Ben Wallace
Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party · Scotland
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“So I have a clear understanding of our duty, as a Permanent Five nation of the Security Council, to fulfil our essential obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. And I have increased confidence that regional and international cooperation is not just possible but the only means of enhancing maritime security. Because I have no doubt whatsoever that if we work together to ensure the primacy of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and to defend our seas, then the enhancement to not just our security but our trade, our environment and the quality of life of our people will be to the benefit of us all.”
“We all have a responsibility to do what we can to protect our climate, so the United Kingdom is leading global efforts to safeguard the marine environment. We are championing the protection of at least 30 per cent of the global ocean by 2030. We are hosting the twenty-sixth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow later this year. And we are supporting the marine environment and poverty reduction around the world through our new $700 million Blue Planet Fund. Having recently returned from a trip to the Indo-Pacific, I have a new-found appreciation for the beauty of that region, but also a renewed appreciation of the threats that all our nations – and our laws – face at sea.”
“And I would like to congratulate India on the election of their candidate for Executive Director of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia – the Singapore based counter-piracy and maritime crime information-sharing centre. But there is no greater demonstration of the United Kingdom’s commitment to the region than the maiden deployment of our carrier strike group: a major multilateral deployment of cutting-edge military capabilities, alongside some of our closest allies. Seeking not to confront an adversary in a crisis but to confidently project our values and commitment to the rule of law. Finally, though, our commitment on maritime issues must go beyond traditional “security”.”
“Like India, the United Kingdom has a vision for a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific. That is why the United Kingdom’s recent integrated review of foreign, security, defence and development policy set out our strategic “tilt” towards the Indo-Pacific – the world’s growth engine, home to half of its population and 40 per cent of global gross domestic product, offering some of our biggest opportunities but also posing some of our greatest challenges. Whatever happens there matters to the world. And that is why you will find the United Kingdom more persistently engaged and increasingly proactive in the region. As part of this, Prime Ministers Modi and Johnson agreed a new maritime partnership in the western Indian Ocean in May this year.”
“First, calling out hostile State activity and unacceptable behaviour at sea, whether piracy, smuggling, illegal fishing, illegal incursions into territorial waters or other maritime crimes. Together, we must be ready to attribute, challenge, deter and penalize such behaviour. Second, it means promoting the rights and freedoms enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – the bedrock of ocean governance – to ensure that they remain so, in every part of the world. We have to be clear that a legally enshrined international treaty, bearing the signature of 168 parties, cannot simply be junked on a whim. And no, not just in the South China Sea, but the Convention does apply there, just as it does in the rest of the world’s seas and oceans.”
“We condemn this deliberate, unlawful and targeted attack. It is a clear violation of international law by Iran. Not only does an attack of this nature threaten global commerce, the safety of shipping, the lives of seafarers and the region’s marine environment, but it undermines the rules-based system on which our shared peace and security depends. At a time of growing anxiety, it is ever more important that our nations stand in solidarity to shore up that system, because the rules-based international order is not self-perpetuating and the laudable multilateralism of this place is not an alternative to but an extension of our nations’ determination and ability to proactively maintain it. That means three things.”
“We are currently preparing a new national strategy for maritime security, to articulate in one place the United Kingdom’s full range of objectives and interventions in the maritime domain up to 2025. But the reality is that preserving the law of the sea, and access to it, matters to everyone here today. And the fact that some are increasingly prepared to use their strategic locations off key international waterways to destabilize and threaten our precious freedoms should concern us all. A case in point is the incident on 29 July 2021 off the coast of Oman, which involved the Liberia-flagged merchant vessel Mercer Street. United Kingdom and international assessments have concluded that the ship was attacked by Iran using one or more unmanned aerial vehicles. Besides damage to the vessel, one British and one Romanian national were killed.”
“Of the many things that unite our nations, among the most significant are our mutual dependence on maritime trade and freedom of navigation, both ensured by the rule of law. As an island nation, Britain needs no reminding that those three things are vital to global security, prosperity and the environment. Fundamental to them is our absolute commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Upholding the Convention must remain a common endeavour of the international community. The Convention represents the foundation of ocean governance which must be respected The United Kingdom has a proud history in maritime security. We build international support to deter and counter hostile State activity at sea, including piracy, smuggling, illegal fishing and other maritime crimes worldwide.”