United Nations
General Assembly
A/RES/57/141
Distr.: General
21 February 2003
Fifty-seventh session
Agenda item 25 (a)
Resolution adopted by the General Assembly
[without reference to a Main Committee (A/57/L.48/Rev.1 and Add.1)]
57/141. Oceans and the law of the sea
The General Assembly,
Recalling its resolutions 49/28 of 6 December 1994, 52/26 of 26 November
1997, 54/33 of 24 November 1999, 55/7 of 30 October 2000, 56/12 of 28 November
2001 and other relevant resolutions adopted subsequent to the entry into force of the
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (“the Convention”) 1 on
16 November 1994,
Emphasizing the universal and unified character of the Convention and its
fundamental importance for the maintenance and strengthening of international
peace and security, as well as for the sustainable development of the oceans and
seas,
Reaffirming that the Convention sets out the legal framework within which all
activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out and is of strategic importance as
the basis for national, regional and global action and cooperation in the marine
sector, and that its integrity needs to be maintained, as recognized also by the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development in chapter 17 of Agenda 21, 2
Conscious that the problems of ocean space are closely interrelated and need
to be considered as a whole through an integrated, interdisciplinary and intersectoral
approach,
Convinced of the need, building on arrangements established in accordance
with the Convention, to improve coordination at the national level and cooperation
and coordination at both intergovernmental and inter-agency levels, in order to
address all aspects of oceans and seas in an integrated manner,
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1
See The Law of the Sea: Official Texts of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of
10 December 1982 and of the Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea of 10 December 1982 with Index and Excerpts from the Final Act of the
Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.97.V.10).
2
Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3–14 June
1992 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigenda), vol. I: Resolutions adopted by the
Conference, resolution 1, annex II.
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