Jurisdiction

Guide to Proceedings

The Guide to Proceedings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea intends to provide practical information as to the manner in which cases are instituted and conducted before the Tribunal. It gives a brief presentation of the Tribunal and sets out the principal features of contentious proceedings on the merits, incidental proceedings, prompt release applications, requests for the prescription of provisional measures and advisory proceedings. Examples of pleadings and model forms are annexed to the guide. An Addendum on contentious cases before the Seabed Disputes Chamber is available here.

The English and French text of the Guide has recently been updated, including the addition of a chapter dedicated to contentious proceedings before the Seabed Disputes Chamber. The Guide is available in the official languages of the Tribunal, English and French. Previous versions of the Guide are also available in Arabic, Chinese, Russian and Spanish. The Guide is issued by the Registry for information purposes and is available on the website. Hard copies may be obtained from the Press Office of the Tribunal.