The OECS Secretariat is mounting a workshop for Ministers of Foreign Affairs and senior technical officials who would form part of a state’s negotiating team.  The workshop, to focus on OECS maritime cooperation arrangements, takes place September 26th and 27th at the Royal St. Lucian Hotel.

The sustainable development of ocean resources represents a key aspect of the economic development of the OECS region to be carried out in accordance with best international practices, and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea  (UNCLOS) and other instruments.  The obligation of Member States to protect and preserve the marine space is articulated in Articles 56, 192 and 193 of the convention, which require that States have a legal duty to protect the marine environment when exploiting marine space falling under their jurisdiction.

The requirement that States are to cooperate (Article 199) through a harmonized approach (Article 197) speaks to the establishment of a regional mechanism that will facilitate the development of common positions, policies and laws for the coordination of management initiatives in waters subject to the jurisdiction of the States parties.  To this end, the OECS Secretariat has formulated a sustainable oceans governance programme designed to promote OECS maritime cooperation arrangements as a framework for the sustainable management of ocean resources, and the protection of the marine environment.

The programme will:

• Enable the OECS Secretariat to create an institutional framework for regional cooperation in trans-boundary oceans management.

• Strengthen national and regional capacities for the development and implementation of ocean law and policy within the framework of sub-regional cooperation; and,

• Facilitate the provision of technical services in the area of sustainable ocean resource and marine environment management.

As part of this programme, the OECS Secretariat has now been successful in initiating partnerships with the University of Dalhousie Maritime Law Institute, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea Office of Legal Affairs, for providing both short and long term technical support to the OECS in long term capacity building in the areas of Oceans Governance, at both the national and regional levels, and in training in negotiations, particularly maritime boundary negotiations.

The September 26th to 27th  workshop will be conducted by Professors of the Dalhousie Maritime Law Institute and Specialists in Maritime Law from the Commonwealth Secretariat. Regional Resource people will also be in attendance.