLOS
III and one year after ratification by the sixtieth state. The first sixty ratifications were
almost all developing states.

A major feature of the convention included the definition of maritime zones- the
territorial sea, the contiguous zone, the exclusive economic zone, the continental shelf,
the high sea, the international sea-bed area and archipelagic waters. The convention
also made provision for the passage of ships, protection of the marine environment,
freedom of scientific research, and exploitation of resources

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