Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma explains the maritime boundary programme to Her Majesty the Queen. Josh Brien (right) who leads the programme, prepares to present the programme to the Queen, the President of Rwanda and the Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago.
Commonwealth showcases maritime boundaries programme to Queen, leaders
16 March 2010
The Secretariat has helped 15 countries secure access to potentially lucrative additional areas of seabed
A unique programme that helps countries define their maritime boundaries and secure access to seabed resources - from oil, gas and mineral deposits, to living sedentary marine organisms - was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and several Commonwealth leaders during Commonwealth Day celebrations in London on 8 March 2010.
The Commonwealth Secretariat’s Maritime Boundaries Programe was presented to Rwandan President Paul Kagame, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Patrick Manning, as well as the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales, among many distinguished guests at Marlborough House, the headquarters of the Commonwealth.
What is a continental shelf?
The continental shelf of a coastal state comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin, or to a distance of 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured where the outer edge of the continental margin does not extend up to that distance. (Source: UN)
The Commonwealth is the only international organisation in the world today that provides funded legal and technical assistance to Governments concerning the delimitation of maritime boundaries.
The programme covers two main areas of assistance, focusing upon the establishment of maritime boundaries by member countries in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982, and also the preparation of extended continental shelf submissions to the United Nations.
The Commonwealth is presently providing maritime boundaries assistance to some 15 countries, with a particular focus on some of its smallest and most vulnerable. The programme has become one of the Secretariat's major success stories, particularly in view of the results achieved throughout 2009 and 2010.
“During this time, we have assisted many of our member countries to lodge claims with the United Nations to secure rights to extended areas of continental shelf totalling approximately 2 million square kilometres,” said Joshua Brien, a legal adviser at the Secretariat who leads the Programe.
The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is a multilateral convention that sets out a framework of rules and principles to govern the management of all ocean space. It has been ratified by 157 countries, including 47 Commonwealth member states. Under UNCLOS, a coastal state seeking to claim extended areas of continental shelf beyond the traditional 200 nautical miles limit must make a submission to the Commission.
Many congratulations on the excellent community with the commonwealth, is the best in the world from my point of view, plus they have the best head of government of Queen Elizabeth II. Greetings from Colombia...
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