Commonwealth to assist St Kitts and Nevis in maritime boundary negotiations

The Commonwealth Secretariat has begun providing legal and technical advice to the Government of St Kitts and Nevis, as it prepares to embark upon maritime boundary negotiations with neighbouring countries in the Caribbean.

The establishment of agreed maritime boundaries has implications for the management of ocean resources such as fisheries and seabed resources, and for the conduct of law enforcement activity to combat piracy and drug smuggling.

“The Caribbean is riddled with unresolved maritime claims, which has impeded coordinated and effective ocean management in the region,” said Joshua Brien, a Legal Adviser who leads the Maritime Boundary Programme at the Commonwealth Secretariat.

He added: “The settlement of maritime boundaries between St Kitts and Nevis and neighbouring countries will be crucial to the continued sustainable development of this small island nation.”

The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis is determined to settle its maritime boundaries as soon as possible, so as to provide a secure basis for the management of marine and ocean resources.

The establishment of maritime boundaries is a matter governed by international law, and in particular, the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Convention is a multilateral treaty that establishes a framework of rules and principles to govern all ocean space. The Convention has been ratified by more than 157 countries, including some 47 Commonwealth member countries.

The Convention provides that where rights to ocean space (the water column and the seabed) of coastal states overlap, the countries concerned should seek to delimit maritime boundaries by agreement on the basis of international law in order to achieve an equitable result.

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