Vietnam expects UNCLOS Friends Group's greater contributions to global efforts

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, permanent representative of Vietnam to the UN, made the statement at a ceremony held on June 14 to mark 40 years since the adoption of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), with roughly 100 member states of the Group of Friends on the UNCLOS in attendance.

The event, which was organised at the headquarters of the nation’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, coincided with the group’s first anniversary on June 30 and the 32nd meeting of states parties to UNCLOS (SPLOS 32).
As part of his welcome speech and on behalf of the group’s 12 founding members, Ambassador  Giang said that despite facing difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the group have still been able to maintain regular activities in flexible formats.

He went on to thank all 115 member states for consistently supporting and actively taking part in common activities, affirming that this level of participation highlights their commitment to the group’s goal of upholding UNCLOS and international law.
Miguel Soares, under-secretary-general of the UN for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel, affirmed that UNCLOS is a comprehensive document which regulates all activities relating to seas and oceans and is a framework for international, regional, and national co-operation in maritime issues.

Soares welcomed the group’s activities and expressed his hope that it will continue to play an important role at forums on maritime issues and help with ocean governance, the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 on conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas, and marine resources. This is in addition to the maintenance of legal order for seas and oceans, as well as the peaceful settlement of disputes.

In response, Vanessa Frazier, president of SPLOS 32, held that issues relevant to seas and oceans are capturing greater attention from the wider international community.

Frazier said she hopes that with a large number of members from various regions, the group will create an open and friendly forum in which countries can discuss both maritime issues and other issues of common concern, thereby contributing to the full implementation of UNCLOS and SPLOS’s activities.

The group strives for an informal and flexible form of co-ordination aiming to enhance co-operation among countries sharing common concerns about a particular issue to promote common goals.

The 115-strong UNCLOS Group of Friends was first initiated by Vietnam, which lobbied for its establishment, together with Germany. It then joined the team of 12 core members, namely Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Jamaica, Kenya, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Senegal, and South Africa.