Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS)
Membership of the Commission from 1997 to 2022

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    In accordance with the provisions of article 2 of Annex II to the Convention, "the Commission shall consist of twenty-one members who shall be experts in the field of geology, geophysics or hydrography, elected by States Parties to the Convention from among their nationals, having due regard to the need to ensure equitable geographical representation, who shall serve in their personal capacities".

    On 14 June 2017, the Twenty-seventh Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea elected 20 members of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for a term of five years, commencing from 16 June 2017 and ending on 15 June 2022. The election of a twenty-first member of the Commission will take place at a time to be determined.

    The members of the Commission are:

Officers of the Commission:

Chair:

    Mr. Adnan Rashid Nasser Al-Azri (from 17 December 2019 until the expiration of the current term of office)

         During the previous two and a half year term, the Commission was chaired by Mr. Yong Ahn Park from 16 June 2017 until 16 December 2019.

Vice-Chairs:

   Messrs. Martin Vang Heinesen, Marcin Mazurowski, Simon Njuguna and Gonzalo Alejandro Yáñez Carrizo

         During the previous two and a half year term, the Vice-Chairs of the Commission were Messrs. Ivan Glumov, Martin Vang Heinesen, Jair Alberto Ribas Marques and Simon Njuguna.

Subsidiary bodies:

• Committee on Confidentiality

            Members: Aldino Campos, Estevao Stefane Mahanjane, Marcin Mazurowski, Toshitsugu Yamazaki and Gonzalo Alejandro Yáñez Carrizo

            The Committee elected Mr. Campos as its Chair and Mr. Mahanjane as Vice-Chair.

• Committee on provision of scientific and technical advice to coastal States

            Members: Lawrence Folajimi Awosika, Wanda-Lee De Landro-Clarke, Mazlan Bin Madon, Marcin Mazurowski and David Cole Mosher.

            The Committee elected Mr. Madon as its Chair and Mr. Awosika as Vice-Chair.

    On 6 and 7 June 2012, the Twenty-second Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea elected 20 members of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for a term of five years, commencing from 16 June 2012 and ending on 15 June 2017. At that time, the election of 1 member of the Commission has been postponed. On 19 December 2012, the Meeting of States Parties elected Mr. Szymon Uscinowicz (Poland) as member of the Commission. His term of office started on 19 December 2012 and will end on 15 June 2017.

    On 16 January 2015, the Chairperson of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (the "Commission") received a letter from Mr. George Jaoshvili, member of the Commission nominated by Georgia, conveying his decision to resign from his position as a member of the Commission.

¹ Mr. Leder was elected at the twenty-fifth Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to fill the vacancy due to the resignation of Mr. George Jaoshvili.
² Mr. Ravindra was elected at the twenty-fourth Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to fill the vacancy due to the resignation of Mr.Sivaramakrishnan Rajan.

Officers of the Commission

Chairman:

    Mr. Lawrence Folajimi Awosika

Vice-Chairmen:

    Messrs. Carrera, Glumov, Park and Roest

Subsidiary bodies:

• Committee on Confidentiality

            Members: Messrs. Heinesen, Kalngui, Marques, Park and Uscinowicz

            The Committee  elected Mr. Park as Chairperson and Messrs. Kalngui and Marques as Vice-Chairpersons.

• Committee on provision of scientific and technical advice to coastal States

            Members: Messrs. Glumov, Haworth, Oduro, Paterlini and Urabe.

            The Committee elected Mr. Urabe as Chairperson and Messrs. Haworth and Paterlini as Vice-Chairpersons.

• Editorial Committee (open-ended)

            Messrs. Awosika, Carrera, Glumov, Haworth, Heinesen, Madon, Marques, Oduro, Park, Paterlini, Roest, and Urabe form the core group of that Committee which has an open-ended membership. The Committee elected Mr. Haworth as its Chairperson and Messrs Charles and Paterlini as Vice-Chairpersons.

• Training Committee (open-ended)

            Messrs. Awosika, Carrera, Charles, Haworth, Heinesen, Jaoshvili, Kalngui, Lu, Mahanjane, Marques, Njuguna, Oduro, Park, Paterlini and Roest form the core group of the Training Committee which has an open-ended membership. The Committee elected Mr. Carrera as its Chairperson and Messrs Park and Roest as Vice-Chairpersons.

    On 14 and 15 June 2007, the Seventeenth Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea elected 21 members of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for a term of five years, commencing from 16 June 2007. These members were:

Officers of the Commission 2009-2012

Chairman: Galo Carrera Hurtado (elected on 9 April 2012 for the rest of Mr. Albuquerque's term of office)

 Vice-Chairmen: Lawrence Folajimi Awosika, Harald Brekke, Yuri Borisovitch Kazmin, Yong-Ahn Park.

Subsidiary bodies:

• Committee on Confidentiality

At its twentieth session, the Commission appointed Messrs. Astiz, Croker, Kazmin, Rosette and [Tamaki]* to the Committee on Confidentiality. The Committee elected Mr. Croker as Chairman and Messrs. Rosette and [Tamaki]* as Vice-Chairmen. At its twenty-eighth session, the Commission appointed Mr. Urabe as member of the Committee.

• Committee on provision of scientific and technical advice to coastal States

At its twentieth session, the Commission appointed Messrs. Charles, German, Kalngui, Rajan and Symonds to the Standing Committee on provision of scientific and technical advice to coastal States. The Committee elected Mr. Symonds as Chairman and Messrs. Kalngui and Rajan as Vice-Chairmen.

• Editorial Committee (open-ended)

The Editorial Committee has open-ended membership. Nevertheless, at its twentieth session, the Commission decided that Messrs. [Albuquerque]*, Astiz, Awosika, Carrera, Charles, Croker, Jaafar, Kalngui, Kazmin, Lu, Oduro, Park, Rajan and Rosette would form the core group of the Editorial Committee. The Committee elected Mr. Jaafar as Chairman and Messrs. Croker and Rajan as Vice-Chairmen.

• Training Committee (open-ended)

The Training Committee has open-ended membership. Nevertheless, at its twentieth session, the Commission decided that Messrs. Awosika, Brekke, Carrera, Charles, German, Kalngui, Oduro, Park, Rosette and [Tamaki]* would form the core group of the Training Committee. The Committee elected Mr. Carrera as Chairman and Messrs. Oduro and Park as Vice-Chairmen.

  On 23 April 2002, the Twelfth Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea elected 21 members of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf for a term of five years, commencing from 16 June 2002. These members were:

Officers of the Commission 2004-2007

    At its fourteenth session, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, from  30 August to 3 September  2004, the Commission reelected Peter Croker as its Chairman.

    The Commission also elected Messrs. Francis, Juračić, Park, and Woeledji as Vice-Chairmen.

    Their term of office commences in December 2004 and expires in June 2007.

 It is recalled that, at its eleventh session, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, from  24 to 28 June 2002, the Commission had elected Peter Croker as its Chairman.

 It further recalled that at the eleventh session, the Commission had elected three Vice-Chairmen, Osvaldo Pedro Astiz, Lawrence Folajimi Awosika and Mladen Juracic, and the Rapporteur, Yong-Ahn Park. All officers had been elected to a term of two and a half years.

Subsidiary bodies: 2004-2007

Committee on Confidentiality

At its eleventh session, the Commission had appointed the following members to the Committee on Confidentiality: Osvaldo Pedro Astiz, Samuel Sona Betah, Harald Brekke, Abu Bakar Jaafar and Yuri Borisovitch Kazmin.

During the fourteenth session of the Commission, the Committee met briefly on 3 September 2004 and re-elected Mr. Jaafar as Chairman, and Mr. Astiz and Mr. Brekke as Vice-Chairmen.

It is recalled that, at the eleventh session of the Commission, the Committee had elected Mr. Jaafar as Chairman, Mr. Brekke as Vice-Chairman and Mr. Astiz as Rapporteur.

Committee on provision of scientific and technical advice to coastal States

At its eleventh session, the Commission had also appointed the following as members of the Standing Committee on provision of scientific and technical advice to coastal States: Lawrence Folajimi Awosika, Noel Newton St. Claver Francis, Mihai Silviu German, Philip Alexander Symonds and Kensaku Tamaki.

During the fourteenth session of the Commission, a brief meeting of the Committee was held on 3 September 2004, during which it proceeded with the election of its Chairman and other officers. The Committee re-elected Mr. Symonds as Chairman, and Mr. Awosika and Mr. Tamaki as Vice-Chairmen.

It is recalled that, at the eleventh session of the Commission, the Committee had elected Mr. Symonds as Chairman, Mr. Tamaki as Vice-Chairman and Mr. Awosika as Rapporteur.

Editorial Committee (open-ended)

During the fourteenth session of the Commission, Mr. Fagoonee was elected Chairman of the Editorial Committee for the next two-and-a-half-years.

 It is recalled that, at its eleventh session, the Editorial Committee had elected Harald Brekke as Chairman.

Training Committee (open-ended)

During the fourteenth session of the Commission, Mr. Brekke was elected Chairman of the Training Committee for the next two-and-a-half-years.

It is recalled that, at its eleventh session, the Training Committee had elected Indurlall Fagoonee as Chairman.

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First membership of the Commission - 1997-2002

 Twenty-eight candidates for membership to the Commission were nominated by States Parties for the first election, which took place at the Sixth Meeting of States Parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (New York, 10 - 14 March 1997). The election was conducted in accordance with article 2, paragraph 3, of Annex II to the Convention (see document SPLOS/20).

    On 13 March 1997, the 21 members of the Commission were elected for a term of five years and began their term of office on the date of the first meeting of the Commission - 16 June 1997. On that date, each of them made a solemn declaration to perform his duties as a member of the Commission honourably, faithfully, impartially and conscientiously. The members of the Commission may be re-elected in accordance with Annex II, article 2(4) of the Convention.

MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMISSION ON THE LIMITS OF THE CONTINENTAL SHELF FROM 1997-2002
(elected for a term of five years (1997 - 2002)
Name	Nationality
Mr. Alexandre Tagore Medeiros de Albuquerque	Brazil
Mr. Osvaldo Pedro Astiz	Argentina
Mr. Lawrence F. Awosika	Nigeria
Mr. Aly Ibrahim Beltagy	Egypt
Mr. Samuel Sona Betah	Cameroon
Mr. Harald Brekke	Norway
Mr. Galo Carrera Hurtado	Mexico
Mr. André C.W. Chan Chim Yuk	Mauritius
Mr. Peter F. Croker	Ireland
Mr. Noel Newton St. Claver Francis	Jamaica
Mr. Kazuchika Hamuro	Japan
Mr. Karl H.F. Hinz	Germany
Mr. A. Bakar Jaafar	Malaysia
Mr. Mladen Juracic	Croatia
Mr. Yuri Borisovitch Kazmin	Russian Federation
Mr. Iain C. Lamont	New Zealand
Mr. Wenzheng Lu	China
Mr. Chisengu Leo M'Dala	Zambia
Mr. Yong-Ahn Park	Republic of Korea
Mr. Daniel Rio	France
Mr. Krishna-Swami Ramachandran Srinivasan	India