United Nations

Defense, Maritime Security 24-Jan-2023

Need for Maritime Security Oversight on Violations by Mercenaries and Private Military

NEW YORK (1-November-2022) –A growing reliance on private contractors to protect vessels, commercial shipping, offshore platforms, ports, and other maritime infrastructure has exposed human rights violations perpetrated by mercenaries and private military and security companies, UN experts said. A report presented to the General Assembly by the Working Group on the use of mercenaries explores how the maritime security sector has evolved…

International Shipping, Marine Environment, Marine Transportation, Oil & Gas, Zero Emission 28-Feb-2021

New Poll: Majority of Americans Would Change Where They Shop to Support Cleaner Ships

A new poll conducted for Pacific Environment by Yale University, George Mason University, and Climate Nexus finds that nearly three-quarters (74%) of American voters would be more likely to shop at companies that use cleaner ways to ship their goods. The poll finds that 70% of American voters would continue to shop at these brands even if using clean ships…

Maritime Safety, Ship-Manning 26-Nov-2020

400,000 Seafarers Stuck at Sea as Crew Change Crisis Deepens

Some 400,000 seafarers from across the globe are now stranded on ships, continuing to work but unable to be relieved, in a deepening crew change crisis which threatens trade and maritime safety. During a high-level event on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly (24 September), Captain Hedi Marzougui, who was in command of a vessel between December 2019…

Defense, Maritime Security, National Affairs 24-Jan-2020

Farewell to Peace?

With high spirits, the nation greeted the year 2020 with fresh hope that life would be much better and that the world would be more peaceful than the past year. That hope did not last long as renewed human conflict in the Middle East ensued three days after New Year with the killing of a top Iranian general accused of…

Marine Environment 24-Jan-2020

Ten New Insights in Climate Science 2019

The world continues to emit greenhouse gases while our planet’s climate is changing faster than ever. The 10 New Insights in Climate Science 2019 report intends to take up the latest and most essential scientific findings published in an extraordinary year –the climate science year in review. The world is not on track Greenhouse gas emissions continue increasing; gap between…

Marine Environment 20-Sep-2019

Why the Rush in Seabed Mining in the Pacific Ocean?

The Pacific Ocean is the scene of a new Wild West. Companies and their investors, hungry for profits, are driving a speculative rush for seabed minerals. Donor government-supported programs that promote the development of ‘responsible’ seabed mining regulations provide aid. THE PERILS OF DEEP SEA MINING. Deep Sea Mining (DSM) is as yet an unproven industry hoping to extract minerals…

Marine Environment 23-Mar-2018

The Impacts of Global Sand Mining

Beaches around the world are disappearing. Riverbanks are getting wider and deeper, as large sections of riverbanks collapse. Most people would not know about this because sand mining is an invisible problem until it’s too late. Sand is used mainly to make cement for construction projects. Yet after decades of continuous hauling and dredging, the negative impacts have become too…

Maritime Law 31-Jul-2017

An UNCLOS-based Durable Legal System for Regional Maritime Security and Ocean Governance for the Indo-Pacific Maritime Region (An enhanced maritime awareness agenda for the Maritime Forum)

Introduction The maritime issues under consideration in this article relates to the establishment of a legal order and durable regional ocean governance mechanism addressing non-traditional maritime security concerns, initially concentrated on the South China Sea giving prominence to a narrowed ASEAN-China context, but eventually extrapolated to a large maritime setting that is the seas of the ASEAN and the Central…

Letter to the Editor, Maritime Security 31-Jul-2017

Concept of Extraterritoriality

Dear Editor, I am submitting this unique idea that can be considered under the subject of “Concept of extraterritoriality.“ —Atty. Fernando C. Campos Extraterritoriality is a concept similar to the 2 Separate Administrative Regions of China —the MAINLAND and HONGKONG. It is a unilateral declaration of CHINA as a sovereign State and was accepted by GREAT BRITAIN as a co-equal…

Words From FVR 1-Nov-2016

Enhancing the U.N.-China-U.S. Strategic Collaboration

These past two weeks in the United Nations and at side events in various venues, significant happenings took place and will continue to evolve through the month of October.  Some of the world’s leaders are phasing out of the international limelight while others will be coming on the world stage for the first time. Climate Change – Priority for China,…