Participants at the online meeting of the Group of Friends on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on July 21. — VNA/VNS Photo

NEW YORK — The Permanent Mission of Việt Nam to the United Nations (UN) chaired an online meeting of the Group of Friends on the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on July 21.

The event's theme highlights the importance of the UNCLOS in the fulfillment of UN Sustainable Development Goal No.14 (SDG 14) on conservation and sustainable use of seas and oceans.

Professor of international law Malcolm Evans was invited as a keynote speaker at the event.

Evans said the UNCLOS, or 'Charter of the Oceans', is a framework covering all activities at sea and in the oceans, ensuring the balance between the demand for exploiting resources from seas and rights to freedom at sea, and sea management for common benefits.

A dispute settlement mechanism under UNCLOS helps peacefully address disputes among nations, promote understanding about the UNCLOS, he said, adding that the UNCLOS could be regularly updated to meet current and future challenges in the sea and ocean field such as marine security and safety, marine environment pollution, seabed resources exploitation and biodiversity.

Regarding the implementation of SDG 14, he proposed expanding goals to meet new requirements for sustainable development such as seabed natural resource exploitation and response to challenges caused by climate change and rising sea levels.

Participants underlined the UNCLOS’ central role and highly valued the role of the mechanism on peaceful settlement of disputes in promoting the rules-based legal order at sea, contributing to the SDG implementation.

Several expressed a wish to soon restore negotiations on documents about biodiversity outside zones under their jurisdiction, and pay attention to the use of science-technology in research, exploitation and preservation of seas and oceans.

They discussed challenges such as sea pollution, unsustainable use of seas and oceans, climate change, rising sea levels, and the impacts of disputes at sea on sustainable development.

Speaking at the event, head of the Việt Nam Mission to the UN Ambassador Đặng Đình Quý said the Group of Friends will maintain its regular activities, thus increasing understanding about UNCLOS and sharing good practices to meet the international community’s concerns.

Founded on June 30, 2021 under the initiative of 12 countries, including Việt Nam, Germany and others, the group now comprises 107 UN member states, including five permanent members of the UN Security Council and others in Southeast Asia. — VNS