SPC Geoscience Division

Home

SPC Focusses on 7 PICs to Strengthen Maritime Boundaries in the Region

Thursday, 14 September 2017 10:14 Zarin Khan
E-mail Print PDF

SPC focuses on 7 PICs to strengthen Maritime Boundaries

21 Aug 2017 | Suva

The Pacific Community (SPC) aims to focus on 7 Pacific Island Countries (PICs), who have yet to negotiate their portions of the maritime boundaries, over the next five years.

Currently, SPC provides technical advice and support to 14 PICs that enable them to formalise their maritime boundaries through treaties. This contributes towards securing ocean resources for PICs and ensures their peaceful coexistence.

The technical work provided by SPC includes the delineation of territorial seas (12M), contiguous zone (24M) and Exclusive Economic Zone (200M) limit using accurately defined territorial sea baselines based on hydrographic charts, topographical maps, satellite images, and geodetic surveys.

SPC’s Deputy Director General for the Suva Office, Dr Audrey Aumua said that SPC and our partners will continue to support the maritime boundary aspirations of PICs.

“What this entails is PICs declaring territorial sea baselines and the outer limits of maritime zones in national legislations and then depositing this information with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)”.

These boundaries and treaties are also necessary for monitoring, control and surveillance of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the region. The process of delimiting maritime zones and boundaries empowers PICs to control activities for management of marine resources contributing to improving global and regional ocean governance.

SPC is leading a successful international collaborative effort to fulfil one of the region’s key strategic priorities embedded in the Pacific Ocean scape Framework. The recruitment of the new Maritime Boundaries Adviser, Mr Malakai Vakautawale, is an example of how SPC is prioritising the maritime boundary activities in the region.

Mr Vakautawale will work with the SPC’s Maritime Boundaries Team and its regional partners and the 14 PICs.

SPC’s partners include Geoscience Australia, Australian Attorney General’s Department, the Commonwealth Secretariat, Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency and United Nations Environmental Program GRID Arendal.

This partnership is an effective mechanism to address maritime boundary issues and to safeguard the sovereign rights of PICs.

 

Media Contact:

Molly Powers, Acting Coordinator Ocean and Tides Knowledge Unit |  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Last Updated on Thursday, 14 September 2017 10:38  

Newsflash

TVNZ One News, Saturday July 13, 2013, Barbara Dreaver - Pacific leaders are working to be more prepared for disasters, after a year of wild weather events.

In the past year there has been flooding in Fiji, a cyclone in Samoa, an earthquake and tsunami in the Solomon Islands and months of drought in the Marshall Islands - and research shows it is not going to get better.

The World Meteorological Organisation has released a report showing the world has experienced unprecedented high impact climate extremes in the past decade.

"We know from the scientists that the intensity of these cyclones are going to increase over time," said David Sheppard from the Pacific Regional Environment Programme.

Not content to sit back and let it happen, Pacific leaders have vowed to combine resources for climate change and disaster management.

"Neither disasters or climate change is a thing for the future, it's an issue for today and tomorrow - the fact we learn so slowly," said the UN's Margereta Wahlstrom.