On 19 February 2024, the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS) organized a Seminar on the Law of the Sea: Towards Peaceful Maritime Cooperation in Southeast Asia. Four Eminent speakers were invited to share their perspective this important seminar. They are Hon. Judge Hidehisa Honirouchi, Member of ITLOS, Dr. Naoyuki Kanno, Assistant Professor of International Law, at Nihon University in Japan, Ms. Emma Sarne, Minister and Consul General at the Philippines Embassy in Cambodia, and Dr. David Koh Senior Lecturer, VinUniversity and Visting Distinguished Senior Fellow, CCRS.
There were around 80 participants including the high presence of honorable Member of Parliament of Cambodia, and other members of the high-ranking officials from various esteemed ministries within the Royal Government of Cambodia, especially from the Office of Council of Ministers, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and State Secretariat of Border Affairs, Ambassadors of Brunei, Indonesia, and Singapore to Cambodia and other members of diplomatic corps from ASEAN countries, academics, think tankers, CCRS’ researchers, as well as university students.
Mr. Him Raksmey, Executive Director of CCRS, warmly welcome all participants, set tone for the seminar. He mentioned this is important seminar will bring about better understand on how coastal and maritime boundaries are defined, or regulations are set in association with seabed exploration within legally defined territorial claims, as well as how UNCLOS provide wider benefits to coastal states by understanding their legal responsibility as far as their Rights to exploit ocean resources along with the adoption of sustainable practices by ocean-dependent industries so as to sustain the continued, long-term ecosystem and economic stability and growth the oceans have to offer.
During this seminar, the participants hear from the opening remarks of H.E. Amb. Ueno Atsushi, Ambassador of Japan to the Kingdom of Cambodia, highlighting the significance of maintaining international order based on international law amidst the current complex geopolitical dynamic. He emphasized that UNCLOS played a vital role and this Convention would be an important legal framework for Cambodia to deal with the issues of maritime demarcation and resource development.
All participants also gain deeper knowledge about the benefits of the 1982 United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea and its judicial bodies for states which have legal responsibility as far as their Rights to exploit ocean resources along with the adoption of sustainable practices by ocean-dependent industries so as to sustain the continued, long-term ecosystem and economic stability and growth the oceans have to offer. They appreciated the presentations made by the four distinguished speaker, covering a comprehensive overview of UNCLOS, the importance of UNCLOS which regarded as “the Constitution of the Oceans”. They were exposed to three countries’ experience in ratifying UNCLOS inline with their domestic maritime legislations, including Japan, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
All eminent speakers agreed that Cambodia can stand to reap full benefits and safeguard national sovereign rights with respect of its maritime domain, if country ratifies UNCLOS.
The seminar was concluded in a cordial atmosphere and a feeling of satisfaction.
Press Clippings:
The Phnom Penh Post ; Khmer Times
