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The Implementation of UNCLOS: Supporting Maritime Governance in the Indian Ocean (Part II)

Sri Lanka is a country positioned in the centre of the Indian Ocean with great ambitions to be a pioneer of good governance and guarantor of international cooperation in its surrounding waters. To this end, the Government of Sri Lanka has set an important agenda to advance further dialogue in the Indian Ocean region. The dialogue aims to foster regional cooperation and development through improved implementation of international and regional obligations in the area of law of the sea.

There is significant regional interest to foster a dialogue on maritime governance, as demonstrated by the highly successful Track 1.5 Conference entitled ‘The Indian Ocean: Defining Our Future’, which was hosted by Sri Lanka in 2018 and attended by officials from over 40 countries. Sri Lanka intends to spearhead this dialogue with a high-level conference in 2019 with the aim of advancing regional cooperation in accordance with the legal framework established by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Building on its previous engagement in Sri Lanka, the Foundation will continue to support Sri Lanka with these endeavours through technical legal expertise. This includes Expert Consultations with the Foundation’s Managing Director, Professor Rüdiger Wolfrum, former Judge and President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The Foundation will also provide additional support through substantive research on the law of the sea, as well as an in-depth study reviewing the domestic legislation of Indian Ocean rim States in Asia and Africa with respect to the implementation of the international legal framework of the law of the sea.

This project aims to provide expert advice to support Sri Lankan stakeholders responsible for maintaining Sri Lanka’s maritime governance initiative in compliance with the current international legal framework.