Undersecretary for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations Carlos D. Sorreta delivers the Philippine statement during the debate on the Secretary General’s Report at the 33rd Meeting of States Parties to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. (Photo credit: New York PM)
UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK, 16 June 2023 – Undersecretary Carlos D. Sorreta of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines told the meeting of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that “We must act together decisively and urgently – if we are to save the global ocean and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 14 and the 2030 Agenda.”
Undersecretary Sorreta, responsible for Multilateral Affairs and International Economic Relations, led the high-level Philippine delegation to participate in the 33rd Meeting of States Parties to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which took place from 12 to 16 June 2023 at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Undersecretary Sorreta sounded the alarm on the state of the ocean being in a state of emergency, noting that “as an archipelagic state with waters six times the size of our land, the Philippines – its fate as a nation and as a people – is tied to the global ocean.” He said that this state of emergency is “the cumulative result of unsustainable human activities and anthropogenic impact, as highlighted by the Secretary General in his Report.’
The meeting of States Parties is particularly important, as it takes place prior to the adoption of the international legally binding agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement), an important treaty that is almost two decades in the making.
Undersecretary Sorreta underscored the commitment of the Philippines to the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans.
“We have made significant strides in ocean-related processes this year. We have finalized and are about to adopt an international legally binding agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement),” Undersecretary Sorreta said.
He also highlighted the role of the Philippines, through Ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative Ariel Penaranda, as Vice President of the recent Resumed Review Conference of the 1995 Fish Stocks Agreement, in achieving a consensus outcome document.
Undersecretary Sorreta also reaffirmed the commitment of the Philippines to UNCLOS and highlighted the archipelagic state regime.
“We attach great value to the archipelagic regime under UNCLOS – a finely crafted balance resulting from careful consensus-building. As an archipelagic state, we reject attempts to upend this balance. Rules conflict with UNCLOS cannot prevail over the special regime it has created,” Undersecretary Sorreta added.
Undersecretary Sorreta said, “The emergency facing the global ocean is a reminder to uphold and implement UNCLOS, especially in addressing the drivers that apply pressure on it, such as disputes over access to resources and maritime boundaries. UNCLOS itself provides the mechanisms and venues for dispute settlement. We must keep faith with them. The Philippines has decided to do so and have resorted to these. The 2016 South China Sea Arbitral Award is a resounding reaffirmation of UNCLOS. Together, they are the anchors of our positions and actions on the South China Sea.”
Among the agenda items of the meeting is the election of seven judges to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), one of the three bodies created under the UNCLOS.
Ambassador and Permanent Representative Antonio M. Lagdameo thanked Judge Albert Hoffmann, President of ITLOS, for his report and stressed that ITLOS remains a pillar of UNCLOS. He cited the Philippines participation in the capacity-building activities of ITLOS.
Meanwhile, Assistant Secretary Maria Angela Ponce emphasized the need to balance interests in resource extraction and the preservation of the marine environment in relation to the draft regulation in response to the report of Mr. Michael Lodge, the Secretary General of the International Seabed Authority,
“We emphasize the importance of Article 142 of UNCLOS on the rights and legitimate interests of coastal states, and of operationalizing this in the Regulations,” Assistant Secretary said.
First Secretary and Legal Adviser Azela Arumpac-Marte was elected as Vice-President of the 33rd Meeting of States Parties. She joined the Bureau of the Meeting which was headed by Romania’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative Cornel Feruta and composed of other Vice Presidents other regions.
UNCLOS lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world's oceans and seas establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources. Opened for signature on 10 December 1982 in Montego Bay, it now has 169 States Parties, including Rwanda, the newest party. At the time of its adoption, UNCLOS embodied in one instrument traditional rules for the uses of the oceans and at the same time introduced new legal concepts and regimes and addressed new concerns. END
Ambassador and Permanent Representative Antonio M. Lagdameo delivers a statement on the report of the President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. (Photo credit: NYPM)