Vietnam was unanimously nominated by the Asia-Pacific Group to be the 35th SPLOS Chair.

This will be the first time Vietnam assumes the position of Chairman of the SPLOS since becoming a member of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Việt Nam được Nhóm châu Á-Thái Bình Dương nhất trí đề cử làm Chủ tịch SPLOS lần thứ 35

Overview of SPLOS-34 Conference.

On February 27, the Asia-Pacific Group at the United Nations unanimously nominated Vietnam for the position of Chair of the 35th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (SPLOS).

The President of the Conference will be officially elected right before the Conference, which takes place from June 23-27 at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

This will be the first time Vietnam has assumed the position of SPLOS Chair since becoming a member of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1994, demonstrating the high trust and recognition of the international community for Vietnam's leading efforts in implementing and consolidating the universal values of UNCLOS, as well as Vietnam's positive contributions to the common work of the United Nations.

Taking on the position of Chair of SPLOS 35 is an opportunity for Vietnam to continue affirming its role as a responsible member state of UNCLOS and making substantial contributions to the international community's joint efforts in global governance of seas and oceans.

Annual meeting of the Group of Friends of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention.

Over the years, Vietnam has always considered the Convention as the Constitution of the Ocean and an important basis for implementing cooperation activities at sea.

Vietnam has achieved many achievements in resolving maritime delimitation issues with neighboring countries, notably the signing of the Maritime Delimitation Agreement with Thailand (1997), the Gulf of Tonkin Delimitation Agreement with China (2000); together with Indonesia, it completed the delimitation of the continental shelf (2003) and then the exclusive economic zone (2022), enriching the practice of maritime delimitation according to the provisions of the Convention.

Vietnam has actively participated in activities within the framework of the mechanisms established under the Convention, such as assuming the position of a member of the Council and the Legal and Technical Commission of the International Seabed Authority, actively participating in the negotiation process and being one of the first countries to sign the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) - the most recent international document related to the implementation of the Convention.

Vietnam also recommends experienced and highly qualified experts to participate in the bodies established within the framework of UNCLOS, including 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 co-founded the Group of Friends of UNCLOS with more than 100 member states from all geographical regions to promote the universality and enhance the effective implementation of the Convention.

UNCLOS is still considered one of the most important achievements in the history of the United Nations. Considered the Constitution of the Oceans, UNCLOS is a comprehensive legal framework regulating all activities at sea, and currently has 170 member states. SPLOS is an annual conference held at the convocation of the Secretary-General of the United Nations as prescribed in UNCLOS.

This is an important forum for all member countries to review the implementation of the Convention, exchange and discuss emerging issues in the implementation of the Convention and global ocean and sea governance, and from there, decide on necessary measures to strengthen the implementation of the Convention.