Resolution adopted by the General Assembly on  5 December 2017          [without reference to a Main Committee (A/72/L.18 and A/72/L.18/Add.1)]        72/73. Oceans and the law of the sea         The General Assembly,    Recalling its annual resolutions on the law of the sea and on oceans and the law  of the sea, including resolution 71/257 of 23 December 2016, as well as other relevant  resolutions concerning the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (the  Convention),1     Recalling also, in this regard, resolution 69/292 of 19 June 2015 on the  development of an international legally binding instrument under the Convention on  the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond  national jurisdiction,     Having considered the report of the Secretary-General,2 the reports on the work  of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole on the Regular Process for Global  Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including  Socioeconomic Aspects (the Regular Process)3 and of the United Nations Open-ended  Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (the Informal  Consultative Process) at its eighteenth meeting,4 the report of the twenty-seventh  Meeting of States Parties to the Convention5 and the report of the United Nations  Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14:  Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable  development,6     Recognizing the pre-eminent contribution provided by the Convention to the  strengthening of peace, security, cooperation and friendly relations among all nations  __________________    1 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1833, No. 31363.    2 See A/72/70 and A/72/70/Add.1.    3 A/72/89 and A/72/494.    4 A/72/95.    5 SPLOS/316.    6 A/CONF.230/14.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  2/55    in conformity with the principles of justice and equal rights and to the promotion of  the economic and social advancement of all peoples of the world, in accordance with  the purposes and principles of the United Nations as set forth in the Charter of the  United Nations, as well as to the sustainable development of the oceans and seas,     Emphasizing the universal and unified character of the Convention, and  reaffirming that the Convention sets out the legal framework within which all  activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out and is of strategic importance as  the basis for national, regional and global action and cooperation in the marine sector,  and that its integrity needs to be maintained, as recognized also by the United Nations  Conference on Environment and Development in chapter 17 of Agenda 21,7     Noting with satisfaction that, in the outcome document of the United Nations  Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from  20 to 22 June 2012, entitled “The future we want”,8 as endorsed by the General  Assembly in resolution 66/288 of 27 July 2012, States recognized that oceans, seas  and coastal areas form an integrated and essential component of the Earth’s ecosystem  and are critical to sustaining it, and that international law, as reflected in the  Convention, provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of  the oceans and their resources, and stressed the importance of the conservation and  sustainable use of the oceans and seas and of their resources for sustainable  development, including through their contributions to poverty eradication, sustained  economic growth, food security and creation of sustainable livelihoods and decent  work, while at the same time protecting biodiversity and the marine environment and  addressing the impacts of climate change,     Recalling that, in “The future we want”, States underscored that broad public  participation and access to information and judicial and administrative proceedings  were essential to the promotion of sustainable development and that sustainable  development required the meaningful involvement and active participation of  regional, national and subnational legislatures and judiciaries, and all major groups,  and, in this regard, that they agreed to work more closely with major groups and other  stakeholders and encouraged their active participation, as appropriate, in processes  that contribute to decision-making, planning and implementation of policies and  programmes for sustainable development at all levels,     Welcoming the outcome document of the United Nations summit for the  adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, held from 25 to 27 September 2015,  entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”,  as adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 70/1 of 25 September 2015, and  in this regard reaffirming the commitment to conserve and sustainably use the oceans,  seas and marine resources for sustainable development, as reflected in Goal 14 of the  outcome document,     Recognizing the important contribution of the conservation and sustainable use  of oceans, seas and marine resources to the achievement of the sustainable  development goals contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,     Recalling its resolution 71/312 of 6 July 2017 in which it endorsed the  declaration entitled “Our ocean, our future: call for action” adopted by the high-level  United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable  Development Goal 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine  resources for sustainable development, held from 5 to 9 June 2017, coinciding with  __________________    7 Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro,  3−14 June 1992, vol. I, Resolutions Adopted by the Conference (United Nations publication,  Sales No. E.93.I.8 and corrigendum), resolution 1, annex II.    8 Resolution 66/288, annex.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   3/55  17-21819    World Oceans Day on 8 June, and in this regard affirming the important role of the  declaration in demonstrating the collective will to take action to conserve and  sustainably use our oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development,    Recognizing the important contributions of the partnership dialogues and  voluntary commitments made in the context of the high-level United Nations  Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14 to  the effective and timely implementation of Goal 14,    Recognizing also the appointment by the Secretary-General of the Special  Envoy for the Ocean,     Recognizing further paragraphs 64 and 65 of the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of  the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, adopted by the  Conference, which was held from 13 to 16 July 2015,9     Welcoming the outcomes of the second session of the United Nations  Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme, especially  the resolutions on oceans and seas,10 marine plastic litter and microplastics, 11  sustainable coral reefs management12 and the role, functions and modalities for United  Nations Environment Programme implementation of the Samoa Pathway as a means  of facilitating achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, 13     Conscious that the problems of ocean space are closely interrelated and need to  be considered as a whole through an integrated, interdisciplinary and intersectoral  approach, and reaffirming the need to improve cooperation and coordination at the  national, regional and global levels, in accordance with the Convention, to support  and supplement the efforts of each State in promoting the implementation and  observance of the Convention and the integrated management and sustainable  development of the oceans and seas,     Reiterating the essential need for cooperation, including through capacity- building and transfer of marine technology, to ensure that all States, especially  developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, landlocked  developing countries and small island developing States, as well as coastal African  States, are able both to implement the Convention and to benefit from the sustainable  development of the oceans and seas, as well as to participate fully in global and  regional forums and processes dealing with oceans and law of the sea issues, while  recognizing the need to also address the particular challenges faced by developing  middle-income countries,    Emphasizing the need to strengthen the ability of competent international  organizations to contribute, at the global, regional, subregional and bilateral levels,  through cooperation programmes with Governments, to the development of national  capacity in marine science and the sustainable management of the oceans and their  resources,     Recalling that marine science is important for eradicating poverty, contributing  to food security, conserving the world’s marine environment and resources, helping  to understand, predict and respond to natural events and promoting the sustainable  development of the oceans and seas, by improving knowledge, through sustained  __________________    9 Resolution 69/313, annex.    10 See Official Records of the General Assembly, Seventy-first Session, Supplement No. 25  (A/71/25), annex, resolution 2/10.    11 Ibid., resolution 2/11.    12 Ibid., resolution 2/12.    13 Ibid., resolution 2/4.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  4/55    research efforts and the evaluation of monitoring results, and applying such  knowledge to management and decision-making,     Reiterating its deep concern at the serious adverse impacts on the marine  environment and biodiversity, in particular on vulnerable marine ecosystems and their  physical and biogenic structure, including coral reefs, cold water habitats,  hydrothermal vents and seamounts, of certain human activities,     Emphasizing the need for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships,     Expressing deep concern at the adverse economic, social and environmental  impacts of the physical alteration and destruction of marine habitats that may result  from land-based and coastal development activities, in particular those land  reclamation activities that are carried out in a manner that has a detrimental impact  on the marine environment,     Reiterating its serious concern at the current and projected adverse effects of  climate change and ocean acidification on the marine environment and marine  biodiversity, and emphasizing the urgency of addressing these issues,     Noting with concern, in this regard, the findings by the World Meteorological  Organization, in its annual Greenhouse gas bulletin, that for the first time, in 2015,  carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere were 400 parts per million, on average across  the year as a whole,    Expressing concern that climate change continues to increase the severity and  incidence of coral bleaching throughout tropical seas and weakens the ability of reefs  to withstand ocean acidification, which could have serious and irreversible negative  effects on marine organisms, particularly corals, as well as to withstand other  pressures, including overfishing and pollution,     Reiterating its deep concern at the vulnerability of the environment and the  fragile ecosystems of the polar regions, including the Arctic Ocean and the Arctic ice  cap, particularly affected by the projected adverse effects of climate change and ocean  acidification,     Recognizing the need for a more integrated and ecosystem-based approach to,  further study of and the promotion of measures for enhanced cooperation,  coordination and collaboration relating to the conservation and sustainable use of  marine biodiversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction,     Recognizing also that the realization of the benefits of the Convention could be  enhanced by international cooperation, technical assistance and advanced scientific  knowledge, as well as by funding and capacity-building,     Recognizing further that hydrographic surveys and nautical charting are critical  to the safety of navigation and life at sea, environmental protection, including the  protection of vulnerable marine ecosystems, and the economics of the global shipping  industry, and encouraging further efforts towards electronic charting, which not only  provides significantly increased benefits for safe navigation and management of ship  movement, but also provides data and information that can be used for sustainable  fisheries activities and other sectoral uses of the marine environment, the delimitation  of maritime boundaries and environmental protection, and noting that, under the  International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, 14 ships on international  voyages are required to carry an electronic chart display and information system, in  accordance with the implementation schedule as set out in that Convention,   __________________    14 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1184, No. 18961.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   5/55  17-21819      Recognizing that ocean data buoys deployed and operated in accordance with  international law are critical for improving understanding of weather, climate and  ecosystems, and that certain types of ocean data buoys contribute to saving lives by  detecting tsunamis, and reiterating its serious concern at intentional and unintentional  damage to such buoys,     Emphasizing that underwater archaeological, cultural and historical heritage,  including shipwrecks and watercraft, holds essential information on the history of  humankind and that such heritage is a resource that needs to be protected and  preserved,     Recognizing the duty of States under article 303, paragraph 1, of the Convention  to protect objects of an archaeological and historical nature found at sea and to  cooperate for this purpose,    Expressing concern, in this regard, at various threats posed to such objects,  including their destruction as well as the illicit trafficking in such objects,    Recognizing that illicit trafficking in wildlife is, in some cases, committed by  transnational organized criminal groups using maritime routes, contributes to damage  to ecosystems and livelihoods and requires enhanced regional and global cooperation  and coordination in response, in accordance with international law,    Noting with concern the continuing problem of transnational organized crime  committed at sea, including illicit traffic in narcotic drugs and psychotropic  substances, the smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons and illicit trafficking in  firearms, and threats to maritime safety and security, including piracy, armed robbery  at sea, smuggling and terrorist acts against shipping, offshore installations and other  maritime interests, and noting the deplorable loss of life and adverse impact on  international trade, energy security and the global economy resulting from such  activities,    Reiterating the importance of the fair treatment of crew members and its  influence on maritime safety,     Recognizing that fibre-optic submarine cables transmit most of the world’s data  and communications and hence are vitally important to the global economy and the  national security of all States, conscious that these cables are susceptible to  intentional and accidental damage from shipping and other activities and that the  maintenance, including the repair, of these cables is important, noting that these  matters have been brought to the attention of States at various workshops and  seminars, and conscious of the need for States to adopt national laws and regulations  to protect submarine cables and render their wilful damage or damage by culpable  negligence punishable offences,     Noting the importance of the delineation of the outer limits of the continental  shelf beyond 200 nautical miles and that it is in the broader interest of the  international community that coastal States with a continental shelf beyond  200 nautical miles submit information on the outer limits of the continental shelf  beyond 200 nautical miles to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf  (the Commission), and welcoming the submissions to the Commission by a  considerable number of States Parties to the Convention on the outer limits of their  continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, that the Commission has continued to  fulfil its role, including of making recommendations to coastal States, and that the  summaries of recommendations are being made publicly available, 15  __________________    15 Available from the web page of the Commission maintained by the Division for Ocean Affairs  and the Law of the Sea.    A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  6/55      Noting also that many coastal States Parties have submitted preliminary  information indicative of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical  miles, as provided for in the decision of the eighteenth Meeting of States Parties to  the Convention regarding the workload of the Commission and the ability of States,  particularly developing States, to fulfil the requirements of article 4 of annex II to the  Convention, as well as the decision contained in SPLOS/72, paragraph (a),16     Noting further that some coastal States may continue to face particular  challenges in relation to preparing and presenting submissions to the Commission,     Noting that financial and technical assistance may be sought by developing  countries for activities in relation to preparing and presenting submissions to the  Commission, including through the voluntary trust fund established by the General  Assembly in its resolution 55/7 of 30 October 2000 for the purpose of facilitating the  preparation of submissions to the Commission for developing States, in particular the  least developed countries and small island developing States, and compliance with  article 76 of the Convention, as well as other accessible international assistance,     Recognizing the importance of the trust funds established pursuant to resolution  55/7 in facilitating the participation of members of the Commission from developing  States in the meetings of the Commission and in fulfilling the requirements of  article 4 of annex II to the Convention, noting with appreciation the recent  contributions made to them, while observing with concern that the lack of funds in  the voluntary trust fund for the purpose of defraying the cost of the participation in  its meetings of the members of the Commission from developing States may prevent  the Commission from implementing the decision of the twenty-sixth Meeting of  States Parties that requested the Commission to meet for up to 26 weeks, and may  preclude the Commission from advancing its work as a result of the potential lack of  a quorum at the 2018 sessions, and in this regard urging States, international financial  institutions, donor agencies, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental  organizations and natural and juridical persons to contribute to the trust fund,    Reaffirming the importance of the work of the Commission for coastal States  and for the international community,     Recognizing that practical difficulties can arise when there is a considerable  delay between the preparation of submissions and their consideration by the  Commission, including in retaining expertise up to and during the consideration of  the submissions by the Commission,     Recognizing also the significant workload of the Commission in view of the  large number of submissions already received and a number of submissions yet to be  received, which places additional demands and challenges on its members and the  secretariat as provided by the Secretary-General of the United Nations through the  Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea of the Office of Legal Affairs of  the Secretariat (the Division), and welcoming the decision of the twenty-first Meeting  of States Parties to the Convention regarding the workload of the Commission, 17     Noting with concern the projected timetable of the work of the Commission on  the submissions already received by it and those yet to be received, and in this regard  noting the decision of the twenty-sixth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention to  renew the request made by the twenty-first Meeting of States Parties to the  Convention and to request the Commission to consider, in coordination with the  Secretariat, as from 16 June 2017, within the existing resources made available to the  Secretariat, that the Commission, and its subcommissions meeting simultaneously as  __________________    16 SPLOS/183.     17 SPLOS/229.    Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   7/55  17-21819    far as possible, meet at United Nations Headquarters for up to 26 weeks but not less  than an intended minimum of 21 weeks a year for a period of five years, distributed  in such a way that the Commission determines to be the most effective, and that no  two sessions be sequential, and to request the Commission to prepare a plan of  sessions to be held in 2017 on the basis of that request,18     Recognizing the need to ensure that the Commission can perform its functions  under the Convention expeditiously, efficiently and effectively and maintain its high  level of quality and expertise,     Expressing concern about the implications of the workload of the Commission  for the conditions of service of its members,    Recalling, in this regard, the decisions of the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth  Meetings of States Parties to the Convention regarding the conditions of service of  the members of the Commission,19     Recalling also its decision, in resolutions 57/141 of 12 December 2002 and  58/240 of 23 December 2003, to establish a regular process under the United Nations  for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, including  socioeconomic aspects, both current and foreseeable, building on existing regional  assessments, as recommended by the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 20  and noting the need for cooperation among all States to this end,    Recalling further its decisions, in resolution 65/37 A of 7 December 2010,  resolution 66/231 of 24 December 2011, resolution 70/235 of 23 December 2015 and  resolution 71/257 regarding the Regular Process, as established under the United  Nations and accountable to the General Assembly,    Recalling that the Division was designated to provide secretariat support to the  Regular Process, including its established institutions,     Recalling also the cross-cutting role of ocean science in Sustainable  Development Goal 14 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and taking  note that, at its twenty-ninth session, the Assembly of the Intergovernmental  Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and  Cultural Organization endorsed the proposal for an international decade of ocean  science for sustainable development, to be established for the period 2021–2030,    Recognizing the importance and the contribution of the work of the Informal  Consultative Process established by the General Assembly in its resolution 54/33 of  24 November 1999 to facilitate the annual review of developments in ocean affairs  by the Assembly,     Noting the continuously growing responsibilities of the Secretary-General under  the Convention and related resolutions of the General Assembly, in particular  resolutions 49/28 of 6 December 1994, 52/26 of 26 November 1997, 54/33, 65/37 A,  65/37 B of 4 April 2011, 66/231, 67/78 of 11 December 2012, 68/70 of 9 December  2013, 69/245 of 29 December 2014, 69/292, 70/235 and 71/257 and in this context  the unprecedented substantial increase in activities of the Division, in particular in  view of the growing number of requests to the Division for additional outputs and  servicing of meetings, the provision of technical assistance and capacity-building, the  need for enhanced support and assistance to the Commission and the role of the  Division in carrying out the functions in resolution 69/292, as the secretariat of the  __________________    18 See SPLOS/303.    19 SPLOS/286 and SPLOS/303.    20 See Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa,  26 August–4 September 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.03.II.A.1 and  corrigendum), chap. I, resolution 2, annex.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  8/55    Regular Process, in relation to the functions as focal point for UN-Oceans and in  relation to support for the implementation by Member States of the oceans-related  Sustainable Development Goals in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development,    Reaffirming the importance of the work of the International Seabed Authority  (the Authority) in accordance with the Convention and the Agreement relating to the  Implementation of Part XI of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea  of 10 December 1982 (the Part XI Agreement),21     Reaffirming also the importance of the work of the International Tribunal for  the Law of the Sea (the Tribunal) in accordance with the Convention,        I  Implementation of the Convention and related agreements and instruments      1.  Reaffirms its annual resolutions on the law of the sea and on oceans and  the law of the sea, including resolution 71/257, and other relevant resolutions  concerning the Convention;1    2.  Also reaffirms the unified character of the Convention and the vital  importance of preserving its integrity;     3.  Calls upon all States that have not done so, in order to fully achieve the  goal of universal participation, to become parties to the Convention and the Part XI  Agreement;21     4.  Calls upon States that have not done so, in order to achieve the goal of  universal participation, to become parties to the Agreement for the Implementation of  the Provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea of  10 December 1982 relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish  Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (the Fish Stocks Agreement); 22     5.  Calls upon States to harmonize their national legislation with the  provisions of the Convention and, where applicable, relevant agreements and  instruments, to ensure the consistent application of those provisions and to ensure  also that any declarations or statements that they have made or make when signing,  ratifying or acceding to the Convention do not purport to exclude or to modify the  legal effect of the provisions of the Convention in their application to the State  concerned and to withdraw any such declarations or statements;     6.  Calls upon States Parties to the Convention that have not yet done so to  deposit with the Secretary-General charts or lists of geographical coordinates, as  provided for in the Convention, preferably using the generally accepted and most  recent geodetic datums;     7.  Notes, in this regard, the ongoing efforts of the Secretary-General to  improve the existing geographic information system for the deposit by States of charts  and geographical coordinates concerning maritime zones, including lines of  delimitation, submitted pursuant to the Convention, and to give due publicity thereto,  as requested in paragraph 6 of resolution 59/24 of 17 November 2004, as well as the  ongoing cooperation with the International Hydrographic Organization to develop the  technical standards for the collection, storage and dissemination of the information  deposited, in order to ensure compatibility among geographic information systems,  electronic nautical charts and other systems, and re-emphasizes the importance of the  prompt completion of these efforts;   __________________    21 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1836, No. 31364.    22 Ibid., vol. 2167, No. 37924.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   9/55  17-21819      8.  Urges all States to cooperate, directly or through competent international  bodies, in taking measures to protect and preserve objects of an archaeological and  historical nature found at sea, in conformity with the Convention, and calls upon  States to work together on such diverse challenges and opportunities as the  appropriate relationship between salvage law and scientific management and  conservation of underwater cultural heritage, increasing technological abilities to  discover and reach underwater sites, looting and growing underwater tourism;    9.  Acknowledges the recent deposit of instruments of ratification and  acceptance of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural  Heritage,23 calls upon States that have not yet done so to consider becoming parties  to that Convention, and notes in particular the rules annexed to that Convention,  which address the relationship between salvage law and scientific principles of  management, conservation and protection of underwater cultural heritage among  Parties, their nationals and vessels flying their flag;         II  Capacity-building      10. Emphasizes that capacity-building is essential to ensure that States,  especially developing countries, in particular the least developed countries,  landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, as well as coastal  African States, are able to fully implement the Convention, benefit from the  sustainable development of the oceans and seas and participate fully in global and  regional forums on ocean affairs and the law of the sea;     11.  Also emphasizes the need to address the particular challenges faced by  developing middle-income countries through capacity-building;    12. Recalls, in this regard, that, in “The future we want”,8 States recognized  the importance of building the capacity of developing countries to be able to benefit  from the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and seas and their resources,  and in this regard emphasized the need for cooperation in marine scientific research  to implement the provisions of the Convention and the outcomes of the major summits  on sustainable development, as well as for the transfer of technology, taking into  account the Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology adopted by  the Assembly of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United  Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization at its twenty-second  session, in 2003;     13. Emphasizes the need for international cooperation for capacity-building,  including cross-sectoral cooperation, at national, regional and global levels, to  address, in particular, gaps in capacity-building in ocean affairs and the law of the  sea, including marine science;     14. Calls for capacity-building initiatives to take into account the needs of  developing countries, and calls upon States, international organizations and donor  agencies to make efforts to ensure the sustainability of such initiatives;    15. Calls upon donor agencies and international financial institutions to keep  their programmes systematically under review to ensure the availability in all States,  particularly in developing States, of the economic, legal, navigational, scientific and  technical skills necessary for the full implementation of the Convention and the  objectives of the present resolution, as well as the sustainable development of the  oceans and seas nationally, regionally and globally, and in so doing to bear in mind  the interests and needs of landlocked developing States;   __________________    23 Ibid., vol. 2562, No. 45694.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  10/55      16. Encourages intensified efforts to build capacity for developing countries,  in particular for the least developed countries and small island developing States, as  well as coastal African States, to improve aids to navigation and search and rescue  services, hydrographic services and the production of nautical charts, including  electronic charts, as well as the mobilization of resources and building of capacity  with support from international financial institutions and the donor community;    17. Calls upon States and international institutions, including through  bilateral, regional and global cooperation programmes, technical partnerships and  fellowships, to continue to support and strengthen capacity-building activities, in  particular in developing countries, in the field of marine scientific research by, inter  alia, training personnel to develop and enhance relevant expertise, providing the  necessary equipment, facilities and vessels and transferring environmentally sound  technologies;     18. Also calls upon States and international institutions, including through  bilateral, regional and global cooperation programmes, technical partnerships and  fellowships, to support and strengthen capacity-building activities in developing  countries, in particular least developed countries and small island developing States,  to develop their maritime administration and appropriate legal frameworks to  establish or enhance the necessary infrastructure, legislative and enforcement  capabilities to promote effective compliance with and implementation and  enforcement of their responsibilities under international law;     19. Further calls upon States and international institutions, including through  bilateral, regional and global cooperation programmes, technical partnerships and  fellowships, to develop and strengthen capacity-building activities in and to transfer  to developing countries, in particular least developed countries and small island  developing States, on mutually agreed terms, and taking into account the Criteria and  Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, environmentally sound  technologies to study and minimize the impacts of ocean acidification;     20. Notes the international scientific cooperation within the Global Ocean  Acidification Observing Network and its efforts in building scientific capacity for  ocean acidification monitoring, research and experimentation, including through the  Pier2Peer scientific mentorship programme;    21. Emphasizes the need to focus on strengthening South-South cooperation  as an additional way to build capacity and as a cooperative mechanism to further  enable countries to set their own priorities and needs and to foster actions to  implement such cooperation;    22. Recognizes with appreciation the important contribution to capacity- building in the field of the law of the sea by the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and  Policy, a cooperative undertaking by the Center for Oceans Law and Policy of the  University of Virginia School of Law, the Aegean Institute of the Law of the Sea and  Maritime Law, the Law of the Sea Institute of Iceland, the Max Planck Institute for  Comparative Public Law and International Law, the Netherlands Institute for the Law  of the Sea of Utrecht University and the Centre for International Law of the National  University of Singapore that offers a prominent three-week summer course annually  in Rhodes, Greece, and has graduated 900 students from more than 120 countries;    23. Also recognizes with appreciation the important contribution to capacity- building in the field of the law of the sea by the Summer Academy of the International  Foundation for the Law of the Sea at the International Tribunal for the Law of the  Sea;     24. Further recognizes with appreciation the important contribution of the  Korea Maritime Institute to the trust fund to support the internship programmes at the   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   11/55  17-21819    Tribunal since 2011 and its continued efforts to provide education and training for  capacity-building of developing countries through the Yeosu Academy of the Law of  the Sea programme;    25. Notes the holding of three sessions of the Summer Academy on the  Continental Shelf in 2014, 2015 and 2016 in the Faroe Islands, organized by the  University of the Faroe Islands;     26. Recognizes the importance of the work of the Malta-based International  Maritime Law Institute of the International Maritime Organization, as a centre of  education and training of specialists in maritime law, including government legal  advisers and other high-level officials, mainly from developing States, confirms its  effective capacity-building role in the field of international maritime law, shipping  law and marine environmental law, and urges States, intergovernmental organizations  and financial institutions to make voluntary financial contributions to the budget of  the Institute which runs annually;     27. Also recognizes the importance of the World Maritime University of the  International Maritime Organization as a centre of excellence for maritime education  and research, confirms its effective capacity-building role in the field of maritime  transportation,  policy,  administration,  management,  safety,  security  and  environmental protection, as well as its role in the international exchange and transfer  of knowledge, and urges States, intergovernmental organizations and other bodies to  make voluntary financial contributions to the University’s newly established  Endowment Fund;     28. Welcomes ongoing activities for capacity-building so as to address  maritime security and protection of the marine environment of developing States, and  encourages States and international financial institutions to provide additional  funding for capacity-building programmes, including for transfer of technology,  including through the International Maritime Organization and other competent  international organizations;     29. Recognizes the ongoing activities of the secretariat of the Convention on  Biological Diversity in coordinating capacity-building efforts to support developing  States in achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in marine and coastal areas, in  particular through the Sustainable Ocean Initiative; 24     30. Also recognizes the considerable need to provide sustained capacity- building assistance, including on financial and technical aspects, by relevant  international organizations and donors to developing States, with a view to further  strengthening their capacity to take effective measures against the multiple facets of  international criminal activities at sea, in line with the relevant international  instruments, including the United Nations Convention against Transnational  Organized Crime and the Protocols thereto;25     31. Further recognizes the need to build the capacity of developing States to  raise awareness of and support the implementation of improved waste management  practices, noting the particular vulnerability of small island developing States to the  impact of marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities and  marine debris and nutrient pollution;26   __________________    24 See United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/12/29, sect. I, and  Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity decision XII/23, paras. 19–22.    25 United Nations, Treaty Series, vols. 2225, 2237, 2241 and 2326, No. 39574.    26 See 2012 Guidelines for the Development of a Regional Reception Facilities Plan, International  Maritime Organization, resolution MEPC.221(63).   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  12/55      32. Recognizes the importance of assisting developing States, in particular the  least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island  developing States, as well as coastal African States, in implementing the Convention,  urges States, international financial institutions, donor agencies, intergovernmental  organizations, non-governmental organizations and natural and juridical persons, to  make voluntary financial or other contributions to the trust funds, as referred to in  resolutions 55/7, 57/141 and 64/71 of 4 December 2009, established for this purpose,  and expresses its appreciation to those that have contributed; 27     33. Acknowledges the importance of capacity-building for developing States,  in particular the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small  island developing States, as well as coastal African States, for the protection of the  marine environment and the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources;     34. Recognizes that promoting the voluntary transfer of technology is an  essential aspect of building capacity in marine science;    35. Encourages States to use the Intergovernmental Oceanographic  Commission Criteria and Guidelines on the Transfer of Marine Technology, and  recalls the important role of the secretariat of that Commission in the implementation  and promotion of the Criteria and Guidelines;    36. Also encourages States to consider additional opportunities for capacity- building at the regional level;     37. Welcomes the efforts of the Tribunal in holding regional workshops;    38. Notes with satisfaction the publication of the first edition of the Global  Ocean Science Report by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission;    39. Notes with appreciation the adoption by the Assembly of the  Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the new Capacity Development  Strategy (2015–2021), which takes into account that capacity development is a  fundamental tenet of the mission of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic  Commission;     40. Expresses its appreciation for the contribution of the Intergovernmental  Oceanographic Commission to capacity-building through its Ocean Teacher Academy  training system, which has provided training in ocean data and information  management, and notes the setting up of the Ocean Teacher Global Academy,  operating through a network of regional training centres, which builds capacity and  promotes expertise available in developing countries;     41. Welcomes the establishment by the Assembly of the Intergovernmental  Oceanographic Commission at its twenty-ninth session of the Group of Experts on  Capacity Development;    42. Also welcomes the role of the United Nations Conference on Trade and  Development, within its mandate, reiterated by member States at its fourteenth  session, held in Nairobi from 17 to 22 July 2016, to continue to assist developing  countries, upon request, in enhancing the sustainability and climate resilience of their  transport systems and infrastructure, including coastal transport infrastructure;    43. Notes with satisfaction the efforts of the Division to compile information  on capacity-building initiatives, requests the Secretary-General to continue to  regularly update such information provided by States, international organizations and  donor agencies and include it in his annual report to the General Assembly, invites  States, international organizations and donor agencies to submit such information to  __________________    27 See A/70/74/Add.1, para. 137.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   13/55  17-21819    the Secretary-General for this purpose, and requests the Division to post the  information on capacity-building initiatives from the annual report of the Secretary- General on the website of the Division in an easily accessible manner so as to  facilitate the matching of capacity-building needs with opportunities;     44. Calls upon States to continue to assist developing States, and especially  the least developed countries and small island developing States, as well as coastal  African States, at the bilateral and, where appropriate, multilateral levels, in  the preparation of submissions to the Commission regarding the establishment of the  outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles, including the  assessment of the nature and extent of the continental shelf of a coastal State, and  recalls that coastal States can make requests to the Commission for scientific and  technical advice in the preparation of data for their submissions, in accordance with  article 3 of annex II to the Convention;    45. Recognizes the importance of the trust fund established pursuant to  resolution 55/7 for the purpose of facilitating the preparation of submissions to the  Commission for developing States, in particular the least developed countries and  small island developing States, and compliance with article 76 of the Convention, and  of providing assistance to developing States to meet the travel and daily subsistence  allowance costs associated with meeting with the Commission when their  submissions are being examined and upon the invitation of the Commission, in  accordance with paragraph 31 of the terms of reference, guidelines and rules of the  trust fund;28     46. Calls upon the Division to continue to disseminate information on relevant  procedures related to the trust fund established for the purpose of facilitating the  preparation of submissions to the Commission and to continue its dialogue with  potential beneficiaries with a view to providing financial support to developing  countries for activities to facilitate their submissions in accordance with the  requirements of article 76 of the Convention and with the Rules of Procedure29 and  the Scientific and Technical Guidelines of the Commission 30 and to defray the costs  of travel and daily subsistence allowance for delegates to participate in meetings with  the Commission upon its invitation;     47. Requests the Secretary-General, in cooperation with States and relevant  international organizations and institutions, to continue to support training and other  activities to assist developing States in the preparation and presentation of their  submissions to the Commission;     48. Recognizes with appreciation the contribution of the Division to capacity- building activities at the national and regional levels, in particular the work of the  Division in promoting wider appreciation of the Convention and in assisting with its  implementation, through the provision of information, advice and assistance to States  and intergovernmental organizations, and recognizes in particular the continued  delivery of a programme of assistance to the Government of Somalia under a project  funded by the Trust Fund to Support Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off the  Coast of Somalia, including two strategic fellowships, as well as the Division’s  support for Member State implementation of the relevant parts of the 2030 Agenda  for Sustainable Development;31     49. Notes the partnership between the Division and the Intergovernmental  Oceanographic Commission on a training programme on marine scientific research  __________________    28 Resolution 55/7, annex II, resolution 58/240, annex, and resolution 70/235, annex.    29 CLCS/40/Rev.1.    30 CLCS/11, CLCS/11/Corr.1, CLCS/11/Add.1 and CLCS/11/Add.1/Corr.1.    31 Resolution 70/1.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  14/55    under the Convention, and encourages States, relevant international organizations and  other donors to consider supporting the initiative;    50.  Invites  States,  international  financial  institutions,  donor  agencies,  intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and natural and  juridical persons to support the capacity-building activities of the Division, including by  making earmarked voluntary contributions to the trust fund established by the Secretary- General for the Office of Legal Affairs to support the promotion of international law, and  expresses its appreciation to those that have contributed;    51.  Recognizes with appreciation the important contribution to the capacity- building of developing countries and the promotion of the law of the sea made by the  Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe Memorial Fellowship on the Law of the Sea, which was  established by the General Assembly in 1981 in honour of the first President of the Third  United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea and which, relying on its network of  17 host institutions, has awarded to date 31 fellowships to individuals from 26 Member  States, and recalls in this regard the provisions of its resolutions on the United Nations  Programme of Assistance in the Teaching, Study, Dissemination and Wider Appreciation  of International Law;32     52.  Expresses its appreciation to States that have made contributions to the  voluntary trust fund for the Hamilton Shirley Amerasinghe Memorial Fellowship on the  Law of the Sea, notes that there are insufficient funds available to grant a regular award  for placement of a fellow in the Division in 2019, expresses its commitment to further  promote the importance of the Fellowship, and urges States, international financial  institutions, donor agencies, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental  organizations and natural and juridical persons to make voluntary financial contributions  in support of the Fellowship so that a regular award may be granted for 2019 and beyond;    53.  Recognizes with appreciation the important contribution of the United  Nations-Nippon Foundation of Japan Fellowship Programme, which has awarded  142 fellowships to individuals from 76 Member States since 2004, to human resources  development for developing Member States in the field of ocean affairs and the law of the  sea and related disciplines, as well as the fostering of global interlinkages and continuing  capacity development through the alumni programme, which held an Alumni Meeting in  2017 in New York in conjunction with the high-level United Nations Conference to  Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14: Conserve and  sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, and  also recognizes with appreciation the provision of a fellowship under the Strategic Award  of the United Nations-Nippon Foundation of Japan Fellowship Programme in 2017;    54.  Encourages competent international organizations, the United Nations  Development Programme and international financial institutions and funds to consider  expanding their programmes within their respective fields of competence for assistance  to developing countries and to coordinate their efforts, and recognizes the funding  available from the Global Environment Facility, as well as other funds allocated for  projects relating to oceans;     __________________    32 Resolutions 69/117, para. 8, 70/116, para. 4, 71/139, para. 7, and 72/115, paras. 7 and 8.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   15/55  17-21819        III  Meeting of States Parties      55. Welcomes the report of the twenty-seventh Meeting of States Parties to the  Convention;5    56. Requests the Secretary-General to convene the twenty-eighth Meeting of  States Parties to the Convention from 11 to 14 June 2018, with full conference  services, including documentation, as required;         IV  Peaceful settlement of disputes      57. Notes with satisfaction the continued and significant contribution of the  Tribunal to the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in accordance with Part XV  of the Convention, and underlines the important role and authority of the Tribunal  concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention and the Part XI  Agreement;     58. Pays tribute to the important and long-standing role of the International  Court of Justice with regard to the peaceful settlement of disputes concerning the law  of the sea;     59. Notes that States parties to an international agreement relating to the  purposes of the Convention may submit to, inter alia, the Tribunal or the International  Court of Justice any dispute concerning the interpretation or application of that  agreement submitted in accordance with that agreement, and also notes the  possibility, provided for in the Statutes of the Tribunal and the Court, to submit  disputes to a chamber;     60. Encourages States Parties to the Convention that have not yet done so to  consider making a written declaration, choosing from the means set out in article 287  of the Convention for the settlement of disputes concerning the interpretation or  application of the Convention and the Part XI Agreement, bearing in mind the  comprehensive character of the dispute settlement mechanism provided for in  Part XV of the Convention;         V  The Area      61. Reiterates the importance of the ongoing elaboration and standardization  by the Authority, pursuant to article 145 of the Convention, of rules, regulations and  procedures to ensure the effective protection of the marine environment, for, inter  alia, the protection and conservation of the natural resources of the Area and for the  prevention of damage to the flora and fauna of the marine environment from harmful  effects that may arise from activities in the Area;     62. Notes that, as at 10 August 2017, the Authority had approved 29 plans of  work for exploration for marine mineral resources in the Area;    63. Notes with appreciation the decision taken by the Council of the Authority  at its twenty-third session, to approve an application for extension of an approved  plan of work for exploration for polymetallic nodules, pursuant to section 1,  paragraph 9, of the annex to the Part XI Agreement;33     64. Welcomes the progress of the work of the Authority on draft regulations  for exploitation of mineral resources in the Area, takes note of the development of a  __________________    33 See ISBA/23/C/15.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  16/55    road map for adoption and approval of such regulations, and encourages the Authority  to continue its work on the draft regulations as a matter of priority and to provide  sufficient opportunities and time for substantive consideration and discussion of  successive drafts;    65. Notes that all States Parties to the Convention and other stakeholders are  invited to provide input on the draft regulations by 17 November 2017, and no later  than 31 December 2017;34     66. Recalls the relevance of the advisory opinion on the responsibilities and  obligations of States sponsoring persons and entities with respect to activities in the  Area, issued by the Seabed Disputes Chamber of the Tribunal on 1 February 2011;35     67. Recognizes the importance of the responsibilities entrusted to the  Authority by articles 143 and 145 of the Convention, which refer to marine scientific  research and protection of the marine environment in the Area, respectively;    68. Welcomes the decision of the Assembly, at the twenty-third session of the  Authority, in approving the final report on the first periodic review of the international  regime of the Area pursuant to article 154 of the Convention;36     69. Also welcomes the decision of the Assembly, in the context of the first  periodic review of the international regime of the Area pursuant to article 154 of  the Convention, to request the Secretary-General of the Authority, in view of the  importance of a long-term plan defining the strategic direction and aims of the  Authority, to submit a draft strategic plan to the Assembly for consideration at its  twenty-fourth session, in 2018, and to regularly inform member States on progress  with respect to this plan;36    70. Encourages the Authority to continue its work towards the standardization  of marine bathymetric information collected in the Area, in cooperation with relevant  international  organizations, including the Intergovernmental  Oceanographic  Commission and the International Hydrographic Organization, particularly under the  Seabed 2030 project;37     71. Notes that a workshop dedicated to the review of the status of  implementation of the environmental management plan for the Clarion-Clipperton  Zone will be held during the first half of 2018, and encourages the Authority to make  progress on the development of environmental management plans in other specific  areas in the Area, in particular where there are currently exploration contracts,  recalling paragraph 60 of resolution 70/235;    72. Expresses its appreciation to States that have made contributions to the  voluntary trust fund established pursuant to the decision of the Authority at its eighth  session38 for the purpose of defraying the cost of participation of the members of the  Legal and Technical Commission from developing countries and the members of the  Finance Committee from developing countries in the meetings of the Commission  and of the Committee, and to States that have made contributions to the endowment  fund for marine scientific research in the Area established by the Authority at its  twelfth session,39 for the purpose of promoting and encouraging the conduct of  collaborative marine scientific research in the Area, and encourages States to make  additional contributions to these funds;   __________________    34 See ISBA/23/C/12.    35 See ISBA/17/A/9.    36 See ISBA/23/A/13.    37 See ISBA/23/A/2.    38 ISBA/8/A/11.    39 ISBA/12/A/11.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   17/55  17-21819          VI  Effective functioning of the Authority and the Tribunal      73. Commends the progress in the work of the Authority;     74. Also commends the work of the Tribunal since its establishment;     75. Appeals to all States Parties to the Convention to pay their assessed  contributions to the Tribunal in full and on time, and also appeals to States Parties in  arrears with their contributions to fulfil their obligations without delay;     76. Expresses serious concern about the number of States Parties to the  Convention in arrears with their assessed contributions to the Authority, appeals to all  States Parties to the Convention to pay their assessed contributions to the Authority  in full and on time, and urges them to fulfil their obligations without delay, in  particular those States whose exercise of voting rights has been suspended by virtue  of article 184 of the Convention, and invites the Secretary-General of the Authority  to continue his efforts to recover arrears, including bilateral efforts;    77. Expresses concern about the low attendance at the annual sessions of the  Assembly of the Authority, notes that the Assembly has endorsed the revised schedule  of meetings for 2018 and 2019, including two meetings of the Council of the  Authority to be held in March and July 2018, respectively, welcomes the decision of  the Assembly to request the Secretary-General of the Authority to establish a  voluntary trust fund for the purpose of defraying the cost of participation of members  of the Council from developing States in its second annual meeting, and encourages  member States, observers and other stakeholders to contribute financially to the  voluntary trust fund;36     78.  Recognizes the ongoing efforts of the Authority to organize sensitization  seminars to promote awareness of its work, and notes in this regard the holding of the  workshop entitled “Marine mineral resources of Africa’s continental shelf and adjacent  international seabed area: prospects for the sustainable development of Africa’s  maritime domain, in support of Africa’s blue economy”, in Kampala from 2 to 4 May  2017, and calls upon other States and regions to consider inviting the Authority to  organize such seminars in order to promote wider participation by the international  community in the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources in the Area;     79. Calls upon States that have not done so to consider ratifying or acceding  to the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the Tribunal 40 and to the  Protocol on the Privileges and Immunities of the Authority; 41     80. Emphasizes the importance of the rules and staff regulations of the  Tribunal in promoting the recruitment of a geographically representative staff in the  Professional and higher categories, and welcomes the actions taken by the Tribunal  in observance of those rules and regulations;     81. Calls upon coastal States that have not yet done so to deposit a copy of  charts or lists of geographical coordinates showing the outer limit lines of the  continental shelf with the Secretary-General of the Authority, as provided for in  article 84, paragraph 2, of the Convention;    __________________    40 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2167, No. 37925.    41 Ibid., vol. 2214, No. 39357.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  18/55        VII  The continental shelf and the work of the Commission      82. Recalls that, in accordance with article 76, paragraph 8, of the Convention,  information on the limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles from the  baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured shall be submitted  by the coastal State to the Commission set up under annex II to the Convention on  the basis of equitable geographical representation, that the Commission shall make  recommendations to coastal States on matters related to the establishment of the outer  limits of their continental shelf, and that the limits of the shelf established by a coastal  State on the basis of these recommendations shall be final and binding;     83. Also recalls that, in accordance with article 77, paragraph 3, of the  Convention, the rights of the coastal State over the continental shelf do not depend  on occupation, effective or notional, or on any express proclamation;     84. Notes with satisfaction that a considerable number of States Parties to the  Convention have submitted information to the Commission regarding the  establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles,  in conformity with article 76 of the Convention and article 4 of annex II to the  Convention, taking into account the decision of the eleventh Meeting of States Parties  to the Convention contained in SPLOS/72, paragraph (a);     85. Also notes with satisfaction that a considerable number of States Parties to  the Convention have submitted to the Secretary-General, pursuant to the decision of  the eighteenth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention, 42 preliminary information  indicative of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles and a  description of the status of preparation and intended date of submission in accordance  with the requirements of article 76 of the Convention and with the Rules of Procedure  and the Scientific and Technical Guidelines of the Commission, and notes with  satisfaction that additional submissions referred to in preliminary information have  been filed with the Commission;     86. Further notes with satisfaction the progress in the work of the  Commission43 and that it is giving current consideration to a number of submissions  that have been made regarding the establishment of the outer limits of the continental  shelf beyond 200 nautical miles;     87. Takes note of the 29 recommendations made by the Commission on the  submissions of a number of coastal States, and welcomes the fact that summaries of  recommendations are being made publicly available in accordance with  paragraph 11.3 of annex III to the Rules of Procedure of the Commission;     88. Notes that the consideration by the Commission of submissions by coastal  States in accordance with article 76 of and annex II to the Convention is without  prejudice to the application of other parts of the Convention by States Parties;     89. Also notes the considerable number of submissions yet to be considered  by the Commission and the demands that this places on its members and the  secretariat as provided by the Division, and emphasizes the need to ensure that the  Commission can perform its functions expeditiously, efficiently and effectively and  maintain its high level of quality and expertise;     90. Takes note with appreciation of the decision of the Commission at its  forty-fourth session to continue to extend the duration of its sessions for 2018 to three  __________________    42 See SPLOS/183.    43 See CLCS/98, CLCS/100 and CLCS/101.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   19/55  17-21819    sessions of seven weeks each, including plenary meetings, 44 and further notes the  decision of the Commission to establish new subcommissions so that nine  subcommissions would actively consider submissions;45     91. Notes that the Meeting of States Parties to the Convention, in its decisions  regarding the conditions of service of the members of the Commission,46 reaffirmed  the obligation of States under the Convention whose experts were serving on the  Commission to defray the expenses of the experts they had nominated while the  experts are in performance of Commission duties, including the provision of medical  coverage, and urged those States to do their utmost to ensure the full participation of  those experts in the work of the Commission, including the meetings of  subcommissions, in accordance with the Convention;     92. Also notes the decision of the twenty-seventh Meeting of States Parties to  the Convention to continue the consideration of the conditions of service of the  members of the Commission within the open-ended working group established by the  twenty-third Meeting of States Parties to the Convention;5     93. Requests the Secretary-General to continue to take appropriate measures,  within overall existing resource levels, to further strengthen the capacity of the  Division, serving as the secretariat of the Commission, in order to ensure enhanced  support and assistance to the Commission and its subcommissions in their  consideration of submissions, as required by paragraph 9 of annex III to the Rules of  Procedure of the Commission, in particular its human resources, taking into account  the need for simultaneous work on several submissions;     94. Urges the Secretary-General to continue to provide all necessary  secretariat services to the Commission in accordance with article 2, paragraph 5, of  annex II to the Convention;     95. Requests the Secretary-General to take appropriate and timely measures to  ensure secretariat services for the Commission and its subcommissions for the  extended duration of time requested in the decisions of the twenty-first17 and twenty- sixth18 Meetings of States Parties to the Convention;     96. Also requests the Secretary-General, consequently, to continue to allocate  appropriate and sufficient resources to the Division to provide adequate services and  assistance to the Commission in view of the number of its working weeks;     97. Expresses its appreciation to States that have made contributions to the  voluntary trust fund established pursuant to resolution 55/7 for the purpose of  facilitating the preparation of submissions to the Commission, 28 and encourages  States, international financial institutions, donor agencies, intergovernmental  organizations, non-governmental organizations and natural and juridical persons to  make additional contributions to this fund;    98. Also expresses its appreciation to States that have made contributions to  the voluntary trust fund established pursuant to resolution 55/7 for the purpose of  defraying the cost of participation of the members of the Commission from  developing States in the meetings of the Commission,28 expresses its serious concern  at the critical lack of funds in this trust fund, urges States, international financial  institutions, donor agencies, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental  organizations and natural and juridical persons to make additional contributions to it,  and authorizes the use, as appropriate, of the trust fund, and in accordance with the  purpose of its terms of reference, to defray the cost of the participation of the Chair  __________________    44 See CLCS/100.    45 See CLCS/80, CLCS/80/Corr.1, CLCS/83 and CLCS/83/Corr.1.    46 SPLOS/276 and SPLOS/286.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  20/55    of the Commission, when nominated by a developing country, in the Meetings of  States Parties to the Convention;     99. Authorizes the Secretary-General, as an interim measure and subject to the  availability of funds in the trust fund referred to in paragraph 98 above, following the  allocation of the required funds to cover the costs of travel and daily subsistence  allowance of the members of the Commission from developing States for the sessions  of the Commission in 2018, to reimburse those members for the costs of medical  travel insurance from that trust fund on a session-by-session basis and subject to a  reasonable limit that the Secretary-General shall determine, based on the information  regarding medical travel insurance available to him;    100. Takes note of the written information, provided by the Secretary-General  in response to the request in paragraph 81 of resolution 69/245, on options for  mechanisms to provide medical insurance coverage to members of the Commission,  including costs, and the information provided by the Secretariat during the twenty- seventh Meeting of States Parties to the Convention, and expresses its intention to  continue to consider these and other options and, if necessary, to further review the  terms of reference for the trust fund established pursuant to resolution 55/7 for the  purpose of facilitating the participation of members of the Commission from  developing States in the meetings of the Commission;     101. Emphasizes the continued need for members of the Commission to have  suitable working space for their work at the sessions of the Commission and its  subcommissions, recognizes, with regard to the long-term accommodation  discussions, that, owing to its exceptional character, the Commission has special  requirements for its working space, including the need for fit-for-purpose working  space, adequate technical equipment and climate control, and needs to remain located  within the same premises as the Division, and emphasizes that, in the context of any  relocation of the Division or any change in its working space, full regard will be paid  to these special requirements of the Commission;    102. Approves the convening by the Secretary-General of the forty-sixth, forty- seventh and forty-eighth sessions of the Commission, in New York, from 29 January  to 16 March 2018, from 16 July to 31 August 2018 and from 15 October to  30 November 2018, respectively, with full conference services, including  documentation, for the plenary parts of these sessions, 47 as well as any resumed  sessions as may be required by the Commission, and requests the Secretary-General  to make every effort to meet these requirements within overall existing resources;     103. Welcomes the convening of a half-day open meeting of the Commission  on 10 March 2017, during its forty-third session, to commemorate the twentieth  anniversary of its establishment;48     104. Expresses its firm conviction about the importance of the work of the  Commission, carried out in accordance with the Convention as well as in accordance  with its Rules of Procedure, including with respect to the participation of coastal  States in relevant proceedings concerning their submissions, and recognizes the  continued need for active interaction between coastal States and the Commission;    105. Expresses its appreciation to States that have exchanged views in order to  increase understanding of issues, including expenditures involved, arising from the  application of article 76 of the Convention, thus facilitating the preparation of  __________________    47 From 5 to 9 February and from 5 to 9 March 2018 during the forty-sixth session, and from 6 to  10 August and from 27 to 31 August 2018 during the forty-seventh session.    48 See CLCS/98.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   21/55  17-21819    submissions by States, in particular developing States, to the Commission, and  encourages States to continue to exchange views;     106. Requests the Secretary-General, in cooperation with Member States, to  continue to support workshops or symposiums on scientific and technical aspects of  the establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical  miles, taking into account the need to strengthen capacity-building for developing  countries in preparing their submissions;         VIII  Maritime safety and security and flag State implementation      107. Encourages States to ratify or accede to international agreements  addressing the safety and security of navigation, as well as maritime labour, and to  adopt the necessary measures consistent with the Convention and other relevant  international instruments aimed at implementing and enforcing the rules contained in  those agreements, and emphasizes the need for capacity-building for and assistance  to developing States;     108. Recognizes that the legal regimes governing maritime safety and maritime  security may have common and mutually reinforcing objectives that may be  interrelated and could benefit from synergies, and encourages States to take this into  account in their implementation;     109. Emphasizes the need for further efforts to promote a culture of safety and  security in the shipping industry and to address the shortage of adequately trained  personnel, and urges the establishment of more centres to provide the required  education and training;     110. Also emphasizes that safety and security measures should be implemented  in support of and with minimal negative effects on seafarers and fishers, especially in  relation to their working conditions, and welcomes the ongoing cooperation between  the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International  Labour Organization in relation to decent work and employment in fisheries and  aquaculture and on child labour in fisheries and aquaculture, as well as the work that  has been conducted by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the  International Labour Organization on the issue of trafficking in persons and forced  labour on fishing vessels;     111. Welcomes the consideration by the International Maritime Organization of  the fair treatment of seafarers, and recalls the adoption by the Organization on  4 December 2013 of resolution A.1090(28) on the fair treatment of crew members in  respect of shore leave and access to shore-side facilities;     112. Notes the theme for the 2017 World Maritime Day, “Connecting ships,  ports and people”;     113. Invites States that have not yet done so to become parties to the  International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping  for Seafarers, 1978,49 as amended, and the International Convention on Standards of  Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel, 1995;    114. Acknowledges the entry into force of the Work in Fishing Convention,  2007 (No. 188), the Seafarers’ Identity Documents Convention (Revised), 2003  (No. 185)50 and the Protocol to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) of the  International Labour Organization, encourages States that have not yet done so to  __________________    49 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1361, No. 23001.    50 Ibid., vol. 2304, No. 41069.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  22/55    consider becoming parties to them as well as to the Maritime Labour Convention,  2006, as amended, calls upon States to effectively implement their obligations under  those instruments, and emphasizes the need to provide to States, at their request,  technical cooperation and assistance in this regard;     115. Invites States to ratify or accede to the Cape Town Agreement of 2012 on  the Implementation of the Provisions of the Torremolinos Protocol of 1993 relating  to the Torremolinos International Convention for the Safety of Fishing Vessels, 1977;     116. Welcomes ongoing cooperation between the Food and Agriculture  Organization of the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization and the  International Labour Organization relating to the safety of fishers and fishing vessels,  and underlines the urgent need for continued work in that area;     117. Notes the adoption by the Assembly of the International Maritime  Organization of resolution A.1078(28) of 4 December 2013 which revised the  International Maritime Organization ship identification number scheme to allow its  voluntary application to seagoing ships of 100 gross tonnage and above, including  fishing vessels;     118. Recalls that all actions taken to combat threats to maritime security must  be in accordance with international law, including the principles embodied in the  Charter of the United Nations and the Convention;     119. Recognizes the crucial role of international cooperation at the global,  regional, subregional and bilateral levels in combating, in accordance with  international law, threats to maritime security, including piracy, armed robbery  against ships at sea and terrorist acts against shipping, offshore installations and other  maritime interests, through bilateral and multilateral instruments and mechanisms  aimed at monitoring, preventing and responding to such threats, the enhanced sharing  of information among States relevant to the detection, prevention and suppression of  such threats, and the prosecution of offenders with due regard to national legislation,  and the need for sustained capacity-building to support such objectives, and in this  regard welcomes the Work Plan for Maritime Security 2015–2017, which was  reaffirmed at the twenty-fourth Regional Forum of the Association of Southeast Asian  Nations, held in Manila on 7 August 2017;     120. Welcomes the adoption by the African Union Extraordinary Summit of  Heads of State and Government on Maritime Security and Safety and Development  in Africa of the Charter on Maritime Security and Safety and Development in Africa;     121. Acknowledges the work of the Commission on Crime Prevention and  Criminal Justice in promoting international cooperation and strengthening capacity  to combat the problem of transnational organized crime committed at sea;    122. Notes with concern that piracy and armed robbery at sea affect a wide  range of vessels engaged in maritime activities, and expresses grave concern at the  threats posed by piracy and armed robbery at sea to the safety and welfare of seafarers  and other persons;    123. Emphasizes the importance of promptly reporting incidents to enable  accurate information on the scope of the problem of piracy and armed robbery against  ships at sea and, in the case of armed robbery against ships at sea, by affected vessels  to the coastal State, underlines the importance of effective information-sharing with  States potentially affected by incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships at  sea, notes with appreciation the important role of the International Maritime  Organization and the important contribution of the Information Sharing Centre of the  Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against  Ships in Asia, based in Singapore, which aspires to be recognized as a centre of   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   23/55  17-21819    excellence within its purpose and mandate, and notes also the Maritime Domain  Awareness for Trade – Gulf of Guinea mechanism and the United Kingdom Maritime  Trade Operations covering the high-risk area;    124. Urges all States, in cooperation with the International Maritime  Organization, to actively combat piracy and armed robbery at sea by adopting  measures, including those relating to assistance with capacity-building through  training of seafarers, port staff and enforcement personnel in the prevention, reporting  and investigation of incidents, by bringing the alleged perpetrators to justice, in  accordance with international law, and by adopting national legislation, as well as by  providing enforcement vessels and equipment and guarding against fraudulent ship  registration;     125. Encourages States to ensure effective implementation of international law  applicable to combating piracy, as reflected in the Convention, calls upon States to  take appropriate steps under their national law to facilitate, in accordance with  international law, the apprehension and prosecution of those who are alleged to have  committed acts of piracy, including the financing or facilitation of such acts, also  taking into account other relevant instruments that are consistent with the Convention,  and encourages States to cooperate, as appropriate, with a view to developing their  national legislation in this regard;     126. Invites all States, the International Maritime Organization, the  International Labour Organization and other relevant international organizations and  agencies to adopt or recommend, as appropriate, measures to protect the interest and  welfare of seafarers and fishers who are victims of pirates, after their release from  captivity, including their post-incident care and reintegration into society;     127. Notes the ongoing cooperation between the International Maritime  Organization, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Division with  respect to the compilation of national legislation on piracy, also notes that copies of  national legislation received by the Secretariat have been placed on the website of the  Division, and encourages the aforementioned bodies to further cooperate with the  view to assisting Member States, upon request, in developing their national laws on  piracy;     128. Recognizes continued national, bilateral and trilateral initiatives, as well  as regional cooperative mechanisms, in accordance with international law, to address  piracy, including the financing or facilitation of acts of piracy, and armed robbery at  sea, and calls upon States to give immediate attention to adopting, concluding and  implementing cooperation agreements at the regional level on combating piracy and  armed robbery against ships;    129. Expresses serious concern at the inhuman conditions hostages taken at sea  face in captivity and also the adverse impact on their families, calls for the immediate  release of all hostages taken at sea, and stresses the importance of cooperation among  Member States on the issue of hostage-taking at sea;     130. Welcomes, in this regard, the ongoing work of the United Nations Office  on Drugs and Crime Hostage Support Programme, funded by the Board of the Trust  Fund to Support Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, in  securing the release of seafarers held hostage off the coast of Somalia; 51     131. Also welcomes the recent achievements against piracy and armed robbery  at sea off the coast of Somalia resulting from efforts at the global and regional levels,  which have resulted in a steady decline in pirate attacks as well as hijackings since  2011, in that regard continues to be gravely concerned by the ongoing threat that  __________________    51 See S/2013/623, paras. 11–13, and S/2014/740, para. 10.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  24/55    piracy and armed robbery at sea continue to pose in the region off the coast of  Somalia, notes the adoption by the Security Council of resolution 2383 (2017) of  7 November 2017, as well as the statements by the President of the Council of  25 August 201052 and of 19 November 2012,53 also notes that the authorization in  resolution 2383 (2017) and relevant resolutions54 apply only with respect to the  situation in Somalia and shall not affect the rights, obligations or responsibilities of  Member States under international law, including any rights or obligations under the  Convention, with respect to any other situation, and underscores, in particular, that  they shall not be considered as establishing customary international law;    132. Notes the continued efforts within the Contact Group on Piracy off the  Coast of Somalia, following the adoption of Security Council resolution 1851 (2008)  of 16 December 2008, and commends the contributions of all States in the efforts to  fight piracy off the coast of Somalia;     133. Takes note of the outcome of the London Conference on Somalia held on  11 May 2017, and the commitment of the Federal Government of Somalia and federal  member states of Somalia to developing their maritime security capabilities;    134. Recognizes the primary responsibility of the Federal Government of  Somalia in combating piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia,  acknowledges the importance of a comprehensive and sustainable settlement of the  situation in Somalia, and emphasizes the need to address the underlying causes of  piracy and to assist Somalia and States in the region, at their request, in strengthening  institutional capacity to fight piracy and tackle its underlying causes, including the  financing or facilitation of acts of piracy, and armed robbery against ships off the  coast of Somalia and to bring to justice those involved in such acts;    135. Notes the International Maritime Organization guidelines to assist in the  investigation of the crimes of piracy and armed robbery against ships, revised interim  guidance to shipowners, ship operators and shipmasters on the use of privately  contracted armed security personnel on board ships in the high-risk area, revised  interim recommendations for flag States regarding the use of privately contracted  armed security personnel on board ships in the high-risk area, revised interim  recommendations for port and coastal States regarding the use of privately contracted  armed security personnel on board ships in the high-risk area, interim guidance to  private maritime security companies providing privately contracted armed security  personnel on board ships in the high-risk area, and interim guidance for flag States  on measures to prevent and mitigate Somalia-based piracy;     136. Welcomes the successful prosecution of piracy cases in Belgium, India,  Mauritius and Seychelles during the past year, as well as the successful cooperation  between China and Somalia in transferring suspected pirates in May 2017, while  noting with concern that the continuing limited capacity and domestic legislation to  facilitate the custody and prosecution of suspected pirates after their capture has  hindered more robust international action against pirates off the coast of Somalia;    137. Encourages States to ensure that ships flying their flag apply ship security  measures approved in accordance with national and international law;     138. Notes the efforts made by the shipping industry to cooperate with the  efforts by States regarding piracy off the coast of Somalia, in particular in assisting  ships that navigate in that area, and recalls the adoption on 30 November 2011 by the  __________________    52 S/PRST/2010/16; see Resolutions and Decisions of the Security Council, 1 August 2010–31 July  2011 (S/INF/66).    53 S/PRST/2012/24; see Resolutions and Decisions of the Security Council, 1 August 2012–31 July  2013 (S/INF/68).    54 See Security Council resolution 2316 (2016), first preambular paragraph.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   25/55  17-21819    Assembly of the International Maritime Organization of resolution A.1044(27) on  piracy and armed robbery against ships in waters off the coast of Somalia;    139. Also notes the continued implementation of the Code of Conduct  concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western  Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden (Djibouti Code of Conduct), adopted on  29 January 2009 under the auspices of the International Maritime Organization, in the  four thematic areas of information-sharing, training, national legislation and capacity- building, and notes the adoption in January 2017 of the Jeddah Amendment to the  Djibouti Code of Conduct;    140. Expresses its deep concern at the continuing incidents of piracy and armed  robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, in particular violence against innocent crew  members of vessels, notes the adoption by the Security Council of resolutions  2018 (2011) of 31 October 2011 and 2039 (2012) of 29 February 2012 and the  statement by the President of the Council of 25 April 2016,55 supports the recent  efforts to address this problem at the global and regional levels, recalls the primary  role of States in the region to counter the threat and address the underlying causes of  piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, welcomes the adoption in  Yaoundé on 25 June 2013 of the Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of  Piracy, Armed Robbery against Ships, and Illegal Maritime Activity in West and  Central Africa, and calls upon States in the region to implement the Code of Conduct  as soon as possible and consistent with international law, in particular the Convention;     141. Urges States to ensure the full implementation of resolution A.1069(28) of  the Assembly of the International Maritime Organization on prevention and  suppression of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in the  Gulf of Guinea;     142. Calls upon States that have not yet done so to become parties to the  Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime  Navigation56 and the Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety  of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf,56 invites States that have not yet  done so to consider becoming parties to the 2005 Protocol to the Convention for the  Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation 57 and the  2005 Protocol to the 1988 Protocol for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the  Safety of Fixed Platforms Located on the Continental Shelf, 58 and urges States parties  to take appropriate measures to ensure the effective implementation of those  instruments through the adoption of legislation, where appropriate;     143. Calls upon States to effectively implement the International Ship and Port  Facility Security Code and the amendments to the International Convention for the  Safety of Life at Sea,59 and to work with the International Maritime Organization to  promote safe and secure shipping while ensuring freedom of navigation;     144. Urges all States, in cooperation with the International Maritime  Organization, to improve the protection of offshore installations by adopting  measures related to the prevention, reporting and investigation of acts of violence  against installations, in accordance with international law, and by implementing such  measures through national legislation to ensure proper and adequate enforcement;   __________________    55 S/PRST/2016/4.    56 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1678, No. 29004.    57 International Maritime Organization, document LEG/CONF.15/21.    58 International Maritime Organization, document LEG/CONF.15/22.    59 International Maritime Organization, documents SOLAS/CONF.5/32 and 34, and document  MSC 81/25/Add.1, annex 2, resolution MSC.202(81), introducing the long-range identification  and tracking of ships system.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  26/55      145. Emphasizes the progress in regional cooperation, including the efforts of  littoral States, on the enhancement of safety, security and environmental protection in  the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, and the effective functioning of the Cooperative  Mechanism on Safety of Navigation and Environmental Protection in the Straits of  Malacca and Singapore (the Cooperative Mechanism) to promote dialogue and  facilitate close cooperation between the littoral States, user States, shipping industries  and other stakeholders in line with article 43 of the Convention, notes with  appreciation the convening of the tenth Cooperation Forum, in Kota Kinabalu,  Malaysia, on 2 and 3 October 2017, the tenth Project Coordination Committee  Meeting, in Kota Kinabalu on 4 October 2017, the forty-second Tripartite Technical  Experts Group Meeting, in Kota Kinabalu on 5 and 6 October 2017, and the  eighteenth and nineteenth Aids to Navigation Fund Committee Meetings, in  Singapore, on 11 and 12 April 2017 and 14 and 15 September 2017, respectively, the  events being key pillars of the Cooperative Mechanism, also notes with appreciation  the important role of the Information Sharing Centre of the Regional Cooperation  Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, based in  Singapore, and calls upon States to give immediate attention to adopting, concluding  and implementing cooperation agreements at the regional level;     146. Recognizes that some transnational organized criminal activities threaten  legitimate uses of the oceans and endanger the lives of people at sea, as well as the  livelihoods and security of coastal communities;     147. Notes that transnational organized criminal activities are diverse and may  be interrelated in some cases and that criminal organizations are adaptive and take  advantage of the vulnerabilities of States, in particular coastal and small island  developing States in transit areas, and calls upon States and relevant  intergovernmental organizations to increase cooperation and coordination at all levels  to detect and suppress the smuggling of migrants, trafficking in persons and illicit  trafficking in firearms, in accordance with international law;     148. Recognizes the importance of enhancing international cooperation at all  levels to fight transnational organized criminal activities, including illicit traffic in  narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, within the scope of the United Nations  instruments against illicit drug trafficking, as well as the smuggling of migrants,  trafficking in persons and illicit trafficking in firearms and criminal activities at sea  falling within the scope of the United Nations Convention against Transnational  Organized Crime;60     149. Encourages States to cooperate at the bilateral, regional and global levels  to prevent, combat and eradicate illicit trafficking in protected species of wild fauna  and flora where such trafficking occurs via maritime routes, through, inter alia, the  use of applicable international legal instruments as appropriate, such as the United  Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the United Nations  Convention against Corruption61 and the Convention on International Trade in  Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora,62 and reiterates its call upon Member  States expressed in its resolution 71/326 of 11 September 2017 to make illicit  trafficking in protected species of wild fauna and flora a serious crime, in accordance  with their national legislation and as defined in article 2 (b) and article 3,  paragraph 1 (b), of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized  Crime, in order to ensure that, where the offence is transnational in nature and  involves an organized criminal group, effective international cooperation can be  __________________    60 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 2225, No. 39574.    61 Ibid., vol. 2349, No. 42146.    62 Ibid., vol. 993, No. 14537.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   27/55  17-21819    afforded under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized  Crime to prevent and combat transnational organized crime;    150. Notes with grave concern the recent proliferation of, and endangerment of  lives through, the smuggling of migrants by sea, underscores the necessity to address  such situations in accordance with applicable international law, and encourages  States, acting nationally or through relevant global or regional organizations, as  appropriate, to provide technical assistance and capacity-building to flag, port and  coastal States, upon request, to enhance their capabilities to prevent smuggling of  migrants and human trafficking by sea;     151. Calls upon States, in that context, to take measures in accordance with  relevant international obligations to prevent and combat all forms of trafficking in  persons, to identify victims of human trafficking, including among migrant flows, and  to provide trafficking victims with appropriate protection and assistance, according  to their national law and policy;     152. Calls upon States that have not yet done so to consider becoming parties  to the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air,  supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized  Crime,63 the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms,  Their Parts and Components and Ammunition, supplementing the United Nations  Convention against Transnational Organized Crime,64 and the Protocol to Prevent,  Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children,  supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized  Crime,65 and to take appropriate measures to ensure their effective implementation;     153. Calls upon States to ensure freedom of navigation, the safety of navigation  and the rights of transit passage, archipelagic sea lanes passage and innocent passage  in accordance with international law, in particular the Convention;     154. Welcomes the work of the International Maritime Organization relating to  the protection of shipping lanes of strategic importance and significance, and in  particular in enhancing safety, security and environmental protection in straits used  for international navigation, and calls upon that Organization, States bordering straits  and user States to continue their cooperation to keep such straits safe, secure and  environmentally protected and open to international navigation at all times, consistent  with international law, in particular the Convention;     155. Calls upon user States and States bordering straits used for international  navigation to continue to cooperate by agreement on matters relating to navigational  safety, including safety aids for navigation, and the prevention, reduction and control  of pollution from ships, and welcomes developments in this regard;     156. Calls upon States that have accepted the amendments to regulation XI-1/6  of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, 66 to implement the  Code of International Standards and Recommended Practices for a Safety  Investigation into a Marine Casualty or Marine Incident, 67 which took effect on  1 January 2010, and, in particular, to comply with the mandatory submission of a  marine safety investigation report to the International Maritime Organization for  __________________    63 Ibid., vol. 2241, No. 39574.    64 Ibid., vol. 2326, No. 39574.    65 Ibid., vol. 2237, No. 39574.    66 International Maritime Organization, document MSC 84/24/Add.1, annex 3, resolution  MSC.257(84).    67 International Maritime Organization, document MSC 84/24/Add.1, annex 1, resolution  MSC.255(84).   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  28/55    every marine safety investigation conducted into a very serious marine casualty to  identify trends and develop knowledge and risk-based recommendations;    157. Notes the adoption by the Assembly of the International Maritime  Organization at its twenty-eighth session of the resolution on guidelines on the  preservation and collection of evidence following an allegation of a serious crime  having taken place on board a ship or following a report of a missing person from a  ship, and pastoral and medical care of persons affected;68     158. Recognizes the important work of the International Hydrographic  Organization, calls upon States that have not yet done so to consider becoming  members of that Organization, encourages all its members to actively consider, in  accordance with applicable rules and procedures, applications of States that wish to  become members of that Organization, and urges all States to work with that  Organization to increase the coverage of hydrographic information on a global basis  to enhance capacity-building and technical assistance and to promote safe navigation,  particularly through the production and use of accurate electronic navigational charts,  especially in areas used for international navigation, in ports and where there are  vulnerable or protected marine areas;     159. Also recognizes the importance of navigational warning services based on  marine meteorological data for the safety of ships and lives at sea and the optimization  of navigation routes, and notes the collaboration between the World Meteorological  Organization and the International Maritime Organization for the enhancement of  these services and their extension to the Arctic region;     160. Encourages States to continue their efforts in the implementation of all  areas of the Action Plan for the Safety of Transport of Radioactive Material, approved  by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency in March 2004;     161. Notes that cessation of the transport of radioactive materials through the  regions of small island developing States is an ultimate desired goal of small island  developing States and some other countries, and recognizes the right of freedom of  navigation in accordance with international law; that States should maintain dialogue  and consultation, in particular under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy  Agency and the International Maritime Organization, with the aim of improved  mutual understanding, confidence-building and enhanced communication in relation  to the safe maritime transport of radioactive materials; that States involved in the  transport of such materials are urged to continue to engage in dialogue with small  island developing States and other States to address their concerns; and that these  concerns include the further development and strengthening, within the appropriate  forums, of international regulatory regimes to enhance safety, disclosure, liability,  security and compensation in relation to such transport;     162. Acknowledges, in the context of paragraph 161 above, the potential  environmental and economic impacts of maritime incidents and accidents on coastal  States, in particular those related to the transport of radioactive materials, and  emphasizes the importance of effective liability regimes in that regard;     163. Encourages States to draw up plans and to establish procedures to  implement the Guidelines on Places of Refuge for Ships in Need of Assistance  adopted by the International Maritime Organization on 5 December 2003;69   __________________    68 International Maritime Organization, Assembly resolution A.1091(28).    69 International Maritime Organization, Assembly resolution A.949(23).   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   29/55  17-21819      164. Invites States that have not yet done so to consider becoming parties to the  Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks, 2007; 70     165. Requests States to take appropriate measures with regard to ships flying  their flag or of their registry to address hazards that may be caused by wrecks and  drifting or sunken cargo to navigation or the marine environment;     166. Calls upon States to ensure that masters on ships flying their flag take the  steps required by relevant instruments71 to provide assistance to persons in distress at  sea, and urges States to cooperate and to take all measures necessary to ensure the  effective implementation of the amendments to the International Convention on  Maritime Search and Rescue72 and to the International Convention for the Safety of  Life at Sea73 relating to the delivery of persons rescued at sea to a place of safety, as  well as of the associated Guidelines on the Treatment of Persons Rescued at Sea; 74     167. Recognizes that all States must fulfil their search and rescue  responsibilities in accordance with international law, including the Convention,  reaffirms the ongoing need for the International Maritime Organization and other  relevant organizations to assist, in particular, developing States both to increase and  improve their search and rescue capabilities, including, as appropriate, through the  establishment of additional rescue coordination centres and regional sub-centres, and  to take effective action to address, to the extent feasible, the issue of unseaworthy  ships and small craft within their national jurisdiction, and emphasizes in this regard  the importance of cooperation for these purposes, including within the framework of  the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979; 75     168. Notes the ongoing work of the International Maritime Organization, the  Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other relevant  actors in relation to disembarkation of persons rescued at sea, notes in this regard the  need to implement all relevant and applicable international instruments and the  importance of cooperation among States as provided for in those instruments, and  underlines in particular the importance of full respect for the principle of  non-refoulement in accordance with applicable international law;     169. Invites States to implement the Revised Guidelines on the Prevention of  Access by Stowaways and the Allocation of Responsibilities to Seek the Successful  Resolution of Stowaway Cases adopted by the International Maritime Organization  on 2 December 2010;76     170. Calls upon States to continue to cooperate in developing comprehensive  approaches to international migration and development, including through dialogue  on all their aspects;   __________________    70 International Maritime Organization, document LEG/CONF.16/19.    71 Convention on International Civil Aviation, 1944, annex 12, International Convention for the  Safety of Life at Sea, 1974, International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue, 1979, as  amended, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982, and International Convention  on Salvage, 1989.    72 International Maritime Organization, document MSC 78/26/Add.1, annex 5, resolution  MSC.155(78).    73 International Maritime Organization, document MSC 78/26/Add.1, annex 3, resolution  MSC.153(78).    74 International Maritime Organization, document MSC 78/26/Add.2, annex 34, resolution  MSC.167(78).    75 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1405, No. 23489.    76 International Maritime Organization, document MSC 88/26/Add.1, annex 6, resolution  MSC.312(88).   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  30/55      171. Also calls upon States to take measures to protect fibre-optic submarine  cables and to fully address issues relating to these cables, in accordance with  international law, as reflected in the Convention;     172. Encourages greater dialogue and cooperation among States and the  relevant regional and global organizations through workshops and seminars on the  protection and maintenance of fibre-optic submarine cables to promote the security  of such critical communications infrastructure;     173. Also encourages the adoption by States of laws and regulations addressing  the breaking or injury of submarine cables or pipelines beneath the high seas done  wilfully or through culpable negligence by a ship flying its flag or by a person subject  to its jurisdiction, in accordance with international law, as reflected in the Convention;     174. Affirms the importance of maintenance, including the repair, of submarine  cables, undertaken in conformity with international law, as reflected in the  Convention;     175. Reaffirms that flag, port and coastal States all bear responsibility for  ensuring the effective implementation and enforcement of international instruments  relating to maritime security and safety, in accordance with international law, in  particular the Convention, and that flag States have primary responsibility that  requires further strengthening, including through increased transparency of  ownership of vessels and the monitoring of organizations authorized to carry out  surveys and issue certificates on their behalf, taking into account the entry into force  of the Code for Recognized Organizations on 1 January 2015;77     176. Urges flag States without an effective maritime administration and  appropriate legal frameworks to establish or enhance the necessary infrastructure,  legislative and enforcement capabilities to ensure effective compliance with and  implementation and enforcement of their responsibilities under international law, in  particular the Convention, and, until such action is taken, to consider declining the  granting of the right to fly their flag to new vessels, suspending their registry or not  opening a registry, and calls upon flag and port States to take all measures consistent  with international law necessary to prevent the operation of substandard vessels;     177. Recognizes that international shipping rules and standards adopted by the  International Maritime Organization in respect of maritime safety, efficiency of  navigation and the prevention and control of marine pollution, complemented by best  practices of the shipping industry, have led to a significant reduction in maritime  accidents and pollution incidents;     178. Notes that audits of Member States under the International Maritime  Organization Member State Audit Scheme became mandatory in January 2016 under  nine mandatory International Maritime Organization instruments and are to be carried  out in accordance with the Framework and the Procedures for the International  Maritime Organization Member State Audit Scheme and using the International  Maritime Organization Instruments Implementation Code (III Code);78     179. Welcomes the adoption by the International Maritime Organization of the  International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters (Polar Code), under the  International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and the International  Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973, as modified by the  Protocol of 1978 relating thereto, as amended,79 and encourages States and competent  __________________    77 International Maritime Organization, resolutions MSC.349(92) and MEPC.237(65).    78 See International Maritime Organization, Assembly resolutions A.1018(26), A.1067(28),  A.1068(28) and A.1070(28).    79 International Maritime Organization, document MEPC 62/24/Add.1, annex 19, resolution   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   31/55  17-21819    international organizations and bodies to support the effective implementation of the  requirements of the Polar Code, which entered into force on 1 January 2017;80     180. Notes the ongoing work of the International Maritime Organization on  matters related to passenger ship safety in light of recent accidents, and encourages  States and competent international organizations and bodies to support continued  efforts, including technical cooperation activities, to improve passenger ship safety;     181. Recognizes that maritime safety can also be improved through effective  port State control, the strengthening of regional arrangements and increased  coordination and cooperation among them and increased transparency and  information-sharing, making ample use of information systems, such as the  International Maritime Organization Global Integrated Shipping Information  System,81 including among safety and security sectors;     182. Encourages flag States to take appropriate measures sufficient to achieve  or maintain recognition by intergovernmental arrangements that recognize  satisfactory flag State performance, including, as appropriate, satisfactory port State  control examination results on a sustained basis, with a view to improving quality  shipping and furthering flag State implementation of relevant instruments under the  International Maritime Organization as well as relevant goals and objectives of the  present resolution;        IX  Marine environment and marine resources      183. Emphasizes once again the importance of the implementation of Part XII  of the Convention in order to protect and preserve the marine environment and its  living marine resources against pollution and physical degradation, and calls upon all  States to cooperate and take measures consistent with the Convention, directly or  through competent international organizations, for the protection and preservation of  the marine environment;     184. Calls upon States to implement the Sustainable Development Goals  outlined in the outcome document of the United Nations summit for the adoption of  the post-2015 development agenda, entitled “Transforming our world: the 2030  Agenda for Sustainable Development” as adopted by the General Assembly in  resolution 70/1, including Goal 14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas  and marine resources for sustainable development, and recalls that the Goals and  targets are integrated and indivisible;    185. Reiterates, in this regard, the call made in the declaration entitled “Our  ocean, our future: call for action” for action to be taken on an urgent basis to conserve  and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable  development;82    186. Recalls that, in “The future we want”, States noted with concern that the  health of oceans and marine biodiversity are negatively affected by marine pollution,  including marine debris, especially plastic, persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals  and nitrogen-based compounds, from a number of marine and land-based sources,  including shipping and land run-off, and that States committed to take action to reduce  __________________  MEPC.203(62).    80 International Maritime Organization resolutions MSC.385(94) and MEPC.264(68) and related  amendments to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (resolution MSC.386(94)  and the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (resolution  MEPC.265(68).    81 International Maritime Organization, resolutions A.1029(26) and A.1074(28).    82 Resolution 71/312, annex.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  32/55    the incidence and impacts of such pollution on marine ecosystems, including through  the effective implementation of relevant conventions adopted in the framework of the  International Maritime Organization, and the follow-up of relevant initiatives such as  the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from  Land-based Activities,83 as well as the adoption of coordinated strategies to this end,  and that they further committed to take action, by 2025, based on collected scientific  data, to achieve significant reductions in marine debris to prevent harm to the coastal  and marine environment;     187. Encourages States, in accordance with the commitment expressed in “The  future we want” and based on collected scientific data, to take action by 2025 to  achieve significant reductions in marine debris to prevent harm to the coastal and  marine environment;     188. Notes the discussions at the seventeenth meeting of the Informal  Consultative Process, which focused on the theme “Marine debris, plastics and  microplastics” and which, inter alia, highlighted that the size of the problem had  increased exponentially since the topic of marine debris was addressed at the sixth  meeting of the Informal Consultative Process, in 2005, noted that marine debris in  general, and plastics in particular, were some of the greatest environmental concerns  of our time, along with climate change, ocean acidification and loss of biodiversity,  discussed prevention and emphasized the need to address the issue, both downstream,  through improved mechanisms for waste management, disposal and recycling, and  upstream, by addressing consumption and production patterns, including through  awareness-raising campaigns;84    189. Also notes the eighteenth meeting of the Informal Consultative Process,  which focused on the theme “The effects of climate change on oceans”, during which  delegations discussed, inter alia, the environmental, social and economic impacts on  all States, in particular developing States, of the effects of climate change on the  oceans, as well as the urgent need to address such effects and impacts, the need for  international cooperation and coordination, including concerted and immediate action  to combat the effects of climate change on the oceans, as well as the need for  continued coordinated international focus in recognition that, owing to the  interconnected nature of the oceans, ensuing impacts cannot be overcome by any  single State and, in particular, in view of the grave implications for countries with  low-lying coasts, some of whose very existence is under threat;4    190. Further notes the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,  notes with concern its findings on the acidification of the oceans and the substantial  risks to marine ecosystems, especially polar ecosystems, coral reefs, plankton and  other organisms which have a calcareous exoskeleton, or a shell, like crustaceans, and  the potentially detrimental consequences for fisheries and livelihoods, as well as the  findings of the World Meteorological Organization contained in its annual  Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, and notes its decision to foster collaboration with  organizations and institutions that address the carbon budget of the ocean, 85 and in  this regard encourages States and competent international organizations and other  relevant institutions, individually and in cooperation, to urgently pursue further  research on ocean acidification, especially programmes of observation and  measurement, noting in particular the continued work under the Convention on  Biological Diversity86 and paragraphs 6 to 10 of decision XII/23 on marine and  __________________    83 A/51/116, annex II.                        84 See A/71/204.    85 World Meteorological Organization, Seventeenth World Meteorological Congress, Geneva,  25 May–12 June 2015, resolution 46 (Cg-17).    86 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1760, No. 30619.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   33/55  17-21819    coastal biodiversity, adopted at the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties  to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea,  from 6 to 17 October 2014,87 and to increase national, regional and global efforts to  address levels of ocean acidity and the negative impact of such acidity on vulnerable  marine ecosystems, particularly coral reefs;    191. Notes with appreciation that, at its forty-third session, held in Nairobi,  from 11 to 13 April 2016, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change decided to  prepare a special report on climate change and oceans and the cryosphere; 88     192. Recalls that, in “The future we want”, States called for support for  initiatives that address ocean acidification and the impacts of climate change on  marine and coastal ecosystems and resources and in this regard reiterated the need to  work collectively to prevent further ocean acidification, as well as to enhance the  resilience of marine ecosystems and of the communities whose livelihoods depend on  them, and to support marine scientific research, monitoring and observation of ocean  acidification and particularly vulnerable ecosystems, including through enhanced  international cooperation in this regard;     193. Welcomes, in this regard, the holding in Monaco, from 15 to 17 October  2017, of the fourth International Workshop on the Socioeconomic Impacts of Ocean  Acidification, on the theme “From sciences to solutions: ocean acidification impacts  on ecosystem services – case study on coral reefs”, organized by the Scientific Centre  of Monaco and the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre of the  International Atomic Energy Agency;    194. Notes with concern the approximately 30 per cent increase in the acidity  of ocean surface waters since the beginning of the industrial era 89 and the wide range  of impacts associated with the continuing and alarming acidification of the world’s  oceans, and urges States to make significant efforts to tackle the causes of ocean  acidification, recognizing countries’ national circumstances and respective  capabilities, and to further study and minimize its impacts, to enhance local, national,  regional and global cooperation in this regard, including the sharing of relevant  information and the development of worldwide capacity, including in developing  countries, to measure ocean acidification, and to take steps to make marine  ecosystems healthier and, as a result, more resilient, to the extent possible, to the  impacts of ocean acidification;     195. Recognizes the attention paid to ocean acidification at the fourteenth and  eighteenth meetings of the Informal Consultative Process, and commits itself to  continue to pay attention to this important issue, including by taking into account the  First Global Integrated Marine Assessment (the first World Ocean Assessment), the  ongoing work of the Ocean Acidification International Coordination Centre and  the scientific cooperation fostered by the Global Ocean Acidification Observing  Network;     196. Encourages States, individually or in collaboration with relevant  international organizations and bodies, to enhance their scientific activity to better  understand the effects of climate change on the marine environment and marine  biodiversity, support continued coordination of scientific work to study and minimize  the impacts of ocean acidification and develop ways and means of adaptation, taking  into account, as appropriate, the precautionary approach and ecosystem approaches;   __________________    87 See United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/12/29, sect. I.    88 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, decision IPCC/XLIII-6.    89 As stated in the 2013 report of Working Group I of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate  Change on the physical science basis of climate change.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  34/55      197. Notes the vital role that coastal blue carbon ecosystems, including  mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrasses, play in climate adaptation and mitigation  through carbon sequestration, and in increasing the resilience of coastal ecosystems  to ocean acidification, and the range of other benefits that these ecosystems provide,  including sustainable livelihoods, food security and biodiversity conservation, and  coastal protection, and encourages States and relevant international institutions and  organizations to work collaboratively to protect and restore coastal blue carbon  ecosystems;     198. Welcomes the Paris Agreement90 and its early entry into force on  4 November 2016, encourages all its parties to fully implement the Agreement and  parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 91 that have  not yet done so to deposit their instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or  accession, as appropriate, as soon as possible, and recognizes the importance of  raising awareness of the adverse impact of climate change on the marine environment,  marine biodiversity and sea level;    199. Also welcomes, in this regard, the convening of the twenty-third session of  the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on  Climate Change, the thirteenth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the  Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol and the second part of the first session  of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Paris  Agreement in Bonn, Germany, from 6 to 17 November 2017;    200. Encourages States that have not yet done so to become parties to  international agreements addressing the protection and preservation of the marine  environment and its living marine resources against the introduction of harmful  aquatic organisms and pathogens and marine pollution from all sources, including the  dumping of wastes and other matter, and other forms of physical degradation, as well  as agreements that provide for preparedness for, response to and cooperation on  pollution incidents and that include provisions on liability and compensation for  damage resulting from marine pollution, and to adopt the necessary measures  consistent with international law, including the Convention, aimed at implementing  and enforcing the rules contained in those agreements;     201. Recalls that, in “The future we want”, States noted the significant threat  that alien invasive species pose to marine ecosystems and resources and committed  to implement measures to prevent the introduction and manage the adverse  environmental impacts of alien invasive species, including, as appropriate, those  adopted in the framework of the International Maritime Organization;     202. Notes with satisfaction that the conditions for the entry into force of the  International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water  and Sediments, 2004,92 have been fulfilled and that that Convention entered into force  on 8 September 2017, and encourages States that have not yet done so to consider  ratifying or acceding to it;     203. Encourages  States,  directly  or  through  competent  international  organizations, to consider the further development and application, as appropriate and  consistent with international law, including the Convention, of environmental impact  assessment processes covering planned activities under their jurisdiction or control  that may cause substantial pollution of or significant and harmful changes to the  marine environment, and also encourages the communication of the reports of the  __________________    90 See FCCC/CP/2015/10/Add.1, decision 1/CP.21, annex.    91 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1771, No. 30822.    92 International Maritime Organization, document BWM/CONF/36, annex.    Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   35/55  17-21819    results of such assessments to the competent international organizations in accordance  with the Convention;     204. Encourages States that have not done so to become parties to regional seas  conventions and the protocols thereto addressing the protection and preservation of  the marine environment;     205. Encourages States, in accordance with international law, including the  Convention and other relevant instruments, either bilaterally or regionally, to jointly  develop and promote contingency plans for responding to pollution incidents, as well  as other incidents that are likely to have significant adverse effects on the marine  environment and biodiversity;    206. Recognizes the importance of improving understanding of the impact of  climate change on oceans and seas, and recalls that, in “The future we want”, States  noted that sea-level rise and coastal erosion are serious threats for many coastal  regions and islands, particularly in developing countries and in this regard called upon  the international community to enhance its efforts to address these challenges;    207. Notes with concern the severe impacts on coastal communities of extreme  weather events, such as tropical cyclones and associated storm surges, and encourages  cooperative actions by relevant United Nations bodies and organizations, including  the World Meteorological Organization, to assist States in improving forecasting of  such events and its application in multi-hazard early warning systems and risk  management;     208. Also notes with concern that the health of the oceans and marine  biodiversity are negatively affected by marine debris, especially plastic, from land- based and marine sources, and notes that the “UNEP frontiers 2016 report” identifies  microplastics as one of six key emerging environmental issues;     209. Recognizes the need for better understanding of the sources, amounts,  pathways, distribution, trends, nature and impacts of marine debris, especially plastics  and microplastics, and to examine possible measures and best available techniques  and environmental practices to prevent its accumulation and minimize its levels in  the marine environment, and welcomes in this regard the work conducted under the  Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection,  led by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, and its report entitled  “Sources, fate and effects of microplastics in the marine environment – a global  assessment”, and the report of the Executive Director of the United Nations  Environment Programme on marine plastic debris and microplastics, which reviews  best-available knowledge and experiences in this regard and gives recommendations  for further steps to reduce plastic litter and microplastic in the oceans;93     210. Calls upon States to implement resolution 2/11 on marine plastic litter and  microplastics, adopted by the United Nations Environment Assembly of the United  Nations Environment Programme at its second session, held in Nairobi from  23 to  27 May 2016;11     211. Acknowledges the request by the United Nations Environment Assembly in  paragraph 21 of its resolution 2/11 to the Executive Director of the United Nations  Environment Programme, in close cooperation with other relevant bodies and  organizations, to undertake an assessment of the effectiveness of relevant international,  regional and subregional governance strategies and approaches to combat marine  plastic litter and microplastics, taking into consideration the relevant international,  regional and subregional regulatory frameworks and identifying possible gaps and  options for addressing them, including through regional cooperation and coordination,  __________________    93 UNEP/EA.2/5.    A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  36/55    and to submit the assessment at the next session of the United Nations Environment  Assembly, within available resources for this purpose;     212. Welcomes the activities of relevant United Nations bodies and  organizations, in particular the United Nations Environment Programme, the Food  and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the International Maritime  Organization and other intergovernmental organizations, to address the sources and  impacts of marine debris, including through the Global Partnership on Marine Litter,  as well as actions relating to marine debris taken under the Convention on Biological  Diversity and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild  Animals,94 in particular the adoption by the Conference of the Parties to that  Convention at its eleventh meeting of resolution 11.30 on management of marine  debris, and notes the work of the International Whaling Commission on assessing the  impacts of marine debris on cetaceans;     213. Encourages States to further develop partnerships with industry and civil  society to raise awareness of the extent of the impact of marine debris on the  biological diversity, health and productivity of the marine environment and  consequent economic loss and to cooperate with other States, industry and civil  society, as appropriate, on environmentally sound and cost-effective measures to  prevent and reduce, as appropriate, marine debris and microplastics in the marine  environment, including through strengthened cooperation under the Global  Partnership on Marine Litter;    214. Urges States to integrate the issue of marine debris into national and, as  appropriate, regional strategies dealing with waste management, especially in the  coastal zone, ports and maritime industries, including recycling, reuse, reduction and  disposal, to consider developing an integrated waste management infrastructure and  to encourage the development of appropriate economic incentives with the aim of  reducing marine debris to address this issue, including the development of cost- recovery systems that provide an incentive to use port reception facilities and  discourage ships from discharging marine debris at sea, and support for measures to  prevent, reduce and control pollution from any source, including land-based sources,  such as community-based coastal and waterway clean-up and monitoring activities,  and encourages States to cooperate regionally and subregionally to identify potential  sources and coastal and oceanic locations where marine debris aggregates and to  develop and implement joint prevention and recovery programmes for marine debris  as well as to raise awareness of the issue of marine debris and the need to consider  environmentally sound options for its removal;     215. Notes the holding of the Workshop on Best Practices Sharing in Marine  Debris Management in Coastal Cities of the APEC Region, under the Asia-Pacific  Economic Cooperation framework, in Xiamen, China, on 4 November 2017;    216. Also notes the ongoing work of the International Maritime Organization to  prevent pollution from ships, including through the designation of Special Areas  under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, 1973,  as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto, as amended, 95 and encourages  the International Maritime Organization to continue working on the prevention of  pollution from ships;    217. Encourages States that have not yet done so to become parties to the  Protocol of 1997 (annex VI – Regulations for the Prevention of Air Pollution from  __________________    94 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1651, No. 28395.    95 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, annex IV (Regulations for  the prevention of pollution by sewage from ships) and annex V (Regulations for the prevention  of pollution by garbage from ships).   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   37/55  17-21819    Ships) to the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from  Ships, 1973, as modified by the Protocol of 1978 relating thereto, as amended; 96     218. Encourages States that have not yet done so to become parties to the 1996  Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of  Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 (the London Protocol);     219. Notes the ongoing work of the International Maritime Organization and  the resolution on International Maritime Organization policies and practices related  to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from ships;97     220. Urges States to cooperate in correcting the shortfall in port waste reception  facilities in accordance with the action plan to address the inadequacy of port waste  reception facilities developed by the International Maritime Organization;    221. Recognizes that most of the pollution load of the oceans emanates from  land-based activities and affects the most productive areas of the marine environment,  and calls upon States, as a matter of priority, to implement the Global Programme of  Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities and  to take all appropriate measures to fulfil the commitments of the international  community embodied in the Manila Declaration on Furthering the Implementation of  the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from  Land-based Activities;98     222. Encourages States to take part in the Fourth Intergovernmental Review  Meeting on the Implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection  of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, to be held in Indonesia in  2018;    223. Expresses its concern regarding the spreading of hypoxic dead zones and  harmful algal blooms in oceans as a result of eutrophication fuelled by riverine run- off of fertilizers, sewage outfall and reactive nitrogen resulting from the burning of  fossil fuels and resulting in serious consequences for ecosystem functioning, and calls  upon States to enhance their efforts to reduce eutrophication, particularly by reducing  total nutrient pollution from land-based sources and, to this effect, to continue to  cooperate within the framework of relevant international organizations, in particular  the Global Programme of Action and the Global Partnership on Nutrient Management  and Global Wastewater Initiative, including through capacity-building initiatives and  efforts to monitor, via the Global Ocean Observing System, stressors such as harmful  algal blooms, areas of hypoxia, sargassum seaweed invasions and jellyfish blooms, to  assess their possible linkage to eutrophication and their potential adverse impacts on  the marine environment as well as on human health;     224. Calls upon all States to ensure that urban and coastal development projects  and related land-reclamation activities are carried out in a responsible manner that  protects the marine habitat and environment and mitigates the negative consequences  of such activities;     225. Welcomes the entry into force on 16 August 2017 of the Minamata  Convention on Mercury,99 and encourages States that have not yet done so to take, as  soon as possible, the domestic measures necessary to enable them to meet their  obligations upon ratification and thereafter to ratify, accept, approve or accede to that  Convention;   __________________    96 International Maritime Organization, document MEPC 62/24/Add.1, annex 19, resolution  MEPC.203(62).    97 International Maritime Organization, Assembly resolution A.963(23).    98 United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP(DEPI)/GPA/IGR.3/6, annex.    99 United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP(DTIE)/Hg/CONF/4, annex II.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  38/55      226. Also welcomes the continued work of States, the United Nations  Environment Programme and regional organizations in the implementation of the  Global Programme of Action, and encourages increased emphasis on the link between  fresh water, the coastal zone and marine resources in the implementation of  international development goals, including those contained in the United Nations  Millennium Declaration,100 and of the time-bound targets in the Plan of  Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg  Plan of Implementation),20 in particular the target on sanitation, and the Monterrey  Consensus of the International Conference on Financing for Development; 101     227. Recalls the resolution of the thirtieth Consultative Meeting of Contracting  Parties to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of  Wastes and Other Matter, 1972 (the London Convention) and the third Meeting of  Contracting Parties to the London Protocol, held from 27 to 31 October 2008, on the  regulation of ocean fertilization,102 in which the Contracting Parties agreed, inter alia,  that the scope of the London Convention and Protocol includes ocean fertilization  activities and that, given the present state of knowledge, ocean fertilization activities  other than for legitimate scientific research should not be allowed, and that scientific  research proposals should be assessed on a case-by-case basis using an assessment  framework to be developed by the scientific groups under the London Convention  and Protocol, and also agreed that, to this end, such other activities should be  considered as contrary to the aims of the London Convention and Protocol and should  not currently qualify for any exemption from the definition of dumping in article III,  paragraph 1 (b), of the London Convention and article 1, paragraph 4.2, of the  London Protocol;     228. Also recalls the resolution of the thirty-second Consultative Meeting of  Contracting Parties to the London Convention and the fifth Meeting of Contracting  Parties to the London Protocol, held from 11 to 15 October 2010, on the Assessment  Framework for Scientific Research Involving Ocean Fertilization; 103     229. Notes the continued work of the Contracting Parties to the London  Convention and Protocol towards a global, transparent and effective control and  regulatory mechanism for ocean fertilization activities and other activities that fall  within the scope of the London Convention and Protocol and have the potential to cause  harm to the marine environment, and notes the resolution adopted by the eighth  Meeting of Contracting Parties to the London Protocol, held from 14 to 18 October  2013, on the amendment to the London Protocol to regulate the placement of matter  for ocean fertilization and other marine geoengineering activities;104    230. Recalls decision IX/16 C, adopted at the ninth meeting of the Conference  of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Bonn, from  19 to 30 May 2008,105 in which the Conference of the Parties, inter alia, bearing in  mind the ongoing scientific and legal analysis occurring under the auspices of the  London Convention and Protocol, requested parties and urged other Governments, in  accordance with the precautionary approach, to ensure that ocean fertilization  activities were not carried out until there was an adequate scientific basis on which to  justify such activities, including an assessment of associated risks, and that a global,  __________________    100 Resolution 55/2.    101 Report of the International Conference on Financing for Development, Monterrey, Mexico,  18–22 March 2002 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.02.II.A.7), chap. I, resolution 1,  annex.    102 International Maritime Organization, document LC 30/16, annex 6, resolution LC-LP.1 (2008).    103 International Maritime Organization, document LC 32/15 and Corr.1, annex 5, resolution  LC-LP.2 (2010).    104 International Maritime Organization, document LC 35/15, annex 4, resolution LP.4(8).    105 See United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/9/29, annex I.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   39/55  17-21819    transparent and effective control and regulatory mechanism was in place for those  activities, with the exception of small-scale scientific research studies within coastal  waters, and stated that such studies should be authorized only if justified by the need  to gather specific scientific data, should be subject to a thorough prior assessment of  the potential impacts of the research studies on the marine environment, should be  strictly controlled and should not be used for generating and selling carbon offsets or  for any other commercial purposes, and takes note of decision X/29, adopted at the  tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological  Diversity, held in Nagoya, Japan, from 18 to 29 October 2010,106 in which the  Conference of the Parties requested parties to implement decision IX/16 C;     231. Also recalls that, in “The future we want”, States stressed their concern  about the potential environmental impacts of ocean fertilization, recalled in this  regard the decisions related to ocean fertilization adopted by the relevant  intergovernmental bodies, and resolved to continue addressing ocean fertilization  with utmost caution, consistent with the precautionary approach;    232. Reaffirms paragraph 119 of resolution 61/222 of 20 December 2006  regarding ecosystem approaches and oceans, including the proposed elements of an  ecosystem approach, means to achieve implementation of an ecosystem approach and  requirements for improved application of an ecosystem approach, and in this regard:    (a)  Notes that continued environmental degradation in many parts of the world  and increasing competing demands require an urgent response and the setting of  priorities for management actions aimed at conserving ecosystem integrity;    (b)  Also notes that ecosystem approaches to ocean management should be  focused on managing human activities in order to maintain and, where needed, restore  ecosystem health to sustain goods and environmental services, provide social and  economic benefits for food security, sustain livelihoods in support of international  development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, and  conserve marine biodiversity;    (c)  Recalls that States should be guided in the application of ecosystem  approaches by a number of existing instruments, in particular the Convention, which  sets out the legal framework for all activities in the oceans and seas, and its  implementing Agreements, as well as other commitments, such as those contained in  the Convention on Biological Diversity and the World Summit on Sustainable  Development call for the application of an ecosystem approach by 2010, and in this  context encourages States to enhance their efforts towards applying such an approach;    (d)  Encourages States to cooperate and coordinate their efforts and take,  individually or jointly, as appropriate, all measures, in conformity with international  law, including the Convention and other applicable instruments, to address impacts  on marine ecosystems within and beyond areas of national jurisdiction, taking into  account the integrity of the ecosystems concerned;    233. Recalls that, in “The future we want”, States committed themselves to  protect and restore the health, productivity and resilience of oceans and marine  ecosystems, to maintain their biodiversity, enabling their conservation and sustainable  use for present and future generations, and to effectively apply an ecosystem approach  and the precautionary approach in the management, in accordance with international  law, of activities having an impact on the marine environment, to deliver on all three  dimensions of sustainable development;   __________________    106 See United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/10/27, annex.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  40/55      234. Encourages competent organizations and bodies that have not yet done so  to incorporate an ecosystem approach into their mandates, as appropriate, in order to  address impacts on marine ecosystems;     235. Acknowledges the request by the United Nations Environment Assembly  at its second session, in paragraph 6 of its resolution 2/10, to the United Nations  Environment Programme to step up its work, including through its Regional Seas  Programme, on assisting countries and regions in the application of the ecosystem  approach to managing the marine and coastal environment, including through  enabling intersectoral cooperation in integrated coastal zone management and marine  spatial planning;10     236. Invites States, in particular those States with advanced technology and  marine capabilities, to explore prospects for improving cooperation with and  assistance to developing States, in particular least developed countries, landlocked  developing countries and small island developing States, as well as coastal African  States, with a view to better integrating into national policies and programmes  sustainable and effective development in the marine sector;    237. Notes the information compiled by the Secretariat107 in relation to the  assistance available to and measures that may be taken by developing States, in  particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, as well as  coastal African States, to realize the benefits of sustainable and effective development  of marine resources and uses of the oceans, as provided by States and competent  international organizations and global and regional funding agencies, and urges them  to provide information for the annual report of the Secretary-General and for  incorporation on the website of the Division;    238. Encourages States that have not yet done so to consider ratifying or  acceding to the Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and  Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009108 to facilitate its entry into force;    239. Encourages continued cooperation between the parties to the Basel  Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and  Their Disposal109 and the International Maritime Organization on regulations on the  prevention of pollution from ships;     240. Notes the role of the Basel Convention in protecting the marine  environment against the adverse effects which may result from such wastes;     241. Notes with concern the potential for serious environmental consequences  resulting from oil spill incidents or pollution incidents involving hazardous or  noxious substances, urges States, consistent with international law, to cooperate,  directly or through competent international organizations, and share best practices, in  the fields of protection of the marine environment, human health and safety,  prevention, emergency response and mitigation, and in this regard encourages the  undertaking of and collaboration on scientific research, including marine scientific  research, to better understand the consequences of marine oil spills or marine spills  involving hazardous or noxious substances;     242. Encourages States that have not yet done so to consider ratifying or  acceding to the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response  and Cooperation, 1990,110 and the Protocol on Preparedness, Response and  Cooperation to Pollution Incidents by Hazardous and Noxious Substances, 2000, of  __________________    107 A/63/342.     108 International Maritime Organization, document SR/CONF/45.    109 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1673, No. 28911.    110 Ibid., vol. 1891, No. 32194.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   41/55  17-21819    the International Maritime Organization, and in this regard to consider developing  and joining regional arrangements to enhance international cooperation for combating  major oil and hazardous substances pollution incidents;     243. Encourages States to consider becoming parties to the 2010 Protocol to  the 1996 International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in  Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea; 111         X  Marine biodiversity      244. Reaffirms its central role relating to the conservation and sustainable use  of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction;     245. Notes the work and contributions of States and relevant intergovernmental  organizations and bodies in the context of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working  Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine  biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction;    246. Recalls, in this regard, its resolution 69/292, entitled “Development of an  international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the  Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity  of areas beyond national jurisdiction”;     247. Takes note of the extensive and complex discussions and exchange of  views at the four sessions of the Preparatory Committee established by resolution  69/292, which concluded on 21 July 2017, as well as of the report of the Preparatory  Committee and the recommendations contained therein;112     248. Recognizes the abundance and diversity of marine genetic resources and  their value in terms of the benefits, goods and services they can provide;     249. Also recognizes the importance of research on marine genetic resources  for the purpose of enhancing the scientific understanding, potential use and  application, and enhanced management of marine ecosystems;     250. Encourages States and international organizations, including through  bilateral, regional and global cooperation programmes and partnerships, to continue  in a sustainable and comprehensive way to support, promote and strengthen capacity- building activities, in particular in developing countries, in the field of marine  scientific research, taking into account, in particular, the need to create greater  taxonomic capabilities;     251. Notes the work under the Jakarta Mandate on Marine and Coastal  Biological Diversity113 and the Convention on Biological Diversity elaborated  programme of work on marine and coastal biological diversity,114 and, while  reiterating the central role of the General Assembly relating to the conservation and  sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction,  notes with appreciation the complementary technical and scientific work done by the  Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity;     252. Reaffirms the need for States, individually or through competent  international organizations, to urgently consider ways to integrate and improve, based  on the best available scientific information and the precautionary approach and in  __________________    111 International Maritime Organization, document LEG/CONF.17/10.    112 A/AC.287/2017/PC.4/2.     113 See A/51/312, annex II, decision II/10.    114 United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/7/21, annex, decision  VII/5, annex I.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  42/55    accordance with the Convention and related agreements and instruments, the  management of risks to the marine biodiversity of seamounts, cold water corals,  hydrothermal vents and certain other underwater features;     253. Notes the adoption by the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the  Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Cancun, Mexico, from 4 to  17 December 2016, of a voluntary specific workplan on biodiversity in cold water  areas within the jurisdictional scope of the Convention, 115 and invites Parties to that  Convention to implement the workplan;    254. Calls upon States and international organizations to urgently take further  action to address, in accordance with international law, destructive practices that have  adverse impacts on marine biodiversity and ecosystems, including seamounts,  hydrothermal vents and cold water corals;     255. Calls upon States to strengthen, in a manner consistent with international  law, in particular the Convention, the conservation and management of marine  biodiversity and ecosystems, and national policies in relation to area-based  management tools, including marine protected areas;    256. Recalls that, in “The future we want”, States reaffirmed the importance of  area-based conservation measures, including marine protected areas, consistent with  international law and based on best available scientific information, as a tool for  conservation of biological diversity and sustainable use of its components, and noted  decision X/2 of the tenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention  on Biological Diversity, that by 2020, 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas,  especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are  to be conserved through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically  representative and well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area- based conservation measures;106     257. Encourages States, in this regard, to further progress towards the  establishment of marine protected areas, including representative networks, and calls  upon States to further consider options to identify and protect ecologically or  biologically significant areas, consistent with international law and on the basis of the  best available scientific information;     258. Invites States to identify measures to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 11,  enshrined in decision X/2 of the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the  Convention on Biological Diversity, and takes note of the announcements made by  some States in this regard;    259. Reaffirms the need for States to continue and intensify their efforts,  directly and through competent international organizations, to develop and facilitate  the use of diverse approaches and tools for conserving and managing vulnerable  marine ecosystems, including the possible establishment of marine protected areas,  consistent with international law, as reflected in the Convention, and based on the  best scientific information available;     260. Notes the work of States, relevant intergovernmental organizations and  bodies, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, in the assessment of  scientific information on and compilation of ecological criteria for the identification  of marine areas that may require protection, in the light of the objective of the World  Summit on Sustainable Development to develop and facilitate the use of diverse  approaches and tools, such as ecosystem approaches and the establishment of marine  __________________    115 United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/13/25, sect. I, decision  XIII/11, annex II.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   43/55  17-21819    protected areas consistent with international law, as reflected in the Convention, and  based on scientific information, including representative networks; 20     261. Recalls that the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological  Diversity, at its ninth meeting, adopted scientific criteria for identifying ecologically  or biologically significant marine areas in need of protection in open-ocean waters  and deep-sea habitats and scientific guidance for selecting areas to establish a  representative network of marine protected areas, including in open-ocean waters and  deep-sea habitats,116 and notes the ongoing work under the Convention on Biological  Diversity on the application of the scientific criteria for ecologically or biologically  significant marine areas through the organization of a series of regional workshops;     262. Also recalls that the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United  Nations has developed guidance for the identification of vulnerable marine  ecosystems through the International Guidelines for the Management of Deep-sea  Fisheries in the High Seas, and notes its ongoing work to support application of the  Guidelines by States and to maintain a database of vulnerable marine ecosystems;     263. Notes with appreciation the work of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative under  the Convention on Biological Diversity, and notes in this regard the global dialogue  with regional seas organizations and regional fisheries bodies on accelerating  progress  towards  the Aichi  Biodiversity Targets,  held  in  Seoul,  from  26  to 29 September 2016;    264. Notes the ongoing work of the International Maritime Organization to  identify and designate as Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas marine areas which are  recognized for their significance in terms of ecological, socioeconomic or scientific  criteria and are vulnerable to damage by international shipping activities; 117     265. Acknowledges the Micronesia Challenge, the Eastern Tropical Pacific  Seascape project, the Caribbean Challenge and the Coral Triangle Initiative, which,  in particular, seek to create and link domestic marine protected areas to better  facilitate ecosystem approaches, and reaffirms the need for further international  cooperation, coordination and collaboration in support of such initiatives;     266. Reiterates its support for the International Coral Reef Initiative, notes that  the next International Coral Reef Initiative General Meeting is scheduled to be held  in Nairobi, from 7 to 9 December 2017, and supports the elaborated programme of  work of the Convention on Biological Diversity on marine and coastal biological  diversity related to coral reefs under the Jakarta Mandate on Marine and Coastal  Biological Diversity;     267. Recalls that, in “The future we want”, States recognized the significant  economic, social and environmental contributions of coral reefs, in particular to  islands and other coastal States, as well as the significant vulnerability of coral reefs  and mangroves to impacts, including from climate change, ocean acidification,  overfishing, destructive fishing practices and pollution, and supported international  cooperation with a view to conserving coral reef and mangrove ecosystems and  realizing their social, economic and environmental benefits, as well as facilitating  technical collaboration and voluntary information-sharing;    268. Encourages States and relevant international institutions to improve  efforts to address coral bleaching by, inter alia, improving monitoring to predict and  identify bleaching events, supporting and strengthening action taken during such  __________________    116 United Nations Environment Programme, document UNEP/CBD/COP/9/29, annex I, decision  IX/20, annexes I and II.    117 International Maritime Organization, Revised Guidelines for the Identification and Designation  of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas, Assembly resolution A.982(24).   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  44/55    events and improving strategies to manage reefs to support their natural resilience  and enhance their ability to withstand other pressures, including ocean acidification,  and in this regard also encourages States to implement the priority actions to achieve  Aichi Biodiversity Target 10 for coral reefs and closely associated ecosystems,  adopted by the twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on  Biological Diversity;87     269. Encourages States to cooperate, directly or through competent  international bodies, in exchanging information in the event of accidents involving  vessels on coral reefs and in promoting the development of economic assessment  techniques for both restoration and non-use values of coral reef systems;     270. Emphasizes the need to mainstream sustainable coral reef management and  integrated watershed management into national development strategies, as well as  into the activities of relevant United Nations agencies and programmes, international  financial institutions and the donor community;     271. Notes that ocean noise has potential significant adverse impacts on living  marine resources, affirms the importance of sound scientific studies in addressing this  matter, encourages further research, studies and consideration of the impacts of ocean  noise on living marine resources, notes the work of States and competent international  organizations in that regard, and requests the Division to continue to compile the peer- reviewed scientific studies it receives from Member States and intergovernmental  organizations pursuant to paragraph 107 of resolution 61/222 and, as appropriate, to  make them, or references and links to them, available on its website;     272. Also notes the approval by the International Maritime Organization of  Guidelines for the Reduction of Underwater Noise from Commercial Shipping to  Address Adverse Impacts on Marine Life, and invites the International Maritime  Organization to promote and encourage their implementation for existing ships and  new vessels, when appropriate, including by promoting measures that may reduce  cavitation;118    273. Encourages further research into technologies to reduce the impact of  underwater noise on marine life;        XI  Marine science      274. Calls upon States, individually or in collaboration with each other or with  competent international organizations and bodies, to continue to strive to improve  understanding and knowledge of the oceans and the deep sea, including, in particular,  the extent and vulnerability of deep sea biodiversity and ecosystems, by increasing  their marine scientific research activities in accordance with the Convention;     275. Encourages, in that regard, relevant international organizations and other  donors to consider supporting the Endowment Fund of the International Seabed  Authority in order to promote the conduct of collaborative marine scientific research  in the international seabed area by supporting the participation of qualified scientists  and technical personnel from developing countries in relevant programmes, initiatives  and activities;     276. Notes with concern that human-related threats, such as marine debris, ship  strikes, underwater noise, persistent contaminants, coastal development activities, oil  spills and discarded fishing gear, together may severely impact marine life, including  its higher trophic levels, and calls upon States and competent international  organizations to cooperate and coordinate their research efforts in this regard so as to  __________________    118 International Maritime Organization, document MEPC.1/Circ.833, annex.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   45/55  17-21819    reduce these impacts and preserve the integrity of the whole marine ecosystem, while  fully respecting the mandates of relevant international organizations;     277. Welcomes the programme entitled “Promote and facilitate the conduct of  marine scientific research under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the  Sea” of the Division and the Korea Maritime Institute, carried out in cooperation with  the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission with the aim of assisting  developing countries, especially small island developing States, to build their  capacities in the field of marine scientific research, and notes with appreciation that  the second course under the programme was developed with the cooperation of the  Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and delivered in Castries, from  2 to 5 May 2017;     278. Invites all relevant organizations, funds, programmes and bodies within  the United Nations system, in consultation with interested States, to coordinate  relevant activities with regional and national marine scientific and technological  centres in small island developing States, as appropriate, to ensure the more effective  achievement of their objectives in accordance with relevant United Nations small  island developing States development programmes and strategies;     279. Welcomes  the  resolution  adopted  by  the  Assembly  of  the  Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission at its twenty-eighth session, held in  Paris from 18 to 25 June 2015, regarding the adoption of the Second International  Indian Ocean Expedition as an important catalyst project linking Indian Ocean  processes to the global ocean and atmosphere, officially launched in Goa, India, on  4 December 2015 for an initial period of five years, invites States to participate in  this initiative, and notes that two nodes of the Second International Indian Ocean  Expedition Joint Project Office have been established to coordinate operations of the  expedition in Perth, Australia, and Hyderabad, India;     280. Notes with appreciation the work of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic  Commission, with the advice of the Advisory Body of Experts on the Law of the Sea,  on the development of procedures for the implementation of Parts XIII and XIV of  the Convention;     281. Also notes with appreciation the work of the Advisory Body of Experts,  including its work in cooperation with the Division, on the practice of member States  related to marine scientific research and transfer of marine technology within the  framework of the Convention, and welcomes the decision of the Executive Council  of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission at its forty-fifth session, held  in Paris from 26 to 28 June 2012, that the Advisory Body will continue its work  focused on priorities as tasked by Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission  governing bodies in line with the terms of reference, mobilizing extrabudgetary  resources when necessary;     282. Recalls the issuance of the revised publication entitled Marine Scientific  Research: A guide to the implementation of the relevant provisions of the United  Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in December 2010, and requests the  Secretariat to continue to make efforts to publish the guide in all official languages  of the United Nations;     283. Notes that the depth of a significant percentage of the world’s oceans, seas  and waterways has yet to be measured directly and that bathymetric knowledge  underpins the safe, sustainable and cost-effective execution of almost every human  activity in, on or under the sea;    284. Welcomes the work of the General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans project  under the International Hydrographic Organization and the Intergovernmental  Oceanographic Commission and, in particular, the outcome of the Forum for Future   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  46/55    Ocean Floor Mapping, held in June 2016 in Monaco, and the subsequent development  by the Guiding Committee of the Seabed 2030 project for improving bathymetry  globally;    285. Encourages Member States to consider contributing to mechanisms that  encourage the widest possible availability of all bathymetric data, so as to support the  sustainable development, management and governance of the marine environment;    286. Notes with appreciation the contribution to marine biodiversity research  of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System, a free and open-access data holding  and sharing facility, hosted by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission;     287. Welcomes the increasing attention being focused on oceans as a potential  source of renewable energy, and notes in this regard the summary of discussions of  the Informal Consultative Process at its thirteenth meeting; 119     288. Stresses the importance of increasing the scientific understanding of the  oceans-atmosphere interface, including through participation in ocean observing  programmes and geographic information systems, such as the Global Ocean  Observing System, sponsored by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission,  the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Meteorological Organization  and the International Council for Science, particularly considering their role in  monitoring and forecasting climate change and variability and in the establishment  and operation of tsunami warning systems;     289. Welcomes the progress made by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic  Commission and Member States towards the establishment and operation of regional  and national tsunami warning and mitigation systems, also welcomes the continued  collaboration of the United Nations and other intergovernmental organizations in this  effort, further welcomes the development and recent dissemination of the new  Enhanced Tsunami Products for the Pacific Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System  and the development of Enhanced Tsunami Products for the Tsunami and Other  Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions, which will  assist countries in the Pacific and the Caribbean to assess tsunami threats and issue  warnings, and encourages Member States to establish and sustain their national  warning and mitigation systems, within a global, ocean-related multi-hazard  approach, as necessary, to reduce loss of life and damage to national economies and  strengthen the resilience of coastal communities to natural disasters;     290. Stresses the need for continued efforts in developing mitigation and  preparedness measures for natural disasters, particularly following tsunami events  caused by earthquakes, such as the 11 March 2011 event in Japan;     291. Urges States to take necessary action and to cooperate in relevant  organizations, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United  Nations, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the World  Meteorological Organization, to address damage to ocean data buoys deployed and  operated in accordance with international law, including through education and  outreach about the importance and purpose of these buoys and by strengthening these  buoys against such damage and increasing reporting of such damage;     292. Decides to proclaim the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for  Sustainable Development for the 10-year period beginning on 1 January 2021, within  existing structures and available resources, and calls upon the Intergovernmental  Oceanographic Commission to prepare an implementation plan for the Decade in  consultation with Member States, specialized agencies, funds, programmes and  __________________    119 A/67/120.    Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   47/55  17-21819    bodies of the United Nations, as well as other intergovernmental organizations, non- governmental organizations and relevant stakeholders;     293. Requests that the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission provide  information on the development of the implementation plan and regularly consult  with, and report to, Member States on the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science  and its implementation;    294. Invites the Secretary-General to inform the General Assembly on the  implementation of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science through his report on  oceans and the law of the sea, on the basis of information to be provided by the  Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission;    295. Invites UN-Oceans and its participants to collaborate with the  Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission on the United Nations Decade of  Ocean Science;        XII  Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State  of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects      296. Reiterates the need to strengthen the regular scientific assessment of the  state of the marine environment in order to enhance the scientific basis for  policymaking;     297. Reaffirms the principles guiding the Regular Process and its objective and  scope as agreed upon at the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole  in 2009;    298. Recalls that the Regular Process, as established under the United Nations,  is accountable to the General Assembly and is an intergovernmental process guided  by international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea  and other applicable international instruments, and takes into account relevant  Assembly resolutions;    299. Reaffirms the importance of the first World Ocean Assessment as the  outcome of the first cycle of the Regular Process;    300. Notes with concern the findings of the first World Ocean Assessment that  the world’s ocean is facing major pressures simultaneously with such great impacts  that the limits of its carrying capacity are being, or, in some cases, have been reached,  and that delays in implementing solutions to the problems that have already been  identified as threatening to degrade the world’s ocean will lead, unnecessarily, to  incurring greater environmental, social and economic cost;    301. Recalls the importance of making Governments, United Nations system  organizations, bodies, funds and programmes, intergovernmental organizations, the  scientific community and the general public aware of the first World Ocean  Assessment and the Regular Process, and recognizes with appreciation the activities  undertaken in this regard during various intergovernmental meetings, including the  United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable  Development Goal 14, in particular those of the secretariat of the Regular Process;    302. Also recalls that, in the first cycle, the scope of the Regular Process  focused on establishing a baseline, and decides that the scope of the second cycle will  extend to evaluating trends and identifying gaps;    303. Welcomes the holding of the eighth and ninth meetings of the Ad Hoc  Working Group of the Whole, on 17 and 18 April 2017 and from 6 to 8 September  2017, respectively, in accordance with paragraph 317 of resolution 71/257;   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  48/55      304. Takes note of the recommendations and guidance adopted by the Ad Hoc  Working Group of the Whole at its eighth meeting, and endorses the recommendations  adopted by the Working Group at its ninth meeting;3    305. Takes note with appreciation of the technical abstracts of the first World  Ocean Assessment on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological  diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction; the ocean and the Sustainable  Development Goals under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; and the  impacts of climate change and related changes in the atmosphere on the oceans,  prepared in accordance with the programme of work for the period 2017–2020 for the  second cycle of the Regular Process;    306. Notes with appreciation that advance unedited copies of the technical  abstracts were made available to the Preparatory Committee established by resolution  69/292, the eighteenth meeting of the Informal Consultative Process and the United  Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of Sustainable Development  Goal 14;    307. Recognizes with appreciation the work of the members of the Group of  Experts of the Regular Process with respect to the preparation of the technical  abstracts, as well as the contribution of a number of members from the writing teams  of the Pool of Experts of the first cycle of the Regular Process, in accordance with  paragraph 309 of resolution 71/257, to this exercise;    308. Recalls that the Regular Process shall be overseen and guided by the Ad  Hoc Working Group of the Whole, and decides that the Ad Hoc Working Group shall  facilitate the delivery of the outputs of the second cycle as outlined in the programme  of work for the period 2017–2020 for the second cycle of the Regular Process;    309. Recognizes with appreciation the important role of the Co-Chairs and the  Bureau of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole in providing guidance during the  intersessional periods, including in operationalizing the second cycle of the Regular  Process;    310. Requests the Bureau to continue to implement the decisions and guidance  of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole during the intersessional period,  including by providing oversight of the delivery of the programme of work for the  period 2017–2020 for the second cycle of the Regular Process;    311. Notes the endorsement by the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole of the  terms of reference and working methods of the Group of Experts for the second cycle  of the Regular Process, prepared in accordance with paragraph 310 of resolution  71/257;120     312. Takes note of the mechanism for the establishment of the Pool of Experts  for the second cycle of the Regular Process121 developed by the Bureau of the Ad Hoc  Working Group of the Whole in accordance with paragraph 311 of resolution 71/257,  and encourages the appointment of experts to the Pool of Experts in accordance with  the mechanism;    313. Welcomes the expressions of interest of individuals who served in the Pool  of Experts during the first cycle of the Regular Process to serve in the Pool of Experts  for the second cycle;  __________________    120 A/72/89, annex.    121 A/72/494, annex I.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   49/55  17-21819      314. Takes note of the terms of reference for national focal points developed by  the Bureau of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole;122     315. Welcomes the designation by States of national focal points pursuant to  paragraph 312 of resolution 71/257, and urges States that have not yet done so to  designate their national focal points as soon as possible;    316. Urges regional groups that have not yet done so to appoint experts to the  Group of Experts in accordance with paragraph 287 of resolution 70/235, taking into  account the need to ensure geographical distribution and adequate expertise in  socioeconomic disciplines;    317. Notes the adoption by the Bureau of the Ad Hoc Working Group of  the Whole of guidelines to assist the first round of workshops of the second cycle of  the Regular Process,123 finalized by the Group of Experts in consultation with the  Bureau of the Ad Hoc Working Group and the secretariat of the Regular Process;     318. Welcomes the holding of the workshops in support of the Regular Process  in Lisbon in September 2017, in Auckland, New Zealand, in October 2017, in  Camboriú, Brazil, in November 2017, in Bangkok in November 2017 and in Zanzibar,  United Republic of Tanzania, in December 2017;    319. Notes the elements for discussion on the shape and structure of the  assessment or assessments to be carried out in the second cycle of the Regular Process  prepared by the Group of Experts, in accordance with the programme of work, and  decides that, in the elaboration of an outline, the Group of Experts should proceed on  the basis of the preparation of a single comprehensive assessment;     320. Recalls the crucial importance of the Regular Process for ongoing ocean- related intergovernmental processes and its possible inputs, including for the 2030  Agenda for Sustainable Development, the development of an international legally  binding instrument, under the Convention, on the conservation and sustainable use of  marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, the United Nations  Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Informal Consultative Process,  as outlined in the programme of work for the period 2017–2020 for the second cycle  of the Regular Process;    321. Also recalls the importance of ensuring that assessments, such as those  included in the Global Sustainable Development Report and those prepared under the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy  Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services and the Regular Process, support  one another and avoid unnecessary duplication, and also recalls the importance of  compatibility and synergies between such assessments and assessments at the  regional level;    322. Requests intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to  provide information on recent and ongoing assessments and other processes at the  regional and global levels relevant to the Regular Process in order for the secretariat  to update the inventory of recent and ongoing assessments and other processes at the  regional and global levels relevant to the Regular Process;     323. Takes note of the guidance for contributors, part I, prepared by the Group  of Experts pursuant to paragraph 310 of resolution 71/257;124     324. Takes note with appreciation of the work undertaken thus far by the  secretariat in compiling a capacity-building inventory of needs and opportunities  __________________    122 Ibid., annex II.    123 Ibid., annex III.    124 See A/72/494, annex IV.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  50/55    relevant for the Regular Process, in accordance with the programme of work, based  on information contributed by relevant United Nations system organizations, bodies,  funds and programmes and by relevant intergovernmental organizations;    325. Invites States and non-governmental organizations, as well as  intergovernmental organizations that have not already done so, to provide relevant  information for inclusion in the capacity-building inventory of needs and  opportunities relevant for the Regular Process being compiled and maintained by the  secretariat;    326. Recalls its invitation, in paragraph 313 of resolution 71/257, to the  Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the United Nations Environment  Programme, the International Maritime Organization, the Food and Agriculture  Organization of the United Nations, the World Meteorological Organization and  relevant United Nations system organizations, bodies, funds and programmes, as  appropriate, to assist in the implementation of the second cycle of the Regular Process  with regard to the following activities: awareness-raising, the identification of experts  for the Pool of Experts, technical and scientific support for the Bureau and the Group  of Experts, hosting workshops and meetings of the writing teams, capacity-building  and the scoping process for the assessment;    327. Welcomes the adoption by the Assembly of the Intergovernmental  Oceanographic Commission at its twenty-ninth session, from 21 to 29 June 2017, of  decision IOC-XXIX/8.2, in particular regarding the provision of technical and  scientific support to the second cycle of the Regular Process in accordance with the  guidance of the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole;    328. Recalls its invitation, in paragraph 314 of resolution 71/257, to relevant  intergovernmental organizations to contribute, as appropriate, to the activities of the  second cycle;    329. Urges States, international financial institutions, donor agencies,  intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and natural and  juridical persons to make financial contributions to the voluntary trust fund125 and to  make other contributions to the Regular Process;    330. Requests the Secretary-General to convene, in 2018, two meetings of the  Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole of no more than four days total duration, the  tenth meeting on 28 February and 1 March 2018 to approve the outline of the  assessment, and the eleventh meeting on 23 and 24 August 2018, with a view to  providing recommendations to the General Assembly at its seventy-third session on  the preparation of the assessment to be carried out in the second cycle and on the  implementation of the second cycle, and encourages the widest possible attendance  of participants in the Ad Hoc Working Group;        XIII  Regional cooperation      331. Notes with appreciation efforts and initiatives at the regional level, in  various regions, to further the implementation of the Convention and to respond,  including through capacity-building, to issues related to maritime safety and security,  the conservation and sustainable use of living marine resources, the protection and  preservation of the marine environment and the conservation and sustainable use of  marine biodiversity;  __________________    125 See resolution 69/245, para. 278.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   51/55  17-21819      332. Invites States and international organizations to enhance their cooperation  to better protect the marine environment;    333. Notes the Caribbean-focused Assistance Fund, which is intended to  facilitate, mainly through technical assistance, the voluntary undertaking of maritime  delimitation negotiations between Caribbean States, notes once again the Fund for  Peace: Peaceful Settlement of Territorial Disputes, established by the General  Assembly of the Organization of American States in 2000 as a primary mechanism,  given its broader regional scope, for the prevention and resolution of pending  territorial, land border and maritime boundary disputes, and calls upon States and  others in a position to do so to contribute to these funds;    334. Welcomes the adoption of the outcome document of the third International  Conference on Small Island Developing States, the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of  Action (SAMOA) Pathway126 and the new modalities set forth for strengthened action  on a range of small island developing States challenges and priorities, including  challenges related to the conservation and sustainable use of marine resources, and  the preservation of the marine environment, and reaffirms its commitment to work  with small island developing States towards full implementation of the Samoa  Pathway to ensure its success;    335. Recognizes the results of the International Polar Year, 2007–2008 with  particular emphasis on new knowledge about the linkages between environmental  change in the polar regions and global climate systems, and encourages States and  scientific communities to strengthen their cooperation in this respect;     336. Acknowledges the important contributions to scientific understanding of  the marine environment and its resources, as well as the scientific advice for their  sustainable use, provided by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea  in its wide-ranging cooperation with organizations at the regional level under the  Convention for the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, 1964;127    337. Welcomes regional cooperation, and in this regard notes the Pacific  Oceanscape Framework as an initiative to enhance cooperation among coastal States  in the Pacific island region to foster marine conservation and sustainable  development;    338. Notes with appreciation the various cooperative efforts displayed by States  at the regional and subregional levels, and in this regard welcomes initiatives, such  as the Integrated Assessment and Management of the Gulf of Mexico Large Marine  Ecosystem;     339. Acknowledges relevant cooperation among the members of the Zone of  Peace and Cooperation of the South Atlantic;     340. Recalls the decision of the Assembly of the African Union in January 2015  to adopt Agenda 2063, also recalls that the African Union launched the Decade of  African Seas and Oceans (2015–2025), and notes that the African Day of the Seas and  Oceans is to be celebrated annually on 25 July;    341. Notes the adoption of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked  Developing Countries for the Decade 2014–2024 by the second United Nations  Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries, held in Vienna from  3 to 5 November 2014,128 following the comprehensive 10-year review of the  implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action: Addressing the Special Needs  __________________                       126 Resolution 69/15, annex.                       127 United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 652, No. 9344.    128 Resolution 69/137, annex II.   A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  52/55    of Landlocked Developing Countries within a New Global Framework for Transit  Transport Cooperation for Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries,129 and also  notes the need for cooperation to address the development needs and challenges faced  by landlocked developing countries associated with, inter alia, their lack of direct  territorial access to the sea, remoteness and isolation from world markets, in line with  the objectives of the Vienna Programme of Action;    342. Also notes the efforts of the Sargasso Sea Commission, led by the  Government of Bermuda, to raise awareness of the ecological significance of the  Sargasso Sea;     343. Further notes the adoption of the Arctic Council Agreement on Enhancing  International Arctic Scientific Cooperation;    344. Notes the cooperation between the OSPAR Commission established by the  Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic  and the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission;        XIV  Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea      345. Welcomes the report of the Co-Chairs on the work of the Informal  Consultative Process at its eighteenth meeting, which focused on the theme of the  effects of climate change on oceans;4     346. Recognizes the role of the Informal Consultative Process as a unique forum  for comprehensive discussions on issues related to oceans and the law of the sea,  consistent with the framework provided by the Convention and chapter 17 of  Agenda 21,7 and that the perspective of the three pillars of sustainable development  should be further enhanced in the examination of the selected topics;     347. Welcomes the work of the Informal Consultative Process and its  contribution to improving coordination and cooperation between States and  strengthening the annual debate of the General Assembly on oceans and the law of  the sea by effectively drawing attention to key issues and current trends;     348. Also welcomes efforts to improve and focus the work of the Informal  Consultative Process, and in that respect recognizes the primary role of the Informal  Consultative Process in integrating knowledge, the exchange of opinions among  multiple stakeholders and coordination among competent agencies, and enhancing  awareness of topics, including emerging issues, while promoting the three pillars of  sustainable development, and recommends that the Informal Consultative Process  devise a transparent, objective and inclusive process for the selection of topics and  panellists so as to facilitate the work of the General Assembly during informal  consultations concerning the annual resolution on oceans and the law of the sea;     349. Recalls the need to strengthen and improve the efficiency of the Informal  Consultative Process, and encourages States, intergovernmental organizations and  programmes to provide guidance to the Co-Chairs to this effect, particularly before  and during the preparatory meeting for the Informal Consultative Process;     350. Also recalls that a further review of the effectiveness and utility of the  Informal Consultative Process will be undertaken by the General Assembly at its  seventy-third session;  __________________    129 Report of the International Ministerial Conference of Landlocked and Transit Developing  Countries and Donor Countries and International Financial and Development Institutions on  Transit Transport Cooperation, Almaty, Kazakhstan, 28 and 29 August 2003 (A/CONF.202/3),  annex I.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   53/55  17-21819      351. Requests the Secretary-General to convene, in accordance with  paragraphs 2 and 3 of resolution 54/33, the nineteenth meeting of the Informal  Consultative Process, in New York from 18 to 22 June 2018, to provide it with the  facilities necessary for the performance of its work, including documentation, and to  arrange for support to be provided by the Division, in cooperation with other relevant  parts of the Secretariat, as appropriate;     352. Expresses its continued serious concern regarding the lack of resources  available in the voluntary trust fund established pursuant to resolution 55/7 for the  purpose of assisting developing countries, in particular least developed countries,  small island developing States and landlocked developing States, in attending the  meetings of the Informal Consultative Process, and urges States, international  financial  institutions,  donor  agencies,  intergovernmental  organizations,  non-governmental organizations and natural and juridical persons to make additional  contributions to the trust fund;     353. Decides that those representatives from developing countries who are  invited by the Co-Chairs, in consultation with Governments, to make presentations  during the meetings of the Informal Consultative Process shall receive priority  consideration in the disbursement of funds from the voluntary trust fund established  pursuant to resolution 55/7 in order to cover the costs of their travel, and shall also  be eligible to receive daily subsistence allowance subject to the availability of funds  after the travel costs of all other eligible representatives from those countries  mentioned in paragraph 352 above have been covered;     354. Recalls its decision that, in its deliberations on the report of the Secretary- General on oceans and the law of the sea, the Informal Consultative Process shall  focus its discussions at its nineteenth meeting, in 2018, on the theme “Anthropogenic  underwater noise”;        XV  Coordination and cooperation      355. Encourages States to work closely with and through international  organizations, funds and programmes, as well as the specialized agencies of the  United Nations system and relevant international conventions, to identify emerging  areas of focus for improved coordination and cooperation and how best to address  these issues;     356. Expresses its concern at the desecration of graves at sea and the looting of  wrecks of ships constituting such graves, and calls upon States to cooperate, as  appropriate, to prevent the looting and desecration of wrecks of ships constituting  graves in order to ensure that proper respect is given to all human remains located in  maritime waters, consistent with international law, including, as appropriate, the 2001  Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage, among parties  thereto;     357. Encourages bodies established by the Convention to strengthen  coordination and cooperation, as appropriate, in fulfilling their respective mandates;    358. Requests the Secretary-General to bring the present resolution to the  attention of heads of intergovernmental organizations, the specialized agencies, funds  and programmes of the United Nations engaged in activities relating to ocean affairs  and the law of the sea, as well as funding institutions, and underlines the importance  of their constructive and timely input for the report of the Secretary-General on  oceans and the law of the sea and of their participation in relevant meetings and  processes;    A/RES/72/73  Oceans and the law of the sea   17-21819  54/55      359. Welcomes the work done by the secretariats of relevant United Nations  specialized agencies, programmes, funds and bodies and the secretariats of related  organizations and conventions to enhance inter-agency coordination and cooperation  on ocean issues, including, where appropriate, through UN-Oceans, the inter-agency  coordination mechanism on ocean and coastal issues within the United Nations  system;     360. Recognizes the work undertaken by UN-Oceans, in particular the  inventory of mandates, under the revised terms of reference for the work of  UN-Oceans, and with the United Nations Legal Counsel/Division for Ocean Affairs  and the Law of the Sea as the focal point of UN-Oceans, and, as an interim measure,  in this regard invites States, international financial institutions, donor agencies,  intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and natural and  juridical persons to make financial earmarked contributions to the trust fund  established by the Secretary-General for the Office of Legal Affairs to support the  promotion of international law, and authorizes the Secretary-General to disburse  funds from such contributions to that trust fund for the purposes of the maintenance  of an online searchable database for an inventory of the mandates of UN-Oceans  members and priorities approved by the respective governing bodies of the  participating organizations of UN-Oceans, with a view to identifying possible areas  of collaboration and synergy, as well as for travel associated with the performance of  the functions of the focal point;    361. Decides to defer the review of the terms of reference for the work of  UN-Oceans until its seventy-third session;        XVI  Activities of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea      362. Expresses its appreciation to the Secretary-General for the annual report  on oceans and the law of the sea, prepared by the Division, as well as for the other  activities of the Division, which reflect the high standard of assistance provided to  Member States by the Division;    363. Notes with satisfaction the ninth observance by the United Nations of  World Oceans Day in 2017,130 recognizes with appreciation the efforts deployed by  the Division in organizing its celebration in the context of the commemorative event  held during the United Nations Conference to Support the Implementation of  Sustainable Development Goal 14, and invites the Division to continue to promote  and facilitate international cooperation on the law of the sea and ocean affairs in the  context of the future observance of World Oceans Day, as well as through its  participation in other events;     364. Recalls the responsibilities and functions entrusted to the Secretary- General in the Convention and in the related resolutions of the General Assembly,  including resolutions 49/28 and 52/26, notes the increased number of requests to the  Division for additional outputs and servicing of meetings and in relation to the support  to be provided by the Division as secretariat of the Regular Process during the second  cycle of the Regular Process, and requests the Secretary-General to ensure the  allocation of appropriate resources to the Division for the performance of its activities  under the approved budget for the Organization;     365. Requests the Secretary-General to continue the publication activities of the  Division, in particular through the publication of The Law of the Sea: A Select  Bibliography and the Law of the Sea Bulletin;    __________________    130 By its resolution 63/111, the General Assembly designated 8 June as World Oceans Day.   Oceans and the law of the sea  A/RES/72/73   55/55  17-21819        XVII  Seventy-third session of the General Assembly      366. Requests the Secretary-General to prepare a report for consideration by the  General Assembly at its seventy-third session on developments and issues relating to  ocean affairs and the law of the sea, including the implementation of the present  resolution, in accordance with resolutions 49/28, 52/26 and 54/33, and to prepare a  separate report on the topic that is the focus of the nineteenth meeting of the Informal  Consultative Process;    367. Emphasizes the critical role of the annual report of the Secretary-General,  which integrates information on developments relating to the implementation of the  Convention and the work of the Organization, its specialized agencies and other  institutions in the field of ocean affairs and the law of the sea at the global and regional  levels, and as a result constitutes the basis for the annual consideration and review of  developments relating to ocean affairs and the law of the sea by the General Assembly  as the global institution having the competence to undertake such a review;     368. Notes that the reports referred to in paragraph 366 above will also be  submitted to States Parties pursuant to article 319 of the Convention regarding issues  of a general nature that have arisen with respect to the Convention;     369. Also notes the desire to further improve the efficiency of and effective  participation of delegations in the informal consultations concerning the annual  General Assembly resolution on oceans and the law of the sea, decides that the period  of the informal consultations on that resolution should not exceed a maximum of two  weeks in total and that the consultations should be scheduled in such a way that the  Division has sufficient time to produce the report referred to in paragraph 366 above,  requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide support to the consultations  through the Division, and invites States to submit text proposals for inclusion in the  resolution to the Coordinator of the informal consultations at the earliest possible  date;    370. Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its seventy-third session  the item entitled “Oceans and the law of the sea”.