A total of 96 countries, including the Philippines, have joined the newly formed Group of Friends of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a venue that helps to promote compliance and address challenges to the so-called “constitution for the ocean”.

Several weeks after its creation, the UNCLOS Group of Friends immediately kicked off with a virtual meeting discussing the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14: Conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and maritime resources.

Convened by Vietnam on July 21, 2021, the Group of Friends invited Sir Malcolm Evans, professor of public and international law at the University of Bristol Law School, who presented UNCLOS as a “comprehensive and integrated approach to the law of the sea, which permits and facilitates orderly changes as well as facilitates and encourages peaceful settlement of disputes.” Evans stressed that UNCLOS is central to the attainment of the SDGs.

Ambassador Enrique Manalo, Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations, underscored the country’s commitment to UNCLOS “which sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out, including efforts towards its sustainable use”.

“Compliance with UNCLOS, including the use of peaceful settlement of disputes, can help address the drivers that affect the health of the oceans,” Manalo said during the discussion.

He noted that in regions where there is conflict over access to resources and maritime boundaries, “regional disputes and geopolitical instabilities may affect economic growth and development”.

In July 2016, the Philippines won an Arbitral Award from the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated China’s excessive claims in the South China Sea. China, however, refuses to honor the said ruling, calling it a “mere piece of paper”.

The Group of Friends is envisioned to facilitate a deeper understanding of the Convention, exchange of good practices in maritime delimitation and peaceful settlement of maritime disputes based on UNCLOS, and exchange of good models for ocean management and cooperation.

The UNCLOS Group of Friends debuted on June 30, 2021, with UN Undersecretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel Miguel de Serpa Soares in attendance along with the representatives of 96 member states.

Vietnam, which is one of the 12 founding members of the Group of Friends also affirmed its commitments to comply with UNCLOS, the UN Charter, and international law as it expressed hope that the group will contribute to increasing understanding of UNCLOS, sharing good practices in applying UNCLOS to maritime delimitation, peaceful settlement of disputes and ocean governance.

Members of the Group of Friends represent all geographical regions that include the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, countries in Asia-Pacific such as the Philippines, Indonesia Brunei, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand, among others.

UNCLOS, an international treaty that was adopted in 1982, sets out a comprehensive legal framework for all activities in the oceans and seas.