Commission on Limits of Continental Shelf to hold 55th session in New York
Jul 03, 2022
New York [US], July 3 : The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf will hold its fifty-fifth session from 5 July to 19 August in New York, US.
The purpose of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) is to facilitate the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in respect of the establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles (M) from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
Under the Convention, the coastal State shall establish the outer limits of its continental shelf where it extends beyond 200 M on the basis of the recommendation of the Commission. The Commission shall make recommendations to coastal States on matters related to the establishment of those limits; its recommendations and actions shall not prejudice matters relating to the delimitation of boundaries between States with opposite or adjacent coasts.
The session will be held in person at United Nations Headquarters where the plenary parts of the session will be held from July 25-29 and from August 8-12, said a UN Press release citing Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea.
The remaining five weeks will be devoted to the technical examination of submissions by established subcommissions in the Division's premises, including geographic information systems laboratories and other technical facilities.
During the session, 10 subcommissions will continue to consider submissions made by the Russian Federation in respect of the Arctic Ocean (partial revised submission); Brazil in respect of the Brazilian Equatorial Margin (partial revised submission); France and South Africa jointly in respect of the area of the Crozet Archipelago and the Prince Edward Islands; Kenya; Nigeria; Palau in respect of the North Area (partial amended submission); Sri Lanka; Portugal; Spain in respect of the area of Galicia (partial submission); and India.
Coastal States that had not yet presented their submissions to the Commission were invited to present them at the plenary part of the session. Till June 30, the following submitting States accepted the invitation: Malaysia (partial submission in the South China Sea); Chile (partial submissions in respect of the Eastern Continental Shelf of Easter Island Province and in respect of the Western Continental Shelf of the Chilean Antarctic Territory, respectively); Indonesia (partial submission in the area Southwest of Sumatera); and Ecuador (partial submission in the Southern Region of the Carnegie Ridge).
Furthermore, the Chair will inform the Commission about relevant deliberations that took place at the thirty-second Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
These recommendations made by the Commission are based on the scientific and technical data and other material provided by States in relation to the implementation of article 76 of the Convention.
The recommendations do not prejudice matters relating to the delimitation of boundaries between States with opposite or adjacent coasts, or prejudice the position of States that are parties to a land or maritime dispute, or application of other parts of the Convention or any other treaties.
The limits of the continental shelf established by a coastal State on the basis of these recommendations shall be final and binding. In the case of disagreement by the coastal State with the recommendations of the Commission, the coastal State shall, within a reasonable time, make a revised or new submission to the Commission.
