(NEWS) IMO - WMU Joint Special Issue on Protecting the Ocean - The London Convention and the Stockholm Declaration at 50

November

2024

IMO - WMU Joint Special Issue on Protecting the Ocean - The London Convention and the Stockholm Declaration at 50

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On 30 October, the World Maritime University - Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) launched the IMO - WMU joint Special Issue on “Protecting the Ocean - The London Convention and the Stockholm Declaration at 50”, published in the International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law (IJMCL Vol. 39, No. 3), during the 46th Consultative Meeting of Contracting Parties to the London Convention and the 19th Meeting of Contracting Parties to the London Protocol at IMO Headquarters in London, United Kingdom.

The special issue is based on the joint IMO-WMU International Academic Conference hosted by the WMU-GOI, from 10 to 13 October 2022, at WMU and online, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stockholm Declaration and the London Convention. The special issue showcases the outputs of the conference, featuring articles by conference presenters, composed of a multi-disciplinary community of academics, civil societies, policy-makers, and politicians concerned with ocean and maritime affairs, climate change, and sustainable development.

To officially launch the Special Issue, Professor Maximo Q. Mejía Jr., WMU President, delivered keynote remarks (virtually, via video here) highlighting the publication’s contribution by offering reflections on the past, present, and future of the London Convention, the London Protocol, and the Stockholm Declaration as key international instruments for protecting and preserving the marine environment. Furthermore, President Mejía emphasized the strategic collaboration between IMO and WMU in producing impactful outcomes across their joint academic activities while enhancing capacity development efforts within the international community.

Mr Fredrik Haag, Head of the Office for the London Convention/Protocol and Ocean Affairs and a WMU alumnus, addressed the audience with the IMO’s perspective on the London Convention/Protocol, the Stockholm Declaration, and the special issue. Mr Haag noted that the London Convention and London Protocol are the two main international treaties of global application addressing the protection of the marine environment from pollution caused by the dumping of wastes and other matter into the sea. Together with other international instruments developed under the auspices of IMO, they contribute to the growing international efforts to prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds. He acknowledged the fruitful collaboration with WMU in producing this comprehensive volume of academic papers, which addresses many pressing contemporary issues relating to the protection of the marine environment.

Dr Zhen Sun, WMU Associate Professor, shared her insights about the special issue launch. In doing so, Dr Sun thanked the IMO for supporting the edited Special Issue that represents a highly interdisciplinary, collective effort undertaken by over thirty contributors, contextualizing the legacies of the Stockholm Declaration and the London Convention/London Protocol across international environmental law, the law of the sea, and maritime law.

Professor Ronán Long, WMU-GOI Director, addressed the audience (virtually, via video here), stressing that the special issue marks 50 years of progress in protecting the marine environment as a vital component of the human environment. Professor Long highlighted that the special issue reflects WMU's capacity development mandate. Furthermore, he underscored the significance of the special issue which includes 19 unique academic papers touching upon diverse perspectives on multilateralism in marine environmental law and praised the efforts made to ensure that this special issue is launched as an open-access contribution to the international community.

To conclude the ceremony, Dr Ríán Derrig, WMU-GOI Postdoctoral Fellow and lead editor of the special issue, encouraged attending delegates to explore the publication, expressing his hope that it would serve as a valuable resource in their critical work.

The open-access Special Issue is available through the International of Marine and Coastal Law website at: https://brill.com/view/journals/estu/39/3/estu.39.issue-3.xml

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More about the Stockholm Declaration, London Convention/Protocol, and Onwards

The Stockholm Declaration on the Human Environment (Stockholm Declaration), which contained 26 principles, placed environmental problems at the forefront of international concerns. It marked the start of a dialogue between industrialized and developing countries on the link between economic growth, the pollution of the air, water, oceans, and the well-being of people around the world. The 1972 Conference also adopted an Action Plan for the Human Environment, containing 109 recommendations for action at the international level. Recommendation 86(c) called for an international regime to regulate dumping, and the London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention) was duly concluded in the same year. The London Convention is the first binding international agreement to prevent illegal dumping in all marine areas outside internal waters. It is strengthened by the 1996 Protocol to the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and other matter, 1972 (London Protocol) introducing the precautionary approach to the regulation of dumping. Effectively, all dumping of waste at sea is prohibited except for those materials specified on a ‘reserve list’. It is anticipated that the London Protocol will replace the London Convention over time.

Since then, the development of modern international environmental law has been one of the more remarkable exercises in contemporary international law-making. This includes the comprehensive framework for marine environmental protection articulated in Part XII of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity, the Rio Declaration of the UN Conference on Environment and Development, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the 2015 Paris Agreement, and the much anticipated global treaty on plastic pollution.

About the IMO WMU International Academic Conference

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the WMU – Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI), and The Nippon Foundation were the primary co-sponsors of the IMO-WMU Joint International Academic Conference: Protecting the Ocean - Moving forward at 50: London Convention & Stockholm Declaration that included topical papers focused on the 1972 Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (London Convention) and the 1972 Declaration of the United Nations Conference on Human Environment (Stockholm Declaration), as well as invaluable perspectives from distinguished expert commentators from Government Ministries, UN Agencies and Programmes, International and Regional Organizations, Academic Institutions and Civil Society.

About the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute

The WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute (WMU-GOI) is an independent focal point for the ocean science-policy-law-industry-society interface where policymakers, the scientific community, regulators, industry actors, academics, and representatives of civil society meet to discuss how best to manage and use ocean spaces and their resources following the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Institute was inaugurated in May 2018 and made possible through generous support from The Nippon Foundation of Japan, the Governments of Sweden, Canada, and Germany, as well as the City of Malmö.

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