President Hoffmann's Statement to the 30th Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
On 12 November 2020, the statement of Judge Albert Hoffmann, President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, was submitted to the 30th Meeting of States Parties to the Convention.
Dispute concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives)
The public hearing in the case concluded on 19 October 2020. At the close of the oral proceedings, the Parties presented their final submissions as follows:
Final submissions of the Republic of Maldives
Final submissions of the Republic of Mauritius
The Special Chamber will now deliberate on the case.
Reconstitution of the chambers of the Tribunal
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea reconstituted its chambers today during its fiftieth administrative session, which is currently being held in Hamburg.
Judge Hoffmann Elected as President of the Tribunal and Judge Heidar as Vice-President
Judge Hoffmann (South Africa) was today elected by the members of the Tribunal as President and Judge Heidar (Iceland) as Vice-President for the period 2020-2023. The election took place during the fiftieth administrative session of the Tribunal, which is taking place in a hybrid format, with fifteen judges present in the courtroom and six attending remotely via videolink. The election was held using a secure electronic voting system.
Swearing-in ceremony for five new members of the Tribunal
At a public ceremony held this afternoon, Ms María Teresa Infante Caffi (Chile), Mr Jielong Duan (China), Ms Kathy-Ann Brown (Jamaica), Ms Ida Caracciolo (Italy), and Mr Maurice Kamga (Cameroon) were sworn in as members of the Tribunal. The five judges were elected at the thirtieth Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to serve a term of nine years, commencing on 1 October 2020.
Tribunal amends rules to provide for hearings and meetings by video link
On 25 September 2020, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea amended its Rules in order to provide that the Tribunal may decide, as an exceptional measure, for public health, security or other compelling reasons, to hold hearings and meetings entirely or in part by video link.
Election of Seven Members of the Tribunal
Seven Members of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea have been elected this week by the Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The election took place from 24 to 26 August 2020, during the first in-person meeting held in the General Assembly Hall at United Nations Headquarters in New York since the lockdown in March 2020.
Stepping forward despite the pandemic
While the COVID-19 pandemic clearly poses a challenge to the Tribunal’s work, steps are being taken to ensure that the upcoming administrative session of the Tribunal at the end of September, the swearing-in of the newly-elected Judges and the hearing in the Dispute concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Mauritius and Maldives in the Indian Ocean (Mauritius/Maldives) in October will take place as planned.
These events and public sittings will be held in a hybrid format, in which some participants, whether Judges or representatives of the Parties, will take part in person and others remotely. Public access to the hearing, a fundamental feature of proceedings before standing international courts and tribunals, will be assured by livestream on the Tribunal’s website.
The Tribunal is determined to meet the challenge presented by the pandemic and to adapt in order to fulfil its mandate, dealing expeditiously with the cases currently pending before it as well as any new cases that may be submitted.
ITLOS and Singapore sign Model Agreement to enable the Tribunal to sit in Singapore
11 June 2020
In a virtual ceremony held today, Judge Paik, President of the Tribunal, and Singapore’s Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, Mr K. Shanmugam SC, signed letters on behalf of the Tribunal and Singapore for the adoption of a Model Agreement establishing the terms and conditions under which the Government of Singapore agrees to provide the appropriate facilities for the Tribunal or one of its chambers to sit or otherwise exercise its functions in Singapore.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to the premises of the Tribunal are restricted until further notice.
The Swiss Confederation and the Federal Republic of Nigeria transmit their dispute concerning the M/T “San Padre Pio” to the Tribunal
17 December 2019
The Swiss Confederation and the Federal Republic of Nigeria transmitted a special agreement and notification to the Tribunal today to submit to the Tribunal their dispute concerning the arrest and detention of the M/T “San Padre Pio”, its crew and cargo.
Capacity Building
>> ITLOS-Nippon Programme
In cooperation with the Nippon Foundation, the Tribunal runs an annual capacity-building and training programme on dispute settlement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The full-time programme, which runs for nine months and begins in July each year, takes place at the seat of the Tribunal in Hamburg, Germany.
The programme is aimed at junior to mid-level government officials and researchers currently working on issues related to the law of the sea or dispute settlement. It provides participants with a unique opportunity to develop their legal skills and deepen their practical knowledge of dispute settlement in the law of the sea under UNCLOS.
>> Internship Programme
Approximately twenty internships are available each year for students of law, international relations, public relations, political science, library science and translation. The programme is designed to give participants the opportunity to gain an understanding of the work and functions of the Tribunal and to enable the Tribunal and its members to benefit from the assistance of persons with relevant knowledge and skills in areas within the scope of activities of the Tribunal.
The next available internships are from April to June 2021.
Application deadline: 31 December 2020.
