A Quaker Lobby in the Public Interest

FCNL

Law Of the Sea Timeline

Relevant Events

	1958	The first conference of the United Nations Council on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) convenes.
	1960	The second U.N. Council on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS II) convenes.
	1982	The third and final conference concludes. UNCLOS III produces a number of treaty agreements and culminates in the adoption of a comprehensive treaty.
	1983	Ronald Reagan directs U.S. agencies to comply with all of the provisions in UNCLOS except for Provision XI, which concerns deep-sea mining.
	1993	The Administration actively participates in consultations on outstanding issues hindering universal accession to the treaty of UNCLOS
	1994	The United States signs the treaty. U.S. ratification, which requires a two-thirds Senate vote, then stalls
	2004	The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approves the U.N. Law of the Sea Convention by a unanimous vote of 15-0, however ratification is blocked in the Senate
	2007	The Foreign Relations Committee votes favorably (17-4) sending the treaty forward for a full Senate vote again. Although President Bush urges the Senate to ratify UNCLOS, a vote was not scheduled.
	2007	"Accession [to the Convention on the Law of the Sea] will promote U.S. interests in the environmental health of the oceans. It will secure U.S. sovereign rights over extensive marine areas, including the valuable natural resources they contain." - President Bush
	2009	The Administration announces that ratification of the UNCLOS will be a priority. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (MA) indicates that a strategy to ratify UNCLOS is being crafted
	2011	Secretary of State Hillary Clinton reaffirms U.S. interest in ratifying UNCLOS.

Back

© 2013 FCNL | 245 Second St, NE, Washington, DC 20002
202-547-6000 | Toll Free 800-630-1330