SIXTEENTH MEETING OF STATES PARTIES TO THE UNITED
NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA
STATEMENT BY THE DELEGATION OF JAMAICA ON THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL OF
THE LAW OF THE SEA FOR 2005
JUNE 19, 2006
Mr. President,
First let me express my delegation’s appreciation to Ambassador Mavroyiannis of Cyprus for his excellent work during the 15th Meeting of States Parties.
The Delegation of Jamaica offers its congratulations to you on your election as President of the 16th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). There are some challenging issues before us at this session and we anticipate that there will be full cooperation of all Member States in ensuring that the proceedings are conducted efficiently and that the outcome of the meeting will be a positive one.
We wish to join you in welcoming Estonia as the newest State Party to the Convention as we move closer towards universal application.
Mr. President,
We also welcome Judge Wolfrum in his capacity as President of the Tribunal and thank him for presenting the annual report of the Tribunal for 2005. This year is the 10th anniversary since the Tribunal commenced its work and while we regret that Member States did not seek recourse to the Tribunal in 2005, we commend the Tribunal for the work that it has accomplished over the years. The successful settlement in 2005 of prior cases on which judgments were delivered was a positive outcome.
Mr. President,
We also recognize that other aspects of the work of the Tribunal have continued through its various Committees. We believe that the ongoing review of the rules and judicial procedures of the Tribunal is an important process. We tend to focus attention on the cases brought before the Tribunal, and rightly so, but the effectiveness of the institution is also influenced by its ability to conduct appropriate reviews and stay current on new developments. One such review of which I will make mention is that of practice followed by international courts and tribunals regarding the use of experts in maritime delimitation cases. We also note that the Tribunal has continued to review the question of expenses relating to cases brought by an entity other than a State Party or the International Seabed Authority. This is a budgetary issue which is of direct interest to Member States.
We recall that last year the Tribunal reviewed the question of a code of conduct for counsel appearing before the Tribunal and we wondered if there is any further development in this area. At that session also, delegations noted with pleasure the signing of the Headquarters Agreement between the Tribunal and the government of the Federal Republic of Germany in December 2004 and we look forward to the entry into force of this Agreement. We also welcomed the generosity of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in making available, funding for the provision of internships at the Tribunal for participants from developing countries.
In that context we also wish to refer to the contributions made by the Government of the United Kingdom and the Government of Finland to the Trust Fund which was established to assist States in the settlement of disputes by the Tribunal and to reiterate our appreciation. We encourage those States that are in a position to do so to contribute to this Trust Fund.
Mr. President,
We note the establishment of a new Committee on Public Relations to, inter alia, promote the work of the Tribunal in the dissemination of information and maintaining relations with other international entities and processes. This is a good initiative and should have the support of Member States in promoting the work of the Tribunal.
My delegation has also noted that during 2005, a number of events, including a Diplomatic Day, were organized on the premises of the Tribunal and we think that this is a good development, because part of what the UN system is all about is bringing people together, fostering better understanding and inter-relationship between countries and entities.
I thank you.