Commission on Limits of Continental Shelf Concludes Sixty-Sixth Session

NEW YORK, 16 March (Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea) - The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf held its sixty-sixth session from 9 February to 13 March at United Nations Headquarters. The plenary parts of the session were held from 9 to 13 February and from 2 to 6 March. The remainder of the session was devoted to the technical examination of submissions at the premises of the Division, including geographic information systems laboratories and other facilities.

During the first plenary part of the session, the Director of Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea addressed the Commission. He provided updates regarding the planned renovations to the building where the Commission conducts its work and noted that the Division was monitoring the progress of the renovation project and would continue to keep the Commission informed. The Director also addressed the impacts of both General Assembly decisions in respect of the 2026 budget and the ongoing liquidity crisis, reiterating the commitment of the Division to deliver high-quality support to the Commission within available means.

The submissions of the following coastal States were considered by the Commission and its subcommissions: Yemen in respect of south-east of Socotra Island; Mauritius in respect of the region of Rodrigues Island; Palau in respect of the North Area; Portugal; Spain in respect of the area of Galicia; Namibia; Mozambique; Mexico in respect of the eastern polygon in the Gulf of Mexico; United Republic of Tanzania; and Denmark in respect of the Southern Continental Shelf of Greenland; as well as revised submissions made by Brazil in respect of the Brazilian Oriental and Meridional Margin; and the Russian Federation in the area of the Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic Ocean.

The Commission heard presentations on the Submission made jointly by Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu in respect of the North Fiji basin region and the Submission made jointly by Fiji and Solomon Islands in respect of the Melanesian Borderlands Plateau region; and also heard a presentation by Fiji on the amendment to its Submission.

Underscoring the importance that submitting States attach to the work of the Commission, delegations were represented at the high level: the delegation of Palau was headed by the Minister of State (Foreign Affairs), Gustav N. Aitaro, and the delegation of the Russian Federation was headed by the Minister for Natural Resources and Environment, Alexander Kozlov.

In view of the progress in its work, the Commission decided to establish a subcommission to consider the amended Submission made by Yemen in respect of south-east of Socotra Island.

Further details on the sixty-sixth session will be available in the Statement of the Chairperson of the Commission (document CLCS/66/2).

The background press release on this session is available at https://press.un.org/en/2026/sea2248.doc.htm.

Background

Established pursuant to article 2 of annex II to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Commission makes recommendations to coastal States on matters related to the establishment of the outer limits of their continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured, based on information submitted by those coastal States. The recommendations are based on the scientific data and other material provided by coastal States in relation to the implementation of article 76 of the Convention and do not prejudice matters relating to the delimitation of boundaries between States with opposite or adjacent coasts or prejudice the position of States that are parties to a land or maritime dispute, or application of other parts of the Convention or any other treaties. The limits of the continental shelf established by a coastal State on the basis of the recommendations are final and binding. In the case of disagreement by a coastal State with the recommendations of the Commission, the coastal State shall, within a reasonable time, make a revised or new submission to the Commission.

Under rule 23 of its rules of procedure (Public and private meetings), the meetings of the Commission, its subcommissions and subsidiary bodies are held in private, unless the Commission decides otherwise.

As required under the rules of procedure of the Commission, the executive summaries of all the submissions, including all charts and coordinates, have been made public by the Secretary-General through continental shelf notifications circulated to Member States of the United Nations, as well as States Parties to the Convention. The executive summaries are available on the Division's website at: www.un.org/depts/los/clcs_new/clcs_home.htm. The summaries of recommendations adopted by the Commission are also available on the above-referenced website.

The Commission is a body of 21 experts in the field of geology, geophysics or hydrography serving in their personal capacities. Members of the Commission are elected for a term of five years by the Meeting of States Parties to the Convention having due regard to the need to ensure equitable geographical representation. Not fewer than three members shall be elected from each geographical region.

Currently, one seat on the Commission is vacant resulting from a lack of nominations from the Group of Eastern European States.

The Convention provides that the State Party which submitted the nomination of a member of the Commission shall defray the expenses of that member while in performance of Commission duties. A voluntary trust fund for the purpose of defraying the cost of participation of the members of the Commission from developing countries has been established. It has facilitated the participation of several members of the Commission from developing countries in the sessions of the Commission.

The convening by the Secretary-General of the sessions of the Commission, with full conference services, including documentation, for the plenary parts of these sessions, is subject to approval by the General Assembly of the United Nations. The Assembly does so in its annual resolutions on oceans and the law of the sea, which also address other matters relevant to the work of the Commission and the conditions of service of its members.

For additional information on the work of the Commission see the website of the Division at: www.un.org/depts/los/index.htm. In particular, the most recent Statements by the Chair on the progress in the work of the Commission are available at: www.un.org/depts/los/clcs_new/commission_documents.