Frequently Asked Questions

Categories

• The Law of the Sea Convention
• The US Ratification Process
• What does the Convention do for the United States?
• Who Supports Ratification?

Recent FAQs

Question

• What is the Law of the Sea Convention?
• Who supports US accession to the Law of the Sea Convention?

Answer

What is the Law of the Sea Convention?

The Law of the Sea Convention in general refers both to the 1982 UN COnvention on the Law of the Sea and the 1994 Agreement on Implementation that instituted changes in the operation of the provisions of the Convention dealing with the mineral resources of the deep seabed and their exploitation.

Who supports US accession to the Law of the Sea Convention?

Almost everyone:

• The White House supports the Convention
• The Navy, the Coast Guard, the Dept. of Defense, the State Department and the National Security Advisor support the Convention
• Leading Republican senators support the Convention, including Richard Lugar, John Warner, Ted Stevens and John McCain
• Business groups support the Convention, including the National Ocean Industries Association, the American Petroleum Institute, the International Association of Drilling Contractors and the National Marine Manufacturers Association
• Environmental organizations that support the Convention include the World Wildlife Fund, the Oceans Conservancy, Natural Resources Defense Council, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, the National Environmental Trusts and the Nature Conservancy
• Religious and spiritual groups supporting the Convention include the United Methodists, the Quakers and the Unitarian Universalists