Oceans and the law of the sea
A/RES/72/73
8.
Urges all States to cooperate, directly or through competent international
bodies, in taking measures to protect and preserve objects of an archaeological and
historical nature found at sea, in conformity with the Convention, and calls up on
States to work together on such diverse challenges and opportunities as the
appropriate relationship between salvage law and scientific management and
conservation of underwater cultural heritage, increasing technological abilities to
discover and reach underwater sites, looting and growing underwater tourism;
9.
Acknowledges the recent deposit of instruments of ratification and
acceptance of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural
Heritage, 23 calls upon States that have not yet done so to consider becoming parties
to that Convention, and notes in particular the rules annexed to that Convention,
which address the relationship between salvage law and scientific principles of
management, conservation and protection of underwater cultural heritage among
Parties, their nationals and vessels flying their flag;
II
Capacity-building
10. Emphasizes that capacity-building is essential to ensure that States,
especially developing countries, in particular the least developed countries,
landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, as well as coastal
African States, are able to fully implement the Convention, benefit from the
sustainable development of the oceans and seas and participate fully in global and
regional forums on ocean affairs and the law of the sea;
11. Also emphasizes the need to address the particular challenges faced by
developing middle-income countries through capacity-building;
12. Recalls, in this regard, that, in “The future we want”, 8 States recognized
the importance of building the capacity of developing countries to be able to benefit
from the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and seas and their resources,
and in this regard emphasized the need for cooperation in marine scientific research
to implement the provisions of the Convention and the outcomes of the major summits
on sustainable development, as well as for the transfer of technology, taking into
account the Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology adopted by
the Assembly of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its twenty-second
session, in 2003;
13. Emphasizes the need for international cooperation for capacity-building,
including cross-sectoral cooperation, at national, regional and global levels, to
address, in particular, gaps in capacity-building in ocean affairs and the law of the
sea, including marine science;
14. Calls for capacity-building initiatives to take into account the needs of
developing countries, and calls upon States, international organizations and donor
agencies to make efforts to ensure the sustainability of such initiatives;
15. Calls upon donor agencies and international financial institutions to keep
their programmes systematically under review to ensure the availability in all States,
particularly in developing States, of the economic, legal, navigational, scientific and
technical skills necessary for the full implementation of the Convention and the
objectives of the present resolution, as well as the sustainable development of the
oceans and seas nationally, regionally and globally, and in so doing to bear in mind
the interests and needs of landlocked developing States;
__________________
23
17-21819
Ibid., vol. 2562, No. 45694.
9/55