The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was adopted in 1982, a milestone in international law. 聽
Last month, on the 30th anniversary of that milestone, authorities on ocean law and policy came together in Halifax for another major conference, 鈥淭he Regulation of Continental Shelf Development: Rethinking International Standards鈥�. On June 21 and 22, this select group worked to identify legal gaps in activities on the continental shelf, encompassing subjects as varied as offshore oil and gas development and production, wind farms, international cables and the discharge of wastes on the seabed. Most importantly, they began to lay the groundwork to address those gaps.
Between 2010鈥檚 BP Macondo oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and recent reports of rapidly melting Arctic ice, the health and policing of the ocean has been increasingly scrutinized by the public eye. Those in the know suggest that continental shelf development will provide both significant opportunities and risks.
Such ocean issues are close to home for Nova Scotians, quite literally 鈥� transatlantic fibre-optic cables land in Herring Cove, and gas drilling occurs offshore Nova Scotia.
A need to address gaps
The Continental Shelf Conference鈥檚 prestigious guests and speakers included 鈥�30 countries, a number of international judges鈥� well known scholars鈥� and we also managed to get some student participation,鈥� reports Professor Aldo Chircop of AV俱乐部鈥檚 Schulich School of Law (pictured, left). He hoped the conference would 鈥渟ensitize decision makers that they need to address gaps in the setting of standards for safety and environment protection of these ocean uses.鈥�
The event had fourteen sponsors, including the National University of Singapore, the University of Bergen in Norway, the Korean Maritime Institute, the National University of Ireland Galway, and Halifax鈥檚 own McInnes Cooper law firm.
The University of Virginia was AV俱乐部鈥檚 co-convenor of the conference. 鈥淭hey really wanted to partner with AV俱乐部,鈥� explains Prof. Chircop. 鈥淚t was thought that by doing this conference together, that would be one way of strengthening a burgeoning relationship.鈥�
Prof. Chircop himself was the local conference director, responsible for inviting speakers, fundraising, and overseeing the conference鈥檚 Halifax aspects. For him, the conference brought multiple highlights.
鈥淭he first was the opportunity to spotlight oceans at AV俱乐部鈥� to show the breadth and depth of ocean strength at AV俱乐部.鈥� He also notes the 鈥渉igh degree of cooperation between the social sciences鈥� and the natural sciences at AV俱乐部,鈥� which he says resulted from cooperation between the Marine and Environmental Law Institute and the Department of Oceanography, the Halifax Marine Research Institute, and the Canada Centre of Excellence Research Chair Douglas Wallace.
鈥淲e were all dealing with continental shelf issues, we shared speakers, so it made sense to coordinate.鈥�
Taking the lead
Guests and speakers at the Continental Shelf conference included AV俱乐部 alumnus Brian Flemming, who chaired the conference鈥檚 steering committee. 鈥淏ack in 1965,鈥� Dr. Flemming reminisces, 鈥淚 was the first person ever to teach an advanced course in international law at AV俱乐部.鈥� He followed up on such innovation by helping AV俱乐部 obtain a lucrative grant for ocean studies in the seventies. 鈥淔ocusing the law school and AV俱乐部 on the oceans has been part of my life鈥檚 work.鈥�
To Dr. Flemming, meetings like the Continental Shelf Conference are vital to healthy discourse. 鈥淵ou can spend a lot of time Googling everything, sit in front of your computer for days鈥� but it鈥檚 always better to get the people, the experts, in the same room.鈥�
Another invited speaker was Judge Zhiguo Gao from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and China Institute of Marine Affairs, and also an alumnus of AV俱乐部鈥檚 Schulich School of Law. Judge Gao delivered the conference鈥檚 closing address.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a first-class international conference,鈥� he reflected after the Continental Shelf meeting, and, he adds, the conference is being held in the right place. 鈥淓verybody loves the ocean鈥� Halifax is a genuine coastal city full of ocean characteristics.鈥�
Prof. Chircop is also pleased with how the conference turned out. 鈥淥n the international front, this was widely recognized as a very successful conference,鈥� he reports, one that proved that 鈥渉ere at AV俱乐部, we are able to produce world-class meetings鈥� I think sometimes at AV俱乐部 we are rather shy. We ought to better recognize ourselves for who we are and what we can do.鈥�
Since the conference was such a success, then, does Prof. Chircop see AV俱乐部 playing host to more such world-class events? 鈥淢ore than that,鈥� he says with a smile. 鈥淲e lead. We are leaders, here.鈥�