UNCLOS Compulsory Conciliation: The Timor-Leste v. Australia Maritime Boundary Dispute

Introduction

On 11 April 2016, Timor-Leste initiated the first compulsory non-binding conciliation proceedings under Article 298 and Annex V of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) against Australia over the dispute concerning “the interpretation and application of Articles 74 and 83 of UNCLOS for the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf between Timor-Leste and Australia including the establishment of the permanent maritime boundaries between the two States”.

On 19 September 2016, the Conciliation Commission issued its unanimous Decision on Competence, holding that it was competent to continue with the conciliation process.

The Conciliation Commission has held a series of meetings with Timor-Leste and Australia in Singapore. The Commission will issue its report by 19 September 2017.

The focus of the 18th Session of the CIL Fireside Chat Series was to review the conciliation proceedings as provided for in UNCLOS, examine the Decision on Competence of the Conciliation Commission and discuss the implications of the Timor-Leste v. Australia case for the use of future UNCLOS conciliation process.

Note: Chatham House Rule apply for the CIL Fireside Chat Series.

Hosts

Professor S Jayakumar
Professor Tommy Koh

Panellists

Professor Robert Beckman
Dr Hao Duy Phan

Presentations

Presentation by Prof Robert Beckman
Presentation by Dr Hao Duy Phan