Sri Lankan Heads Law Of Sea Conference

Steers ships of state on consensual course

In the first blush of its independence in 1948, Ceylon’s relationship with the UN was overshadowed by its simultaneous belonging to the club of newly sovereign nations in South Asia and the wider Commonwealth farther afield, which duality led to the USSR blocking its entry into the United Nations for half a decade or so – until 1955, its year of accession.

Following its admission to the UN in 1960 however, the relatively small state’s contribution to the worldwide forum has been inestimable. Its cadre to UN peacekeeping missions as much as conceptual material for mooting that Ceylon contributed since 1960 – the year it secured a seat on the United Nations Security Council – was well above its paygrade.

Then came the UN Conference on the Law of the Sea in 1974, which saw Ambassador Shirley Amerasinghe step into the spotlight and shine at that global confab.

Not only did the career diplomat from our island nation preside over the conference but the outcome of the deliberations – the Law of the Sea Convention – went on to constitute the Plimsoll line in terms of defining the roles, rights and responsibilities of countries traversing the world’s oceans.

This important document was all the more commendable in the light of revelation and a realisation that the UN in the 1970s was a microcosm of worldly politics.

The Cold War milieu added its complexities to hotbeds of international wrangling wherein maritime matters and the law pertaining to ocean rights was a maelstrom of intrigue, as well as more often than not a case of the haves against the have-nots.

A major contribution to the mooting and adoption of a convention that was deemed just, fair and equitable to all countries concerned was the deft helmsmanship of Amerasinghe, who had already served as head of the UN’s Seabed Committee.

In the words of a reputable journalist who reported on the conference and its convention, the diplomat “never tried to be an expert on all subjects; but instead, concentrated on the big picture and tried to bring pressure at a high level.”

“He was not afraid of taking personal initiatives… and when he thought it necessary, he would call delegates – even from the big powers of the Group of 77 – into his office or rap knuckles or heads together,” the journalist added.

This modus operandi resulted in a gentlemen’s agreement, procedurally speaking, whereby the Law of the Sea was agreed upon consensus – militating in favour of being abided by – rather than contentious voting.

This important document was all the more commendable in the light of revelation and a realisation that the UN in the 1970s was a microcosm of worldly politics