Mr. President,  

The European Union and its Member States would like to commend the sterling work, over the past 24 years, of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf in the fulfilment of the significant mandate entrusted to it by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Once again, we would like to reiterate our gratitude and support for the work of the Commission.  

The Commission’s work is crucial to ensure the exercise by coastal States of their sovereign rights, but also to define the limits of the Area, which is managed by the International Seabed Authority. Several EU Member States have made submissions that have been considered by the Commission or are still under examination by sub-commissions. We would like to highlight the quality of scientific exchange as well as the effective cooperation of the Commission with submitting States in the elaboration of submissions. 

Furthermore, we express our gratitude to the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea and its staff for the invaluable support services rendered to the Commission.  

Mr. President,  

The European Union and its Member States would like to express their gratitude to Mr. Adnan Al-Azri for his leadership during this difficult period. We also thank him for his letter dated 6 April 2021 relating to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic to the work of the Commission and to other challenges. 

The European Union and its Member States acknowledge that the fifty-third and fifty-fourth sessions of the Commission could not be held in 2020 due to the exceptional circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the challenges posed by remote working, in particular with regard to confidentiality and the lack of adequate technical conditions for all members of the Commission to perform their work. We note with appreciation that the Commission has agreed to continue to work during the intersessional period with a view to identifying potential solutions for the consideration of submissions by means other than in-person meetings, should the COVID-19 pandemic continue to prevent such in-person meetings in 2021. 

We also note with appreciation that in spite of the postponement of the 53rd and 54th sessions and with no formal sessions of the Commission taking place, its members remained actively engaged in matters concerning its work and have met informally at the executive and workinggroup levels of the Commission, including the Bureau. We note in this regard the considerable number of submissions yet to be considered by the Commission and the demands this workload places on its members and the Secretariat, as provided by the Division. The European Union and its Member States remain concerned about the waiting time between the submission of information on the limits of the continental shelf and the establishment of a corresponding subcommission, which is now approaching 12 years and is expected to increase further. 

Mr. President,  

In addition to the workload and COVID-19 related challenges that the Commission is facing, the European Union and its Member States acknowledge the ongoing challenges linked to the conditions of service of the members of the Commission. We believe that these issues need to be resolved in a satisfactory manner, if we are to ensure that the Commission has the appropriate condition under which it can undertake its work effectively and sustainably. In this regard, we would like to commend the continuing efforts of the Co-chairs of the Open-ended Working Group on this issue. 

We acknowledge that solutions based on the voluntary trust fund established for the purpose of  defraying the cost of participation of the members of the Commission from developing States in meetings of the Commission are not ideal in the long term owing to chronic underfunding of this fund and that therefore a more sustainable way of funding the participation of all members to the meetings of the 21 weeks of annual Commission work is needed. 

The European Union and its Member States would like to express their gratitude to the Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea for providing information to support the discussions at the Open-ended Working Group with estimations of the costs to address the working conditions of the members of the Commission. We will continue to engage on this issue with other delegations in order to find a sustainable solution that ensures the full participation of all members in the meetings of the Commission, and consequently the fulfilment of the Commission’s functions under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, in an efficient and timely manner. 

We also wish to express our concern regarding the vacant post which has not been filled since 2014 and hope that an outcome to this situation can be found as soon as possible, by the proposal of a candidate or by considering alternative solutions. The absence of a member is indeed prejudicial to the work of the Commission, in particular to the composition of sub commissions.  

In view of the reported challenges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that caused a full year of work of the Commission being lost, the European Union and its Member States would like to indicate its support to the proposal to extend the term of office of the members of the Commission for one year, as an exceptional measure, setting no precedent for the future. 

Thank you very much, Mr. President.