A/RES/52/26 Page 5 (i) Strengthening training activities in ocean and coastal area management and development; 12. Reaffirms the importance of ensuring the uniform and consistent application of the Convention and a coordinated approach to its overall implementation, and of strengthening technical cooperation and financial assistance for this purpose, stresses once again the continuing importance of the efforts of the SecretaryGeneral to these ends, and reiterates its invitation to the competent international organizations and other international bodies to support these objectives; 13. Invites Member States and others in a position to do so to contribute to the further development of the Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe Memorial Fellowship Programme on the Law of the Sea and of the training and educational activities on the law of the sea and ocean affairs established by the General Assembly in resolution 35/116 of 10 December 1980, as well as advisory services and assistance in support of effective implementation of the Convention; 14. Calls upon States to implement its resolution 51/189 of 16 December 1996 and to strengthen the implementation of existing international and regional agreements on marine pollution; 15. Also calls upon States to take actions, individually or collectively and through their participation in competent global, regional, and subregional forums, to improve the quality and quantity of scientific data as a basis for effective decisions related to protection of the marine environment and the conservation of living marine resources; 16. Notes that it proclaimed the year 1998 as the International Year of the Ocean; 17. Reaffirms its decision to undertake an annual review and evaluation of the implementation of the Convention and other developments relating to ocean affairs and the law of the sea; 18. Requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its fifty-third session on the implementation of the present resolution, including other developments and issues relating to ocean affairs and the law of the sea, in connection with his annual comprehensive report on oceans and the law of the sea, and to circulate the report sufficiently in advance of consideration by the General Assembly of the item concerning oceans and the law of the sea; 19. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-third session the item entitled "Oceans and the law of the sea". 57th plenary meeting 26 November 1997