Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today marked the 30th anniversary of the launch of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) by calling for a collective global effort to have all nations commit to the treaty, which is often called the “constitution for the oceans.”

The United Nations legal chief has stressed the importance of the global treaty governing the use of oceans and their resources and urged States that have not ratified it to do so this year, which marks the 30th anniversary of the opening for signature of the convention.

Delegates from 65 countries attending a United Nations-backed conference in the Philippines have agreed to step up efforts to protect the world's oceans from land-based activities, stressing the marine environment's central role in the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient green economy.

Delegates gathered at United Nations Headquarters in New York today to explore ways of improving the implementation of a global treaty aimed at protecting oceans and the resources they hold from a range of threats, including pollution, climate change, illegal fishing and crimes.