33RD MEETING OF THE STATES PARTIES OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA (UNCLOS) - AGENDA ITEM 14 (REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL)
15 June 2023
Statement by Ms Alexandra Hutchison, Legal Adviser, Australian Mission to the United Nations
Thank you, Mr President.
As this is the first time my delegation has taken the floor at this Meeting, let me take the opportunity to congratulate you and all other members of the Bureau on your appointments and assure you of Australia’s full support.
We also wish to thank all those who have briefed us at this Meeting for their comprehensive reports and insights.
As a maritime nation, Australia is firmly committed to ensuring a strong governance regime for the oceans.
For more than 40 years, the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Law of the Sea (the Convention) – the Constitution for the oceans – has provided the comprehensive legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out.
The rules and principles of general international law do not displace the provisions of the Convention. Nor can they be applied in a manner inconsistent with the Convention.
All parties to the Convention are obliged to fully comply with its provisions, to perform their obligations under the Convention in good faith, and to adhere to final and binding decisions of international courts and tribunals.
Australia is firmly committed to the full and effective implementation of the Convention.
We are proud to continue our work with other States in this effort.
Australia especially recognises the longstanding contribution of the Convention to international peace and security.
Adherence to international law, and to the rules contained in the Convention, provides the basis for stability and prosperity, and for a peaceful, predictable and open maritime domain.
Our oceans and the marine environment have been calling out for greater protection.
Australia is proud of how States have collectively responded to this call.
This year, we celebrated the successful conclusion of negotiations for a new implementing agreement under the Convention on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction – the BBNJ agreement, or high seas treaty.
Australia looks forward to the treaty being adopted in coming days.
This remarkable new agreement demonstrates the collective opportunity that can be realised when we focus on our common goals.
It is a tremendous feat of multilateralism.
The BBNJ agreement also demonstrates the agility of the Convention in providing the legal framework for addressing the most pressing challenges facing the ocean.
Australia further recognises the importance of the connection of First Nations Australians to land and waters, and the unique knowledge they hold from being stewards of Australia’s land and waters for more than 60,000 years.
We emphasise the immense contribution Indigenous Peoples make to addressing shared regional and global challenges, including climate change and oceans health.
The world is increasingly grappling with the adverse impacts of climate change for the ocean.
Australia is committed to continuing to take an ambitious and constructive role in international efforts to combat this crisis.
As a member of the Pacific family, we recognise that climate change is an existential threat for many Pacific States.
To this end, Australia commends the attention that States Parties continue to give to the issue of sea-level rise.
We were pleased to join the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-related Sea Level Rise.
We continue to encourage all States to support the interpretation of the Convention set out in the PIF Declaration.
Australia proactively supports the institutions and aims of the Convention.
We welcome the achievements of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, some members of which we have elected at this meeting, and we look forward to its continued contribution to the development of the law of the sea.
We are committed to engaging constructively at the International Seabed Authority to ensure that a legal framework for deep-sea mining in the Area contains robust environmental protections.
We note the term of the current members of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf is coming to an end this month. We wish to thank all outgoing members for their service. We welcome the incoming members and look forward to seeing them continue the Commission’s important contribution to the certainty and predictability of our ocean regime.
Australia will continue to work constructively with all States to address challenges facing the oceans, and to do so within the robust and comprehensive framework of the Convention.