Sea convention signed

Environmental Policy and Law, 10 (1983)

36 administration to be done in accordance with the financial rules and regulations of the United Nations meaning that even the costs of this administration are to be paid out of the special ozone trust fund and that the Environment Fund woukl be relieved entirely from expenditures in connection with ozone layer problems. During the last hour of the session, the Ad Hoc Working Group adopted

recommendations for the future work of the Group. They recommended to the Executive Director of UNEP, after the Netherlands government had pledged financial support, to arrange for a further meeting of the Group between 11 and 20 April 1983. as a continuation of the second session. They further recommended, that the sixth session of the Co-ordinating Committee Ozone Layer (CCOL),

should be held immediately before or after the next mceting of the Working Group and that the CCOL transmit a summary of its report to the second part of the second session of the Group in April 1983. (For background material, see also Em'ironmental Policy and Law, 8 (1982). 2, page 49, "A Look at Some Issues before an Ozone Convention".)

[]

Sea Convention Signed Delegations from 144 countries met in Montego Bay, Jamaica, I'rom 6-10 December for the final session and signing ceremony of the Third United Nations Conference on tile Law of the Sea.* A total of 119 delegations signed the Convention on tile 10 I.)ecetnber: 117 States. tile Cook lshmds (a self governing associated State) and tile United Nations Council for Namibia. In addition to signing the Convention, they also signed the Final Act of the Conference. In addition, 23 States which did not sign the Convention joined in signing the Final Act, a record of the Conference. The total number of Final Act signatures was 150, including nine observer delegatiens and the United Nations Council for Namibia. In his address at the closing ceremonies, Secretary-General Perez de Cuellar noted that "'never in the history of international relations have such a large number of countries immediately signed the result of their deliberations, thereby committing themselves to act in accordance with their obligations". The President of the Conference, Tommy T.B. Koh (Singapore), announced that Fiji had also ratified the Convention. becoming the first State to do s o . As expected, a number of industrialized states which oppose the provi*The journal has reported regularly on all of the Conference.

sessions

sions on deep seabed mining did not sign the t r e a t y - including Belgium, haly. the United Kingdom. the United States and tile Federal Republic of Germany. Japan stated that it was unable to sign at the present time because of the recent change in government but added that the Convention "merits its support and signature" However, other potential mining countries and major seabed investors Canada, France, the Nethcrhmds, india and the USSR - did sign the Convention and were joined by the Scandinavian countries, Australia and New Zealand. During the four days preceding the signing ceremony, 120 statements by

delegations were made. A number of countries expressed the hope that the Preparatory Conunission could serve as a vehicle to achieve aceonunodations that would enable additiomd states to adhere to tile Treaty. The UK stated that it wanted to explore with others the prospects for further improvements in tile seabed provisions. including technology transfer. The Preparatory Commission for tile main institutions to be established under the Convention the International Seabed Authority and the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea -- will convene its first session at Kingston. Jamaica beginning 15 March, 1983.

The opening session. Edward Seaga, Prime Minister of Jamaica, welcoming delegates. To his right are ambassador Ratray (Jamaica), Daniel Hall (Executive Secretary of the Conference), Tommy Koh (President of the LOS Conference), and Bernardo Zuleta (Special Representative of the Secretary General to UNCLOS). Courtesy: Sierra Club

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Environmental Policy and Law, 10 (1983)

37

Before States were called on to sign, the Final Act was signed by President Koh, by Bernardo Zuleta. Special Representative of die Secretary-General to the Conference. and by David Hall, Executive Secretary of the Conference. A second copy of the Convention was turned over to Frank Francis, Secretary in the Foreign Ministry of Jamaica. It will be open for signature at the Foreign Ministry in Kingston Ibr two years. Also beginning ! July 1983, the Convention will be open Ibr signature at UN Headquarters. in New York. It will be closed for signature at both places on 9 December 1984. but States will be able indefinitely to accede to it - a process which does not require signature. []

Signers of Com'ention: Algeria. Angola. Australia. Austria. I:lah:tmas. Bahrain. Bangl:tdesh. Barbados. Belize. Bhutan, Brazil, Bulgaria. Btlrnl:l, Burundi, It.yelorus~,ia. C:lnad:t, Cape Verde. Chad, Cl'file. China. Colombi:k, Ct~ngo, Cosla Rica. Cuba. Cyprus. Czechaslovakia. Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Democralic Yemen, l)enmark, Djibouti, Dominican Republic. Egypl. Ethiopia. Fiji. Finhmd. France. Gabon. Gambia. Gcrnt:m Democratic Republic, Gh:ma, Greece. Grenada. Guinea-Bissmt, Guyamt. |'laiti, Honduras. Ilungary. Iceland. India. Ind(mesia. Irnq, Ireland. Ivory Coast. Jamaica. Kcny.'n, Kuwait. Lao People'.,, Democratic Republic. I,esotho. Liberia. Malaysia. Maldives. Malt:l, Mtuuritani:t. Mauritius,, Mexict+. b.tt)n:tc(+.Mongolia. Morocco. Mozambique. Nauru. Nepal, Netlterland.s. New Zealand, Niger. Nigeria. Norway, Pakistan. Panama. Pal~ua New Guinea, Paraguay. l>hilippines. Pohmd. I>t~rtugal. Rumania, R~anda, Saint Lucia. Saint Vincent and the Gren:tdines. Senegal, Se.vchelles. Sierra I,cone. Singapere. Solomon Islands. Sore:alia, Sri l,anka. Sudan. Surinanle. Sweden. Th,'tiland, "rogo. Trinidad and Tobago. Tunisia, Tuvalu. Uganda, Ukraine. USSR, United Arab F,ntir;ites. United Republic of Camertron. Uniled Rcp.ublic of T;mzania. Upper Volta. Urugu:ty. Vmtu;.itu. Viol Nam. Yemen. Yugoslavi:t. Zambia and Zimbabwe. In additiml to tt~esc Strifes. the Conventit~n was al~,o ,',igned by the United Nati,m~,Ct)tmcil for Namibia. and by the Co,.,k b:!ands. Final Act S,gnatures. Stales signing tbe Final Act. in addition to all the above, are as follows: Belgium, Benin. I:lotswana. Ecu:ldor. Equatorial Guinea. Federal Republic of Germany. ttoly See. Israel. It:d.c.'.J:tl)an. Jtlrdan. Libya. l,uxembt~tLrg.Oman. Peru. Republic tff Korea. Samoa. Sp:tin. Switzerland. United Kingdom. United Stales. Venezuela and Zaire. The Final Act was also sii3ned by the African National Congress of South Africa. the Euntpean I.:,cont>mic Comnmnity. the Netherlands Antilles. the Palestine Liber~,tion Organization. the Pan Africani:.t Congress of Azania, the Soulh West Africa People's Organiz;~tion. the Tru.~t Territory of the P~lcific Isl.'mds ;.lnd the West Indies Associated Stales,

UN/GA

World Charter for Nature

The journal has reported regularly on the development of the World Charter for Nature "adopted and solenmly proclaimed" at the thirty-seventh session of the General Assembly on 28 October. 1982 (see also Enviromnental Policy and Law, Vol. 10 (1983), 1, at page 30). A summary of the debate with extracts from some of the statements delivered is given below. The President called on the representative of Zaire, Mr. Kamanda wa Kamanda, to introduce the draft resolution on the Charter.

eral Assembly, in 1979, prefacing the introduction one year later of a draft Charter for the consideration of States. In my letter (A/35/141) of 2 June 1980 introducing the explanatory memot:andum required under rule 20 of tl'te rules of procedure of the General Assembly - at the same time as the question of the historical responsibility of States in preserving nature was introduced, and 1 as.,ame this was based on similar considerations- 1 explained the goal and the purpose of the submission of the draft world charter for nature to t h e General Assembly and Member States for their consideration, and 1 stressed in particular that the entire philosophy underlying the text revolved around the idea that States, in the exercise of their permanent sovereignty over their natural resources, should conduct their activities, especially those likely to affect our common management of nature or likely to have an impact on it, with recognition of the supreme importance of protecting natural systems and maintaining the balances and quality- o f nature in the interest o f

Kamanda wa KamanJa (Zaire) I should like first of all to thank the Secretary-General of the United Nations for the report in document A/37/ 398 and for his efforts during the past three years in connection with the question of the World Charter for Nature, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of lhe General Assembly. The question of the World Charter for Nature was raised for the first time at the thirty-fourth session o f the Gen-

present and Iitture generations; and I said that any act of man affecting nature should be motivated and judged by that criterion. With a view to considering the comments made by various States and the formulation of recommendations to the General Assembly concerning the charter, a special group of experts, including specialists from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the United Nations Environment Programme, as well as from various States, was established and met from 24 to 27 August 1981 and again in mid-September 1981 in Nairobi in order to anaend the initial draft world charter for nature where necessary. In the observations that we transmitted to the Secretary-General pursuant to resolution 35/7, we stressed that our objective was not to put an end to progress nor to prevent anyone from taking necessary d e v e l o p m e n t m e a sures. Nor does the charter ask that we focus our action on any particular project or any particular activity in a given country. What it does is empha-

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