Delegates to the 14th Meeting of States Parties to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea met at the United Nations headquarters in New York from 14-18 June 2004 to review progress in the Convention bodies, including consideration of the International Seabed Authority, the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, and the Report of the External Auditors for 2002.

Delegates adopted three budgetary and financial decisions, including the 2005-2006 budget for the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. They also adopted two proposals – one that obligates the Secretary-General’s annual report on oceans and the Law of the Sea to make reference to the fact that it is also being presented to States Parties pursuant to article 319, and one that allows the Secretary-General’s report to address issues of a general nature, which have arisen with respect to the Convention. It was agreed that the next Meeting of States Parties would be held from 13-17 June 2005, preceded by one week of meetings of the Informal Consultative Process, to elect seven judges of the Tribunal. More information is available at: http://www.un.org/depts/los/meeting_states_parties/fourteenthmeetingtatesparties.htm and http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/sea1814.doc.htm