# United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea/Annex 5

Annex V. Conciliation
Section 1. Conciliation procedure pursuant to section 1 of Part XV
Article 1 Institution of proceedings
If the parties to a dispute have agreed, in accordance with article 284, to submit it to conciliation under this section, any such party may institute the proceedings by written notification addressed to the other party or parties to the dispute.
Article 2 List of conciliators
A list of conciliators shall be drawn up and maintained by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Every State Party shall be entitled to nominate four conciliators, each of whom shall be a person enjoying the ​highest reputation for fairness, competence and integrity. The names of the persons so nominated shall constitute the list. If at any time the conciliators nominated by a State Party in the list so constituted shall be fewer than four, that State Party shall be entitled to make further nominations as necessary. The name of a conciliator shall remain on the list until withdrawn by the State Party which made the nomination, provided that such conciliator shall continue to serve on any conciliation commission to which that conciliator has been appointed until the completion of the proceedings before that commission.
Article 3 Constitution of conciliation commission
The conciliation commission shall, unless the parties otherwise agree, be constituted as follows:
    (a) Subject to subparagraph (g), the conciliation commission shall consist of five members.
    (b) The party instituting the proceedings shall appoint two conciliators to be chosen preferably from the list referred to in article 2 of this Annex, one of whom may be its national, unless the parties otherwise agree. Such appointments shall be included in the notification referred to in article 1 of this Annex.
    (c) The other party to the dispute shall appoint two conciliators in the manner set forth in subparagraph (b) within 21 days of receipt of the notification referred to in article 1 of this Annex. If the appointments are not made within that period, the party instituting the proceedings may, within one week of the expiration of that period, either terminate the proceedings by notification addressed to the other party or request the Secretary-General of the United Nations to make the appointments in accordance with subparagraph (e).
    (d) Within 30 days after all four conciliators have been appointed, they shall appoint a fifth conciliator chosen from the list referred to in article 2 of this Annex, who shall be chairman. If the appointment is not made within that period, either party may, within one week of the expiration of that period, request the Secretary-General of the United Nations to make the appointment in accordance with subparagraph (e).
    (e) Within 30 days of the receipt of a request under subparagraph (c) or (d), the Secretary-General of the United Nations shall make the necessary appointments from the list referred to in article 2 of this Annex in consultation with the parties to the dispute.
    (f) Any vacancy shall be filled in the manner prescribed for the initial appointment.
    (g) Two or more parties which determine by agreement that they are in the same interest shall appoint two conciliators jointly. Where two or more parties have separate interests or there is a disagreement as to whether they are of the same interest, they shall appoint conciliators separately.
    (h) In disputes involving more than two parties having separate interests, or where there is disagreement as to whether they are of the same interest, the parties shall apply subparagraphs (a) to (f) in so far as possible.
Article 4 Procedure
The conciliation commission shall, unless the parties otherwise agree, determine its own procedure. The commission may, with the consent of the parties to the dispute, invite any State Party to submit to it its views orally or in writing. Decisions of the commission regarding procedural matters, the report and recommendations shall be made by a majority vote of its members.
Article 5 Amicable settlement
The commission may draw the attention of the parties to any measures which might facilitate an amicable settlement of the dispute.
Article 6 Functions of the commission
The commission shall hear the parties, examine their claims and objections, and make proposals to the parties with a view to reaching an amicable settlement.
Article 7 Report
1. The commission shall report within 12 months of its constitution. Its report shall record any agreements reached and, failing agreement, its conclusions on all questions of fact or law relevant to the matter in dispute and such recommendations as the commission may deem appropriate for an amicable settlement. The report shall be deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations and shall immediately be transmitted by him to the parties to the dispute.
2. The report of the commission, including its conclusions or recommendations, shall not be binding upon the parties.
Article 8 Termination
The conciliation proceedings are terminated when a settlement has been reached, when the parties have accepted or one party has rejected the recommendations of the report by written notification addressed to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, or when a period of three months has expired from the date of transmission of the report to the parties.
Article 9 Fees and expenses
The fees and expenses of the commission shall be borne by the parties to the dispute.
Article 10 Right of parties to modify procedure
The parties to the dispute may by agreement applicable solely to that dispute modify any provision of this Annex.
Section 2. Compulsory submission to conciliation procedure pursuant to section of Part XV
Article 11 Institution of proceedings
1. Any party to a dispute which, in accordance with Part XV, section 3, may be submitted to conciliation under this section, may institute the proceedings by written notification addressed to the other party or parties to the dispute.
2. Any party to the dispute, notified under paragraph 1, shall be obliged to submit to such proceedings.
Article 12 Failure to reply or to submit to conciliation
The failure of a party or parties to the dispute to reply to notification of institution of proceedings or to submit to such proceedings shall not constitute a bar to the proceedings.
Article 13 Competence
A disagreement as to whether a conciliation commission acting under this section has competence shall be decided by the commission.
Article 14 Application of section 1
Articles 2 to 10 of section l of this Annex apply subject to this section.