Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, on behalf of the 12 founding countries of the Group, delivered a welcome speech at a ceremony at the headquarters of Vietnam’s Permanent Mission to the UN in New York on Tuesday to mark 40 years since the adoption of the convention.  

He said the UNCLOS Friends Group will continue to develop and contribute further to the international joint efforts to respond to sea and ocean challenges.

Vanessa Frazier, Ambassador, Head of the Maltese Delegation to the United Nations and President of the 32nd UNCLOS Conference, said UNCLOS is a comprehensive document that governs all activities at sea and ocean. She said she believes that the UNCLOS Friends Group will create an open and friendly forum for countries to exchange sea and ocean issues, contributing to the full implementation of UNCLOS.

The 115-strong UNCLOS Group of Friends was the first initiated by Vietnam, which lobbied for the establishment together with Germany and joined the team of 12 core members, namely Argentina, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Jamaica, Kenya, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Oman, Senegal, South Africa and Vietnam.