Opening Ceremony of the 30th Anniversary of the Entry into Force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Delegates attending the opening ceremony of the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. (Photo: Anh Son)

The ceremony was attended by delegates from the United Nations, foreign representative agencies in Vietnam, central and local ministries/sectors, especially the participation of Ambassadors and veteran officials of the country, who have been involved in the process of building, implementing and applying the Convention over the past 30 years since its entry into force.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu said that 30 years ago on November 16, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (also known as UNCLOS), a document regulating activities on the seas and oceans, covering more than 70% of the earth's surface, officially came into effect.

On this occasion, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized a ceremony to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to review the value and role of the Convention as well as Vietnam's journey in implementing the provisions of the Convention over the past 30 years.

This is also an opportunity to evaluate and study the possibility of applying the Convention to better serve the country's interests. At the same time, the Anniversary is an opportunity for delegates and experts to discuss emerging challenges that the Convention is facing and to orient the contributions of Vietnam and other countries to the future development of the Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Constitution on seas and oceans

Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu emphasized that over three decades, the Convention, dubbed the “Constitution of the Seas and Oceans”, has formed a comprehensive and complete international legal framework, regulating the rights and obligations of all countries, whether coastal, landlocked or geographically disadvantaged, in the use of the sea, management of marine resources and conservation of these resources for future generations.

The Convention not only ensures fairness and sustainability in the exploitation and use of marine resources, but also sets out the obligations and responsibilities of countries in protecting the marine environment, serving as a bridge in cooperation in the conservation of biodiversity and marine ecosystems.

Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu delivered the opening speech at the ceremony to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. (Photo: Anh Son)

Marine scientific research is also harmoniously regulated, balancing the sovereignty and jurisdiction of coastal states with the need for cooperation and the need to increase understanding in order to better manage the seas and oceans.

The Convention also provides a solid basis for determining maritime zones and grounds for countries to establish sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction over maritime zones and conduct activities at sea, and at the same time stipulates a relatively comprehensive dispute settlement mechanism to peacefully resolve disputes arising between countries related to the interpretation and application of the Convention.

The judgments of the judicial bodies established under the provisions of UNCLOS also contribute to clarifying the provisions of the Convention, ensuring the integrity as well as the effective implementation of the Convention.

On the other hand, the 21st century also witnessed many new emerging issues such as: the negative impact of climate change on the ocean; threats from rising sea levels and coastal erosion to coastal areas and islands; challenges from new marine technology.

In the face of many changes and emerging challenges, the Convention remains valuable as a comprehensive and important legal framework, while demonstrating flexibility and adaptability to deal with these urgent issues.

The United Nations and institutions established under the Convention such as the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Law of the Sea, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the International Seabed Authority, etc. have also made positive contributions to addressing emerging challenges to marine and ocean governance.

Currently with 170 members, UNCLOS has become the most important legal document and one of the greatest achievements in international law of the international community in the 20th century.

Vietnam respects and fully and responsibly implements the provisions of UNCLOS.

Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu affirmed that as a coastal country with a coastline of over 3,260 km and thousands of large and small islands, including the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, Vietnam is always clearly aware of the role and importance of the sea for the country's peace, security and development.

“Respecting and fully and responsibly implementing the provisions of UNCLOS is completely consistent with Vietnam's policies and guidelines up to now,” said the Assistant Minister.

In the Resolution ratifying the Convention dated June 23, 1994, the National Assembly of Vietnam affirmed: "By ratifying the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Socialist Republic of Vietnam expresses its determination to join the international community in building a fair order, encouraging development and cooperation at sea . "

In recent years, in order to implement UNCLOS, Vietnam has gradually improved its legal system on seas and oceans, including the 2012 Law of the Sea of ​​Vietnam, issued documents, strategies, and plans to develop policies to serve the needs of sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy, and applied the provisions of UNCLOS to determine maritime zones and boundaries, and manage and use the sea.

Resolution 36 of the 12th Party Central Committee in 2018 on the Strategy for sustainable development of Vietnam's marine economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045, clearly defined the goal of " making Vietnam a strong maritime nation" ; determined the task of " strengthening the promotion of international cooperation" in the maritime field; " actively resolving and handling disputes and disagreements in the East Sea by peaceful means on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea" .

The documents of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam continue to affirm the policy of promoting the settlement of maritime issues on the basis of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Convention is the only international treaty mentioned by name, appearing three times in the Congress documents, showing the importance of the Convention to Vietnam's security and development.

Scene at the ceremony celebrating the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. (Photo: Anh Son)

Assistant Minister Nguyen Minh Vu emphasized that, with the spirit of the rule of law, Vietnam advocates persistently resolving maritime disputes by peaceful means, in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS.

Implementing this policy, Vietnam has achieved many successes in resolving maritime delimitation issues with neighboring countries, notably, together with Thailand, resolving the maritime delimitation issue in the Gulf of Thailand in 1997 - the first maritime delimitation agreement of ASEAN after the Convention came into effect; being the first and only country to date to have a maritime delimitation agreement with China - delimiting the Gulf of Tonkin in 2000; together with Indonesia, resolving the issue of continental shelf delimitation and then the exclusive economic zone in 2003 and 2022 respectively, enriching the practice of resolving maritime delimitation issues according to the provisions of the Convention.

In addition, Vietnam has actively participated in activities within the framework of international mechanisms established under the Convention, contributing many outstanding initiatives that have been recognized by the international community, demonstrating Vietnam's role in international and regional forums related to seas and oceans, such as the United Nations' ocean processes and law of the sea.

The Assistant Minister shared that Vietnam has held the position of a member of the Council of the International Seabed Authority, made substantial contributions to the process of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea providing advisory opinions on climate change and international law, actively participated in the negotiation process and soon signed the Agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in sea areas beyond national jurisdiction - the most recent international document related to the implementation of the Convention.

Vietnam also nominated experienced and highly qualified experts to participate in the agencies established within the framework of UNCLOS, including Associate Professor, Dr. Dao Viet Ha being elected to the Legal and Technical Commission, the International Seabed Authority, and nominating candidates for the position of judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026-2035 term.

At the United Nations, Vietnam and the delegations of 11 countries co-founded the UNCLOS Friends Group with more than 100 member countries from all geographical regions to promote the implementation of the Convention.

It is expected that at the Celebration Ceremony, there will be 2 discussion sessions with the participation of delegates from the United Nations, foreign representative agencies in Vietnam, central and local ministries/branches.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/khai-mac-le-ky-niem-30-nam-cong-uoc-lien-hop-quoc-ve-luat-bien-co-hieu-luc-296832.html