4 April 2012: The UN Secretary-General has released his report on oceans and the law of the sea, which aims to facilitate discussions on the topic of focus of the 13th meeting of the UN Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (“the Informal Consultative Process” or ICP), namely marine renewable energies.

The report constitutes the first part of the report of the UN Secretary-General to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) at its 67th session, on developments and issues relating to ocean affairs and the law of the sea. After an introduction on the topic of marine renewable energy, the report provides information on the various marine sources of renewable energies, followed by an overview of the policy framework and legal aspects of activities relating to marine renewable energies. It then identifies developments at the global and regional levels, as well as related opportunities and challenges within the context of sustainable development.

Noting that marine renewable energies are still a nascent but growing field of endeavour in many countries, the report underscores that it was not possible to be exhaustive in presenting information on their development and deployment status, or on related national and regional regulatory frameworks.

ICP 13 will take place in New York, US, from 29 May-1 June 2012. [Publication: Oceans and the Law of the Sea: Report of the Secretary-General]