JJUA54079U International Law of the Sea

In light of the increasing use of the oceans, the elaboration of law of the sea is particularly important. For instance, currently there is a great need to pursue conservation policies in order to prevent depletion of marine living resources because these resources are an important source of protein in a situation of food shortage at the global level. As contaminations in coastal waters may pose serious risks to marine ecosystems and human health, arguably the protection of the marine environment is of central importance for the survival of coastal populations. Further to this, law of the sea is an inseparable part of public international law in general. Hence, law of the sea will provide useful insights into the study of various fields of international law, including sources of the law, state jurisdiction, environmental protection and peaceful settlement of international disputes, etc. Against that background, this course aims to provide a broad knowledge of the international law of the sea focusing on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.The course is divided into three principal parts:

1. The first part will discuss the development of international law of the sea.
Main focus will be on the codification of the law.
2. The second part of the course seeks to provide systematic knowledge on each jurisdictional zone in the oceans.
To this end, this part will examine:
(i) Internal waters,
(ii) Territorial sea,
(iii) International straits,
(iv) Archipelagic waters,
(v) Contiguous zone,
(vi) Exclusive economic zone,
(v) Continental shelf, ´
(vi) High seas,
(vii) The Area, and
(viii) Maritime delimitations.
3. The third part will address various issues arising from human use of the oceans, such as:
(i) Conservation of marine living resources,
(ii) Protection of the marine environment,
(iii) Concervation of marine biological diversity,
(iv) Marine scientific research, and
(v) Marine security
(vi) Peaceful settlement of international disputes