Marine Scientific Research and Small Island Developing States in the 21st Century: Appraising the International Legal Framework

Abstract

The study examines whether the framework governing marine scientific research (MSR) under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC) provides mechanisms to strengthen the scientific and technological capacities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the 21st century. It first assesses SIDS’s contribution to drafting the LOSC by working with archival records. It also outlines a chronology of SIDS’ influence in the ocean governance agenda as an interest group. The study proposes that existing rules facilitating an adaptation of the LOSC to changing circumstances aligned with the consent regimes for MSR, rules of international cooperation, and the laws governing the transfer of marine technology may enable the sharing of benefits of MSR with SIDS in the present.

Keywords: marine scientific research, Small Island Developing States, consent regimes, benefit-sharing, international cooperation, transfer of marine technology

JEL Classification: K32, K33