International conference marks 40th anniversary of UNCLOS in Hanoi
WVR/VNA - On December 8, an international conference was held in Hanoi to mark 40 years since the adoption of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
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| International conference marks 40th anniversary of UNCLOS in Hanoi: Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu delivered his remarks. (Photo: WVR/Quang Hoa) |
The hybrid conference, held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was attended by 150 delegates from ministries, sectors, coastal localities, and representative bodies of ASEAN countries in Vietnam.
In his remarks, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu said having been ratified by 168 parties, UNCLOS has truly become a legal document of leading importance, only after the UN Charter, and a “constitution of the seas and oceans”.
The convention formed a comprehensive and full international legal framework that regulates the rights and obligations of all states, no matter whether it is coastal or landlocked, in the use of the seas and the management, exploitation, and conservation of marine resources, he noted.
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| Participanrts at International conference marking 40th anniversary of UNCLOS in Hanoi. (Photo: WVR/Quang |
UNCLOS is a comprehensive international legal cornerstone for identifying sea areas, sovereignty, sovereign right, and jurisdiction over sea areas, and for conducting activities at sea. It also stipulates compulsory dispute settlement mechanisms to peacefully resolve differences relevant to the interpretation and application of UNCLOS among countries, according to the official.
The conference held a panel session to highlight the special values of UNCLOS and another on Vietnam’s implementation of the convention.
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| Dr. Nguyen Ba Son, former Director General of the Department of Laws and International Treaties, Ministry of Foreign Affairs chaired the discussion "Special Values of UNCLOS". (Photo: WVR/Quang Hoa) |
In their remarks sent to the workshop, Tommy Koh, former President of the third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea, and Vladimir Jares, Director of the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, stressed the importance of UNCLOS and Vietnam’s contributions to the UNCLOS drafting and implementation process.
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| Mr. Nguyen Manh Dong, Vice Chairman of the National Border Committee chaired the discussion "Vietnam implements UNCLOS". (Photo: WVR/Quang Hoa) |
Participants shared the view that over the past 40 years, UNCLOS has not only properly served as a constitution of the oceans but also contributed to the formation and protection of the international legal order of the seas and oceans, as well as to the maintenance of peace, security, stability, and international cooperation at sea.
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| Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Minh Vu took a photo with participants attending the International conference marking 40th anniversary of UNCLOS in Hanoi. (Photo: WVR/Quang Hoa) |
They said that bordering the East Sea and being a member of UNCLOS, Vietnam has always been well aware of the role and importance of the seas to national peace, security, and development. They also affirmed the importance of respecting and fully and responsibly implementing regulations in UNCLOS, protecting the legal order of the seas and oceans, and promoting cooperation amid complex developments in the East Sea.
(Source: WVR/VNA)
