Declarations of States Parties
Declarations made by States Parties under article 287
The mechanism established by the Convention provides for four alternative means for the settlement of disputes: the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, the International Court of Justice, an arbitral tribunal constituted in accordance with Annex VII to the Convention, and a special arbitral tribunal constituted in accordance with Annex VIII to the Convention.
A State Party is free to choose one or more of these means by a written declaration to be made under article 287 of the Convention and deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
If the parties to a dispute have not accepted the same dispute settlement procedure or if the dispute is not covered by a declaration in force, the dispute may only be submitted to arbitration in accordance with Annex VII, unless the parties agree otherwise.
Declarations under article 287*
Declarations made by States Parties under article 298
The Tribunal has jurisdiction over all disputes concerning the interpretation or application of the Convention, subject to the provisions of article 297 and to the declarations made in accordance with article 298 of the Convention.
Article 297 and declarations made under article 298 of the Convention do not prevent parties from agreeing to submit to the Tribunal a dispute otherwise excluded from the Tribunal's jurisdiction under these provisions (Convention, article 299).
Declarations under article 298*
*The text of the declarations made by States Parties under articles 287 and 298 of the Convention is provided as a courtesy. The Tribunal is not liable to any user for the completeness or accuracy of the declarations posted on this website. The Secretary-General of the United Nations acts as the depositary for these declarations. Official information on the list and contents of declarations is available on the website of the United Nations Treaty Collection.