SUMMARY
The present report has been prepared in compliance with the request made by the General Assembly in paragraph 110 of its resolution 60/30 that the Secretary-General submit to the Assembly at its sixty-first session his annual comprehensive report on developments and issues relating to oceans and the law of the sea. It is also submitted to States parties to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, pursuant to article 319 of the Convention, to be considered by the meeting of States parties under the agenda item entitled "Report of the Secretary-General under article 319 for the information of States parties on issues of a general nature, relevant to States parties, that have arisen with respect to the Convention on the Law of the Sea." It will serve as a basis for discussion at the seventh meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea and contains information on developments and issues relating to ecosystem approaches and oceans, the topic chosen for the seventh meeting, as recommended by the General Assembly. The report contains information on the status of the Convention and its implementing Agreements, on declarations and statements made by States under articles 287, 298 and 310 of the Convention and on recent submissions to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. The report includes a section on capacity-building activities and elaborates on recent developments regarding international shipping, safety and security of navigation, People at sea, protection of the marine environment and conservation of marine living resources and the Indian Ocean tsunami. Finally, it provides information concerning the settlement of disputes and inter-agency coordination and cooperation.
