Ocean Law & Policy Course” – Rhodes Academy of Ocean Law & Policy
  • The United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) came into force in November 1994 and is a virtual constitution of the law of the sea and establishes an umbrella agreement by setting out rules governing the rights and jurisdiction of nations in various maritime zones and the sea bed area beyond national jurisdiction these include rights over living and non living resources and the rights of freedom of navigation enjoyed by all states. UNCLOS currently has 168 parties and is widely governed by customary international law in respect of matters not regulated under the convention. Despite having been negotiated for over a decade in four committees, UNCLOS has been considered as one of the greatest achievements in international law.
  • The extensive convention comprises of 17 Parts with 320 Articles plus 4 Annexes. Two implementing agreements have been developed from UNCLOS and these are the Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part IX of UNCLOS on Deep Seabed Mining which came into force in July 1996 and the Agreement for the Implementation of the provisions of UNCLOS relating to the conservation and management of straddling fish stocks and high migratory fish stocks or otherwise commonly known as the Fish Stock Agreement. The latter agreement came into force in December 2001 and to date it has 89 parties. Further to this, the UN Resolution 69/292 has called states to develop an international legally binding instrument under UNCLOS for marine biological diversity beyond national jurisdiction in 2015 which negotiations are continuing with the first Inter Government Conference (IGC) to take place this year.
  • The basic objective of the course is to promote the rule of law in the world’s oceans. Throughout the course, it aims to provide an educational forum for discussion of the principles of modern oceans law and policy, thereby fostering a broader common understanding of and adherence to the rule of law as out in UNCLOS as well as state practice and international law. It includes discussions on territorial sea, navigation and passage regime, shipping and environment, marine science, deep seabed regulations, continental shelf regime, submarine cables, sea floor mapping, oceans and climate change, maritime delimitation, baselines, outer limits, common heritage of mankind, biodiversity, EEZ fisheries, central Arctic Ocean fisheries, port state jurisdiction, regime of islands, sovereign state litigation, marine pollution, maritime safety, ISA regulations, ITLOS advisory opinions, warship immunity, international litigation and dispute settlement.
  • The intense three weeks course comprised of lectures, workshops and two examinations given by professors and academics on marine/maritime and judges from the International Law of the Sea Tribunal.