Pursuant to a decision by the General Assembly, the twenty-first meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea, to take place from 14 to 18 June 2021, will focus its deliberations on the topic “Sea-level Rise and its Impacts”.

Sea-level rise as a result of climate change is one of the critical issues of our time, and the study of its multiple – current and potential – impacts is one of the most pressing matters mobilizing the attention of the international community. In addition to taking center stage at this year’s meeting of the Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea, the impacts of sea-level rise – in particular, the legal aspects – have been included in the Programme of Work of the International Law Commission since 2019, which has decided to establish a Study Group on the topic “Sea-level rise in relation to international law”.

Besides providing an opportunity for ILC members to engage with Member States on the work carried out by the Commission, the event will promote a discussion on the most recent developments with regards to the Study Group’s preliminary analysis of the subtopic law of the sea, including with a view to supporting and informing the debate in the context of the ICP. It will also offer an opportunity for a reflection on the work to be carried out next year on the subtopics statehood and protection of persons affected by sea-level rise.