Conciliation and the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea

Abstract

Conciliation is an age-old peaceful means of dispute settlement. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea provides for both voluntary and compulsory conciliation. The importance of conciliation in the UNCLOS is obvious, yet it has received little focused attention. This paper first highlights the essential features of conciliation in general and the position of conciliation in the UNCLOS dispute settlement system and then moves on to analyze the place and roles of voluntary and compulsory conciliation under the UNCLOS. The final section analyzes conciliation precedents in the law of the sea and offers some concluding remarks.