Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you, Mr President.
We would like to begin by thanking the Secretary-General for the helpful annual report, and expressing our appreciation for the ongoing efforts of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea.
New Zealand is a strong supporter of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as the “constitution for the oceans”. This year we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the entry into force of UNCLOS. Its negotiation was a monumental achievement and a shining light for multilateralism. While UNCLOS may still be young in relative terms, it is difficult to imagine a world without it. It protects and empowers us, it preserves a balance of rights and responsibilities, and it provides the legal framework under which all activities in the ocean and seas must be carried out.
New Zealand is a maritime state, in a maritime region. The effective protection of the marine environment, and the sustainable use of its resources, is vitally important to New Zealand and to our Pacific neighbours. We recognise the need to amplify action to improve oceans management that mutually reinforces other processes and the foundational nature of UNCLOS. To this end, New Zealand acknowledges the importance of the new Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction entering into force as soon as practicable. As a signatory to the Agreement, we recognise the efforts to improve the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the high seas.
New Zealand also welcomes the recent advisory opinion issued by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on states parties’ climate change obligations under UNCLOS. We acknowledge the leadership demonstrated by the group of small island states that requested this advisory opinion.
Mr President,
New Zealand is committed to ensuring the preservation of maritime zones in the face of climate-change related sea level rise. The approach of the Pacific region to this issue is recorded in the 2021 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Declaration on Preserving Maritime Zones in the Face of Climate Change-Related Sea-Level Rise. The Declaration emphasises the primacy of UNCLOS as the constitution for the ocean and sets out our collective position that maritime zones established in accordance with UNCLOS shall continue to apply, notwithstanding any physical change connected to climate change-related sea-level rise.
We are grateful for the wide and growing support that the Declaration has received, and we remain committed to working with the international community to take this important work forward.
We further welcome the heightened attention from the international community on the threats posed by sea-level rise, as demonstrated by the United Nations General Assembly’s agreement, by consensus, to hold a high-level plenary meeting on this issue at the end of the year. New Zealand continues to progress preparatory work ahead of the meeting, alongside our co-facilitator Costa Rica, our Pacific partners, and the wider international community.
Mr President,
New Zealand acknowledges the progress made at the 2023 UN Fish Stocks Agreement Resumed Review Conference. Recognising that the Fish Stocks Agreement underpins the management of shared international fisheries, the Review Conference continues to be a vital forum to shape the practices and future direction of both States and Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, or “RFMOs”, in sustainable fisheries management and the long-term conservation and management of fish stocks. In this vein, we continue to call on all UN Members to implement the Review Conference recommendations, domestically and through RFMOs.
Mr President,
New Zealand supports the ongoing work of the International Seabed Authority to develop a regulatory framework to govern seabed mining in the Area. Along with other states, New Zealand continues to seek a robust regulatory framework that ensures the effective protection and preservation of the marine environment, and we consider that mining should only be able to take place in the Area once such a framework is in place.
Finally, New Zealand wishes to express its continued support for the important work being undertaken by the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The Commission is a critical institution facilitating the implementation of UNCLOS. As a supporter of the Commission’s Trust Fund, New Zealand is pleased to announce it is making a further contribution to the Fund. It is our hope that supporting the participation of Small Island Developing States in the meetings of the Commission will in turn help facilitate the work of the Commission.
Thank you, Mr President.