Somali Parliamentarians receive training on the Law of the Sea

19 Oct 2014

Somali Parliamentarians receive training on the Law of the Sea

Mogadishu – The United Nations Somalia Mission (UNSOM) facilitated the first-ever awareness raising seminar for Somali lawmakers to increase their understanding of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) - to which Somalia is a party.

The seminar was attended by 26 Somali lawmakers from 15 parliamentary committees. The MPs received a two-day brief from two law of the sea experts who are with the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea. The training was as a result of a request by the Federal Government of Somalia to the United Nations Secretary-General.
 

The seminar is aimed at building common understanding amongst key decision makers in Somalia about the rights, duties and opportunities set out in UNCLOS in order to facilitate the development and adoption of effective national legal administrative and legislative frameworks for the management of maritime resources. The seminar is part of a broader capacity-building programme on law of the sea developed for Somalia by the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, supported by funding from the Trust Fund to Support the Initiatives of States to Counter Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.
 

“Somalia has a lot to gain if it effectively implements the convention. It has the longest coastline of continental Africa and is also part of the most important and large marine ecosystem in the Indian Ocean,” said Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director of the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, who together with her Deputy Vladimir Jares, conducted the seminar.
 

During the two-day seminar, Somalia lawmakers were briefed on the international legal regime that governs fishing, offshore mining and exploration of natural gas and oil, as stipulated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. UNCLOS is widely considered as the ‘constitution of the oceans’ and is near universal in its participation and adherence, with 166 States Parties around the world.
 

The lawmakers who attended the seminar that was held in Mogadishu, thanked the United Nations for organizing it and said they want more of such capacity-building workshops in order to better manage their country’s rich marine resources.
 

“We are grateful to the UN for facilitating this seminar on the Law of the Sea. We have learnt so much about the sea. The knowledge and insights we gained in this seminar comes at a good time when we expect to debate on our maritime law which will soon be tabled in parliament. We want to request for more of such crucial workshops in future to build our capacity,” Mohamed Mahamud Ibrahim, one of the lawmakers who attended the seminar said.