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New York UN

STATEMENT BY MR NATHANIEL KHNG, COUNSELLOR (LEGAL), PERMANENT MISSION OF SINGAPORE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON AGENDA ITEM 14, REPORTS OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL UNDER ARTICLE 319 FOR THE INFORMATION OF STATES PARTIES ON ISSUES OF A GENERAL NATURE, RELEVANT TO STATES PARTIES, WHICH HAVE ARISEN WITH RESPECT TO THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA (A/77/331 AND A/78/67), THIRTY-THIRD MEETING OF STATES PARTIES TO THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA, NEW YORK, 14 JUNE 2023

14 June 2023

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1 My delegation thanks Dr Adnan Al-Azri, Chair of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, for his report and for his service as Chair of the Commission. We also thank the judges of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, whose terms are concluding, for their service.  We look forward to receiving the results of the election, and wish all candidates the very best.


2 My delegation also thanks the Secretary-General and his team for the reports that we are considering under this agenda item.  They make clear that the ocean remains under threat and that more needs to be done to achieve the ocean-related sustainable development targets, in particular, Sustainable Development Goal 14.  Nevertheless, it is encouraging that support for the legal framework for the ocean, which is founded on the Convention, remains strong.  I wish to make three points.


3 First, last year, the international community celebrated the 40th anniversary of the adoption and opening for signature of the Convention.  My delegation is pleased to have been able to contribute to initiatives to commemorate these milestones in the development of the international legal order for ocean governance.  The initiatives included the commemorations in a high-level meeting of the General Assembly on 29 April 2022 and the plenary meetings of the General Assembly in December 2022.  We appreciate the partnership and support of many delegations for these initiatives, and welcome the strong reaffirmations by many delegations of the Convention as the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out.


4 Second, it is fitting that, shortly after the 40th anniversary of the Convention, the international community was able to successfully conclude negotiations on an international legally binding instrument under the Convention on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.  The outcome of the negotiations was an ambitious and future-proof treaty.  We look forward to the adoption of the treaty next week and commend all delegates for working to promote the conservation and sustainable use of our global commons, demonstrating that the United Nations remains an effective forum for addressing complex global issues. 


5 Third, negotiations under the auspices of the UN Environment Assembly commenced last year to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment.  We expect that this instrument will contribute significantly to global efforts to address one of the ocean’s most pressing pollution problems.  In these negotiations, the Convention, which remains one of the most robust environmental treaties in force today, must be the framework within which all law of the sea-related issues pertaining to marine pollution should be considered.


Mr President,


6 The common thread running through the points that I have made would be the importance of the Convention.  For small maritime nations like Singapore, the full and effective implementation of the Convention has been, and will continue to be, critical for our survival.  Our position is well known. The Convention sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out.  All maritime claims must be in accordance with the relevant rules of the Convention, which are comprehensive, and all freedoms, rights and obligations set out in the Convention must be respected and adhered to.


7 My delegation urges all countries that have yet to become a party to the Convention to do so as soon as possible, and we warmly welcome Rwanda as the 169th State Party to the Convention.


8 Thank you for your attention.


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