At the outset, I would like to thank you for convening today's meeting for consideration of the agenda item 79(a). We would also like to thank Mr. Eden Charles of Trinidad and Tobago for coordinating the resolution on 'Oceans and the Law of the Sea', which is a subject of importance and interest to the whole international community

The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS/Convention) together with the related Agreements represents a major achievement in codification and progressive development of international law.. It enjoys wide acceptance with 167 States being Parties to it at present.  The Convention provides the legal framework for the use of oceans and seas and their resources by establishing a delicate balance between the need for economic and social development and the need to protect and preserve the marine environment and conserve and manage its resources.

The oceans cover almost three quarters of the Earth.  As the States look to ocean resources as a means to economic growth and social advancement, development of an ocean-based economy is attracting more attention.

 

Over the past 20 years, the Convention has contributed pre-eminently to the sustainable development of the oceans and seas and to the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples of the world. This is reflected in the document 'Future we want' containing the Millennium Development Goals adopted in 2000, and the Outcome Document of the Summit of 25th September 2015 'Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development'. The Goal 14 containing over 17 targets recognises the importance and the critical role to be played by the oceans and seas in the achievement of the post-2015 development agenda.  

We must, however, remember that realising the full potential of oceans and seas depends on carrying out ocean-based activities in a sustainable manner, in accordance with internationally agreed principles, in particular the principles contained in the Convention.

 

Our oceans face huge challenges including the deterioration of the marine environment, biodiversity loss, climate change, illegal fishing practices and those relating to the maritime safety and security including the acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea. 

 

We are glad to note that due to the commendable work of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), piracy has been brought under control through international cooperation and coordination. 

We thank the Secretary-General for his Reports A/70/74 and A/70/74/Add.1 on issues concerning oceans and the law of the sea. We note that the Reports outline the contribution of oceans to the environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainable development and the manner in which the UNCLOS addresses these dimensions; and opportunities for, and challenges to, the enhanced integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development in relation to oceans.  

 

We welcome the report A/70/78 of the Sixteenth Meeting of the United Nations open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (ICP), in which deliberations focused on the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development, namely, environmental, social and economic; and opportunities for, and challenges to the enhanced integration of the three dimensions. 

Another area in which the international community is engaged relates to the issues concerning the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction. We welcome the adoption of the resolution 69/292 by the General Assembly on 19 June 2015 deciding to develop an international legally binding instrument under the UNCLOS on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction and establishment of a preparatory committee to make substantive recommendations to the General Assembly on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument under the Convention. We also welcome the appointment of Chairman of the Preparatory Committee and look forward to participate in its meetings in the next two years. 

The smooth functioning of the institutions established under the Convention, namely the International Sea-bed Authority, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, hold the key to the proper implementation of the provisions of the Convention and to the realization of the desired benefits from the uses of the seas. We therefore support all efforts towards ensuring their efficient and effective functioning, and note with satisfaction the progress made by these institutions in their respective areas. 

Being a country with a vast coastline and numerous islands, India has a traditional and abiding interest in the maritime and ocean affairs, and assures full cooperation in efforts toward ensuring the proper management and sustainable use of the oceans and seas as a responsible partner of the international community.