Straits Used for International Navigation and Archipelagic Sea Lane Passage

Introduction

Satya Nandan-20Mar2015
The regimes for unimpeded passage through straits used for international navigation and archipelagic sea lane passage were important components of the overall ‘package’ of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Acceptance of these components made it possible for the Conference to reach agreement on 12 nautical miles as the maximum breadth of the territorial sea and on the provisions concerning the exclusive economic zone.

Ambassador Nandan played a key role in drafting the provisions of both regimes. He (along with the UK) convened a private group to prepare draft articles on passage through straits used for international navigation. The provisions on straits in the Convention were based on the proposal put forward by this private group. He was also a key player (along with Indonesia) in establishing the archipelagic waters regime, where he managed to balance the interests of the archipelagic States with those of the maritime powers.

In the second of his public talks, Ambassador Nandan shared his experiences in achieving the critical compromise that led to the acceptance of both regimes.

About the Speaker

Ambassador Satya N. Nandan has had an illustrious career in the international arena, which spans several decades. He has represented Fiji before the United Nations, as Ambassador to several European States, and has led several intergovernmental organisations.

Ambassador Satya Nandan was an active participant in the negotiations for the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He has served as the UN Under-Secretary-General for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea and Special Representative of the UN SecretaryGeneral for the same (1983 – 1992).

In 1990, he initiated the informal negotiations on Part XI of UNCLOS, convened by the Secretary-General of the UN. These negotiations led to the 1994 Agreement relating to the implementation on Part XI of UNCLOS. He then served as the Secretary-General of the the International Seabed Authority from 1996 – 2008.

Ambassador Nandan, as Chairman of the Conference, played a key role in the negotiations of the 1995 Fish Stocks Agreement. He also served as Chairman of the Conference on the Conservation and Management of Highly Migratory Fish Stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (the Multilateral High-Level Conference). Thereafter, he chaired the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission for two years.

He is currently a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for Oceans Law and Policy (COLP), University of Virginia School of Law.