Meetings of States Parties to the 1982
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

Updated 07 April 2008

Introduction

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides, in article 319, paragraph 2 (e), that the Secretary-General "shall convene necessary meetings of States Parties in accordance with this Convention".  The first Meeting of States Parties (SPLOS) was convened in New York on 21 and 22 November 1994, immediately following the entry into force of the Convention. As of 2006 , there have been 16 Meetings of the States Parties to the Convention (see the reports), as well as one special Meeting held on 2 September 2003.

The Meetings have dealt primarily with elections of the members of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and of the members of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf as well as with budgetary and administrative matters of the Tribunal.

Eighteenth Meeting of States Parties

• Eighteenth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention will be held in New York, from 13 to 20 June 2008.

Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties

• Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties to the Convention was held in New York, on 14 June and from 18 to 22 June 2007.

Secretariat contact:

Secretary of the Meeting of States Parties
Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea
Office of Legal Affairs
Room DC2-0434
United Nations
New York, New York 10017
USA

Telephone:	(212) 963-3972
Facsimile:	(212) 963-5847
E-mail:	DOALOS