Capacity-building workshop

1. Consider the key principles of the Law of the Sea as codified in the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC), in relation to maritime baselines limits and boundaries;
2. Analyse the determination of baselines, delineation and declaration of the outer limits to maritime zones and the delimitation of maritime boundaries in an era of climate change and sea level rise;
3. Consider potential response options including the declaration and fixing of maritime baselines, limits and boundaries;
4. Strategise on how the best options can be implemented in practice including mitigation options. 

Sea level rise coupled with an increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are likely to result in inundation, erosion of coastlines, and other climatic phenomenon. While these changes are a concern to all coastal States, they present an acute threat to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and to those with low-elevation and soft and or sandy coasts in particular. 

In the face of the accelerating threats of sea level rise, there is an increasingly pressing need to identify and declare the location of baselines along the coast, delineate the outer limits of maritime zones and delimit maritime boundaries.

The objectives of the workshop are to explore and share knowledge on the threat posed by sea level rise and to provide practical advice and training concerning on how to: 

a) identify the locations of baselines along the coast using the latest space technology;
b) delineate the outer limits of unsettled maritime claims; and
c) delimit maritime boundaries securing existing maritime entitlements, consistent with the international law and the United Nationals Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The workshop is primarily intended for Government representatives from Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Flights, accommodation and subsistence costs may be covered upon application.

• Mr Kevin Baumert, Legal Counsel, United States Department of State
• Professor David Freestone, Professorial Lecturer and Visiting Scholar at George Washington University Law School in Washington D.C. and Executive Secretary of the Sargasso Sea Commission
• Mr Robert Harris, Assistant Legal Adviser for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, United States Department of State
• Mr Vladimir Jares, Director, Division of Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, United Nations
• Professor Bjørn Kunoy, University of the Faroe Islands.
• Associate Professor Beatriz Martinez Romera, Faculty of Law University of Copenhagen
• Rhianna Neely, Director of the Department of Environmental Protection and Planning (DEPP), of the Ministry of Environment of The Bahamas
• Mr Robert van de Poll, Global Director of Law of the Sea, Global Geo-Data Analysis and Geoconsultancy, Fugro
• Professor Bryce Rudyk, Director, International Environmental Law Program, New York University and Legal Advisor, Alliance of Small Island States
• Professor Philip Saunders, KC, Professor of Law, Dalhousie University, Canada.
• Professor Clive Schofield, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong, Australia.
• Dr Alejandra Torres Camprubi, Adjunct Professor on International Climate Change Law, IE University Law School and International Legal Counsel, Torres Iuris