Some Reflections on the Operation of the Dispute Settlement System of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea During its First Decade

2006 ◽  
pp. 388-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Churchill
Author(s):  
Kittichaisaree Kriangsak

This chapter discusses the dispute settlement system under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The dispute settlement system under UNCLOS was drafted with the main purpose of achieving the uniform and effective interpretation and application of UNCLOS, as the compromises it embodied would otherwise be vulnerable to unilateral interpretation. UNCLOS sets up two international organizations: the International Seabed Authority (Authority) and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). The Authority is the organization through which States Parties to UNCLOS organize and control activities in the seabed and ocean floor and subsoil thereof, beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (the Area), particularly with a view to administering the resources of the Area. ITLOS, the dispute settlement mechanism specifically created by UNCLOS, allows urgent issues to be tackled swiftly through seeking provisional measures of protection from a court or tribunal as well as a functional approach. The chapter then considers ITLOS's place within the dispute settlement regime under UNCLOS; entities with access to ITLOS; other international agreements besides UNCLOS that confer jurisdiction on ITLOS; ITLOS's relationship and interaction with the other principal choices of dispute settlement mechanisms; and the pros and cons of using ITLOS instead of other forums.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 367-393
Author(s):  
Yoshifumi Tanaka

Abstract The jurisdiction ratione materiae of an international court or tribunal in a particular dispute settlement system relies on a sensitive balance between the safeguard of the consensual basis of jurisdiction and the need for the effective settlement of international disputes. Thus, the scope of the jurisdiction ratione materiae of an international court or tribunal constitutes a crucial issue in international adjudication. This issue was vividly raised in the 2020 Enrica Lexie Incident arbitration between Italy and India. In this case, the arbitral tribunal constituted in accordance with Annex VII to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea held that it had jurisdiction to decide the issue of immunity that necessarily arose as an incidental question in the application of the Convention. However, the validity of the Tribunal’s approach needs careful consideration. Therefore, this article critically examines the Arbitral Tribunal’s approach in the Enrica Lexie Incident arbitral award.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 519-547
Author(s):  
Eirini-Erasmia Fasia

Abstract The article argues that the Law of the Sea Convention’s (LOSC) dispute settlement system (DSS) is attuned only to certain types of disputes (bilateral) and does not allow for the effective enforcement of obligations erga omnes reflected in the Convention. Mechanisms established to address enforcement of communitarian norms specifically are scarce in international law and the traditional bilateral structure of adjudicatory dispute settlement circumscribes the ability of states to act as advocates of the international community to which obligations erga omnes are owed. The article identifies the obligations erga omnes reflected in the LOSC and assesses the extent to which its dispute settlement framework is suited to address their breach. It is submitted that some of the community interest obligations of the LOSC are “left behind” by the function of the system itself.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas GUILFOYLE

AbstractThe conventional wisdom has been that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS] Part XV dispute settlement system is narrowly restricted and this reflects the drafters’ intent. Thus, tribunals should cautiously interpret Part XV, giving broad effect to its jurisdictional limitations. The unanimous award inSouth China Seadeals this approach a blow. Indeed, it assumes a fundamentally different orientation to interpreting UNCLOS: one which implicitly takes the foremost principle of Part XV as being its compulsory and comprehensive character. This approach is rooted in a very different understanding of UNCLOS as a “package deal” and the consensus it reflects. Indeed, I argue that any interpretation of ambiguous provisions of UNLCOS is necessarily coloured by one’s view of the struggles involved in its negotiation. Further evidence of this difference of approach inSouth China Seais found, in particular, in its treatment of the regime of islands.


Teisė ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 80 ◽  
pp. 95-106
Author(s):  
Justinas Linkevičius

Straipsnyje analizuojamos pagrindinės Tarptautinio jūrų teisės tribunolo privalomosios jurisdikcijos taikymo problemos, daugiausiai dėmesio skiriant 1982 m. Jungtinių Tautų jūrų teisės konvencijos privalomo ginčų sprendimo mechanizmo nuostatoms bei valstybių praktikai pasirenkant tribunolo jurisdikciją, taip pat vertinamas Tribunolo jurisdikcijos dėl šios konvencijos aiškinimo ar taikymo ir Tarptautinio Teisingumo Teismo jurisdikcijos pagal jo statuto 36 straipsnio 2 dalį santykis.This article analyses general problems of compulsory jurisdiction of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea putting the main focus on compulsory dispute settlement system provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and discussing states’ practice of choosing the tribunal as the compulsory means for the settlement of disputes. It also approaches the question of relation between jurisdiction of the Tribunal and compulsory jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice based on article 36, paragraph 2, of its Statute.


2017 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 332-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natalie Klein

The South China Sea Arbitration raises important questions about the potential operation of the dispute settlement system enshrined in Part xv of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (losc). This article explores the scope and different limitations that we are seeing in the interpretation of the losc dispute settlement regime with a particular focus on the South China Sea Arbitration. This examination questions the contours of the losc Part xv dispute settlement regime and its utility in resolving disputes relating to the South China Sea.


2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Ngoc NGUYEN

AbstractAsia is currently the scene of some of the most high-profile maritime disputes in the world. Even though the majority of states in Asia are parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS], its dispute settlement system has only been utilized in a handful of cases. Given that negotiations have brought about limited results in easing many of the tensions, it is worth asking whether the UNCLOS dispute settlement system can play a role in the resolution of maritime disputes in Asia. This paper, based on a review of the disputes before UNCLOS Tribunals, as well the advantages and limitations of the system, argues that the UNCLOS dispute settlement system can make meaningful contributions to resolving thorny disputes between Asian states. It does so by providing a solution to the disputes brought before them, clarifying the legal framework for the conduct of the parties and facilitating co-operation amongst countries in the region.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document