MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Commonwealth support for Maldives maritime boundaries

The Commonwealth Secretariat said this week it will work alongside the Government of Maldives to establish maritime boundaries that are consistent with international law

The Commonwealth Secretariat's Special Advisory Services Division is providing legal advice and assistance to the Maldives Government on its maritime boundaries and other issues relating to the law of the sea. Under international law, coastal and island states such as Maldives have certain rights and responsibilities with respect to the waters adjacent to their land territory. There are a number of different maritime zones, and in general, a state has greater rights over the maritime zones closer to its coasts. The main international agreement outlining these rights and responsibilities is the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This Convention is a multilateral treaty, which regulates all aspects of the use of ocean space including rights of navigation – both civil and naval – the exploitation of living and non-living marine resources, the protection of the marine environment and the conduct of marine scientific research. The Secretariat will work alongside the Government of Maldives to establish maritime boundaries that are consistent with international law, as set out in this 1982 Convention. Like many small island countries, the social and economic survival of Maldives depends largely on the use of marine resources, including living resources like fish and seafood and non-living resources such as oil and gas deposits and seabed mineral reserves. The establishment and settlement of maritime boundaries provides certainty and security that is required to support the sustainable use of living marine resources by coastal and island states. The Secretariat also supports other Commonwealth member countries such as Guyana, Kenya, Mozambique, Seychelles and Solomon Islands on maritime boundary issues.