10 Jun 2013
Mr President,
1 Thank you for convening this meeting. I also thank the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for his report of the ISA’s activities.
2 Last year, the General Assembly commemorated the 30th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The Convention is a solid testament to what the UN membership can achieve collectively. It is the comprehensive and authoritative maritime legal framework that has served the international community well by maintaining the peace and stability of our oceans and seas. It is important that the integrity of the Convention is preserved. We continue to encourage member states which have not acceded to the Convention to do so.
3 My delegation would like to thank the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for its report. We note that the Tribunal had dealt with four cases in 2012, including the Tribunal’s first judgment pertaining to maritime boundary delimitation between Bangladesh and Myanmar, where it had settled a complex dispute between the two countries. The judgments had also contributed to the jurisprudence on the Law of the Sea.
4 We would also like to thank the chair of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for his letter. The letter contains a factual narrative of how the Commission had organised the work and the various submissions which had been reviewed. We would, however, appreciate more information on the substance of the work of the Commission. This is of interest to all States Parties because of Articles 82 and 134 of the Convention. Article 82 requires coastal states to make payments or contributions in kind in respect of the exploitation of the non-living resources of the Continental Shelf beyond 200 nautical miles. Under Article 134, whatever lies beyond the limits of the continental shelf is part of “The Area” under Part XI of the Convention, which is the common heritage of mankind. We also hope that in future elections of the members of the Commission, we would bear in mind the need to have representatives of broad shelf states as well as of landlocked and geographically-disadvantaged states.
5 We would like to thank the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority for his information. UNCLOS and its 1994 Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI established the ISA and its governing policies. The ISA regulates activities, as well as administers resources, in the ‘Area’. Singapore commends the work that the ISA has done in building a deep seabed mining regime. The ISA has so far adopted three sets of regulations, rules and procedures for prospecting and exploration in the Area, which are practical and fair.
6 More importantly, UNCLOS and the ISA recognize the principle of common heritage of mankind. They provide a level playing field for all countries, whether coastal or landlocked, and take into particular consideration the interests and needs of developing states. The equitable sharing of financial and other economic benefits derived from activities in the Area under the ISA is a significant principle.
7 Singapore is a geographically-disadvantaged developing country with no natural resources. We thus appreciate the work of the ISA in giving developing countries the opportunity to participate in activities in the Area. With the ISA regulations in place, Singapore has decided to sponsor the application by one of our well-established companies for deep-sea exploration.
Mr President,
8 There has been a steady increase in opportunities for and renewed interest in deep-sea resource exploration and exploitation. This is partly due to technological breakthroughs. In its note ISBA/19/C/5, the ISA has identified four additional factors: a dramatic increase in the demand for metal; an equally dramatic rise in metal prices; the high profitability of mining sector companies; and a decline in the tonnage and grade of land-based nickel, copper and cobalt sulphide deposits.
9 In this context, Singapore appreciates the on-going work of the ISA to prepare an exploitation code for polymetallic nodules in the Area. Given that Singapore had played an active role in the negotiation and drafting of the Convention, we would be pleased to play our part and contribute in the crafting of these important regulations.
10 We further commend the ISA’s efforts in implementing their responsibilities on marine protection and marine scientific research. My delegation is happy to see the adoption of the environmental management plan for the Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone, which identifies, on a provisional basis, areas of particular environmental interest, giving effect to the precautionary principle. In addition, the ISA can play an important part in the on-going discussions on marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, given the unique scientific data and information on environment baselines and monitoring programmes which it has accumulated.
Mr President,
11 Singapore is a small island nation located at the junction of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, and the South China Sea. Trade is our lifeline. As such, Singapore is committed to the full and complete implementation of UNCLOS. We thus follow the work of the various bodies which were created by UNCLOS closely, including the ISA. In this regard, we look forward to attending the 19th Session of the ISA in Kingston in July and contributing to its proceedings. Thank you.
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