Developing the law of the sea regime through institutions

The law of the sea is a broad area of international law that covers topics as varied as navigation, environmental protection, fishing, deep seabed mining and scientific research, among others. Today, it is generally accepted that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is a “constitution for the oceans,” providing “the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out.” The Convention covers almost all conceivable ocean activities. Yet the law of the sea has not stood still since the conclusion of the 1982 Convention. In some cases the Convention only provides a broad framework and states have had to develop detailed rules and standards to regulate a particular activity. In other cases the Convention regime has had to be adapted in order to take into account technological and scientific developments in relation to the oceans, as well as changes in the political values of the international community. Many of the developments in the law of the sea regime have taken place through international institutions.

It is the law-making activities of a variety of international institutions that has been the focus of this study. The purpose of this book has been to analyze which institutions have been involved in the ongoing development of the law of the sea and what role they have played.