Vanuatu has launched international arbitration proceedings against France over competing maritime claims involving reefs, atolls and small islands between Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
The proceedings, brought under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), seek an independent ruling on the legal status of features including Umaenupne (Matthew), Umaeneg/Leka (Hunter), Walpole Island and other reefs and atolls.
Vanuatu argues that under international law, features unable to sustain human habitation or an economic life of their own, as well as low-tide elevations, cannot generate extensive maritime zones.
France claims the features entitle it to maritime zones that include rights over fisheries and seabed resources.
Vanuatu Deputy Prime Minister and lead negotiator on maritime boundaries, sovereignty and decolonisation Johnny Koanapo said the dispute should be resolved through international law.
“Maritime rights must be determined by international law, not by the scale of claims over the ocean. We are asking an independent tribunal to clarify the law and provide a fair and lawful basis to resolve this dispute,” Koanapo said.
The arbitration is separate from Vanuatu’s application to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), filed in August, seeking confirmation of its sovereignty over Umaenupne (Matthew) and Umaeneg/Leka (Hunter).
Koanapo said Vanuatu was committed to the international rules-based order and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
“Vanuatu stands for the international rules-based order and the peaceful settlement of disputes. We are using the legal processes available to us to assert our rights with dignity and to resolve unresolved colonial legacies,” he said.
The arbitration marks a further legal step by Vanuatu to challenge France’s maritime claims and seek clarification of the rights generated by the disputed features.
