Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
work;aswasstatedbyJudgeHiggins,“[t]heexperienceofmostinternational
courtsistostartslowlyandsteadilybuildtheirdocket”.
12
TwoimportantfactorsmayconditionthenumberofcasesthattheTribunal
receivesinthefuture.Thefirsthastodowiththeveryslowprogressofactivitiesin
theArea,asaresultofwhichonlyoneseabed-relatedcasehasbeeninstitutedto
date.ThisisnonethelessanencouragingdevelopmentfortheTribunal.Themore
explorationandexploitationactivitiestakeplaceintheArea,thelikelieritisthat
disputeswhichcanbebroughtbeforetheSeabedDisputesChamberwillarise,
bearinginmindthatthisChamberoftheTribunalhasexclusivejurisdictionover
suchdisputes.
ThesecondfactorhastodowithfamiliaritywiththeConvention’sdispute
settlementsystemandthecorrespondingproceduresoftheTribunal.Thedispute
settlementprovisionsoftheConventionarenoteasilyunderstood,andour
proceduresseemtoreflectthatuneasiness.Awareofthis,theTribunalhastaken
anumberofinitiativestodisseminateinformationonitswork;wehaveprepared
aguidetoourprocedures,thetextofwhichcanbedownloadedfromourwebsite,
andhaveorganizedeightregionalworkshopsforgovernmentlegalofficers,which
haveelaboratedonlawoftheseadisputesettlementandtheTribunal’sprocedures.
Inaddition,someoftheTribunal’sjudgeshavewrittenacommentarytoourRules
asanaidtounderstandingITLOSprocedures.
AsStatesbecomemoreinvolvedwiththelawoftheseadisputesettlement
systemestablishedbytheConventionandmorefamiliarwithourproceduresand
methodsofwork,thelikelihoodthatmorecaseswillbeinstitutedwiththeTribunal
willincrease.Judgingfromthenumberofcasesthatwehavereceivedthusfar,the
built-inpreferentialtreatmentgrantedbytheConvention,theprospectofincreased
seabedactivitiesinthenearfutureandthepotentialforincreasednumbersof
disputesastheuseoftheoceansandtheexploitationofitsresourcesincrease
substantiallytokeeppacewithdevelopmentneeds,therearesolidprospectsforour
dockettogrowmuchstronger.ThismakesmebelievethattheTribunaliswell
positionedtobeaverybusycourtinthenearfutureandthatitmaythereforeplay
amajorroleinoceandisputesettlement.
AsintendedbytheframersoftheConvention,“[w]eareseeingthe
developmentofamultifacetedsystemforthesettlementoflawofthesea-related
disputeswithITLOSasanimportantplayer”.
13Ihavenodoubtthatastimegoes
byandoceanusesincreaseexponentially,theTribunal,asstressedinthe2010
GeneralAssemblyresolutiononoceansandthelawofthesea,
14“willbewell
placedtocontinuetoplaytheimportantroleandauthorityłconcerningthe
interpretationandapplicationoftheConventionandPartXIAgreement”.
12StatementbyDameRosalynHiggins,PresidentoftheInternationalCourtofJustice,onthe
occasionofthetenthanniversaryoftheTribunal.
13Seefootnote12above.
14A/Res/64/71,paragraph29.
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