MBR AUGUST ALL

Malta Business Review
UNCLOS
Malta Business Review
50 years since Malta pioneered UNCLOS
50 years ago, on 17 August 1967, Malta tabled
a United Nations proposal which resulted in
the adoption of the 1982 Convention on the
Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)- Prof David Attard,
Director of the International Maritime Law
Institute (IMLI) recalled during a meeting
with the Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade
Promotion, Carmelo Abela. Because of this
initiative, Malta is considered the pioneer of
UNCLOS and its outcomes.
Through its first Permanent Representative
to the UN, the late Maltese diplomat Dr
Arvid Pardo formalised this proposal to the
UN’s Secretary General which gave birth to
doctrine that states the seabed, ocean floor
and sub-soil, are ‘the common heritage of
mankind’, to only be used and exploited
for peaceful purposes and the benefit of
mankind as a whole.
This culminated in the famous three-hour
speech delivered by Dr Pardo at the UN’s
1515th meeting of the General Assembly
on 1 November, which triggered the later
negotiations of UNCLOS, and other legal
developments that subsequently earned Dr
Pardo the title ‘Father of the Law of the Sea’.
Minister Abela and Prof Attard agreed that
the Ministry for Foreign Affairs & Trade
Promotion and IMLI will work together to
organise a commemorative event marking
the anniversary of Dr Pardo’s speech, and the
adoption of the resolution:
“The examination of the question of the
reservation exclusively for peaceful purposes
of the sea bed and ocean floor and the subsoil
thereof, underlying the high seas beyond
the limits of present national jurisdiction,
and their use of resources in the interests of
mankind.”
Minister Abela underscored the significance
of commemorating these important
anniversaries which have left an indelible
mark on the history of mankind, and continue
to guide us in today’s world. And how the
doctrine of the ‘human heritage of mankind’
underpinned the idea of sharing our common
goods, which today has extended to all issues
concerning our common environment and
has even been extended to include outer
space.
Minister Abela and Prof Attard also discussed
possible initiatives that Malta could undertake
to further strengthen international maritime
law.
MBR
Creditline: The Ministry For Foreign Affairs And
Trade Promotion
50 51
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