Vietnam first runs for judge position at International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea

Vietnam introduced Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Director of the East Sea Institute, Diplomatic Academy, as a candidate for the position of judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026-2035 term.

International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is ready to support Vietnam in implementing UNCLOS 1982

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Within the framework of the 34th Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea taking place from June 10-14 in New York (USA), Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu, Head of the Vietnamese delegation, chaired the international workshop "Sea level rise in the Pacific region: current situation, legal issues and assessment from the perspective of maritime law," and the annual meeting of the Group of Friends of the 1982 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 and to announce Vietnam's nomination of Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, Director of the East Sea Institute, Diplomatic Academy, as a candidate for the position of judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the 2026-2035 term.

Việt Nam lần đầu ứng cử vị trí thẩm phán Tòa án Quốc tế về Luật Biển

Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu, Head of the Vietnamese delegation, speaks to members of the UNCLOS Friends Group. (Photo: Thanh Tuan/VNA)

In recent years, responding to and adapting to climate change, including rising sea levels, has been one of the top concerns of countries and has become a topic of discussion at many forums within the framework of the United Nations.

The international workshop on sea level rise from the perspective of maritime law was co-organized by Vietnam and several member countries of the UNCLOS Friends Group including Fiji, Indonesia, New Zealand, and Oman, with the co-sponsorship of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Philippines, and Singapore.

About 100 delegates, maritime law experts from more than 60 countries, scholars, and representatives of several United Nations agencies attended the workshop.

In his opening remarks and meeting, Permanent Deputy Minister Nguyen Minh Vu emphasized the historical significance of UNCLOS for the development of international law.

As the “Constitution of the Oceans,” UNCLOS is the most comprehensive legal framework governing all activities at sea, and is the basis for countries to cooperate in managing oceans and seas in an orderly and sustainable manner.

Vietnam affirmed that it will continue to promote dialogue and multilateral cooperation with 115 members of the Group of Friends in implementing and protecting the universality of UNCLOS.

At the workshop, Vietnamese legal experts including Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh and Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hong Thao, members of the United Nations International Law Commission, shared their assessment from the perspective of Vietnam - a coastal country most affected by climate change, including the risk of rising sea levels, and proposed continuing to comply with and fully implement the provisions of UNCLOS in the process of addressing emerging challenges in current marine and ocean governance such as marine environmental pollution, climate change and rising sea levels, while calling for support for the preservation of baselines, boundaries of maritime zones established from baselines and maritime delimitation results agreed upon by countries through negotiations or established by international judicial bodies to maintain stability and legal order at sea.

The workshop was organized at Vietnam's initiative and is one of the important contributions to preparing for the upcoming United Nations High-Level Conference on Sea Level Rise in September 2024.

The large participation of countries at the workshop once again affirmed the common interest of countries in the value and role of UNCLOS in the management and use of seas and oceans in general and in cooperation to address new challenges such as climate change and rising sea levels in the coming time.

A Group of Friends is an informal, flexible form of coordination aimed at enhancing cooperation among a number of countries with a common interest in a particular issue at the United Nations and multilateral forums.

The UNCLOS Friends Group was initiated and co-chaired by Vietnam and Germany in 2021. The Group currently has 115 members from all geographical regions, including 12 core countries responsible for coordinating the Group's activities.

Over the past time, the Group has organized many activities such as workshops, seminars, and regular meetings to discuss and promote cooperation in issues related to the implementation of UNCLOS and the management and sustainable use of oceans and seas in general.

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