The State Department web site below is a permanent electronic archive of information released prior to January 20, 2001.  Please see www.state.gov for material released since President George W. Bush took office on that date.  This site is not updated so external links may no longer function.  Contact us with any questions about finding information. NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein.

Timothy Wirth, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Remarks before the Independent World Commission on the Oceans Providence, Rhode Island, June 6, 1997

Thanks, Patrick [Kennedy], both for that kind introduction and for your invitation to speak here this morning. It's always a pleasure to be with a group that shares my strong interest in the world's oceans.

It's also an honor to be here with Claiborne Pell, who served for 36 years in the United States Senate as a great champion of the world's oceans and environment. Senator Pell, who retired last year, left behind a powerful institutional legacy. He was the leading force behind the creation of the State Department's Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs back in 1973. And for three decades, he was a strong proponent of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, one of the most important international agreements in modern history.

It's that historic Treaty, and the myriad of important initiatives that have sprung off from it, that I'd like to focus on in the few minutes I have with you this morning. As you know, the world is now relying on the world's oceans more heavily than ever before. As we meet here this morning, nations from every continent are plying the high seas, engaged in ventures that play a vital role in economies large and small. In an increasingly global marketplace, over 90% of international commerce moves by sea.

The United States, for its part, has one of the longest coastlines of any nation in the world, and more than 60% of our population live in coastal regions. Thus, the quality of the marine environment affects everything here from recreation and tourism to food supplies and public health. At the same time, as a trading nation, we rely heavily on the free flow of goods, and thus on the ability to navigate freely on the world's oceans. International trade already accounts for 20% of our GDP; and 95% of our import and export trade tonnage is transported by sea.

But while the oceans were once thought to be a remarkably inexhaustible and resilient resource, they are starting to show real signs of stress. The productive and regenerative capacity of the oceans are increasingly threatened by the introduction of pollutants, over-utilization of marine resources, habitat destruction and coastal development. To cite just one local example, chronic over-fishing has depleted North Atlantic cod and halibut stocks and resulted in the loss of tens of thousands of jobs here in New England.

Fortunately, we have begun to face these shared challenges head-on. In fact, I would argue that it is in the area of oceans policy that we have seen some of the most innovative and successful efforts to reach consensus in dealing with difficult international problems.

The Law of the Sea Convention, now ratified by 116 governments, is one of the most ambitious and complex treaties ever put into force. The product of 25 years of negotiations, it is a remarkably comprehensive, fair and progressive agreement, establishing a balanced and dynamic legal framework for all aspects of ocean management. It provides the legal certainty necessary for the development of ocean industries; it establishes sound conservation guidelines to safeguard the future of the marine ecosystem; and through its dispute settlement provisions, the Convention provides mechanisms to ensure compliance.

As one of many nations heavily dependent upon the sea for our economic survival, we have a responsibility both to preserve the health of its fragile environment and to protect the ability of all nations to navigate freely on and above the world's oceans. National security issues, such as combatting terrorism, stemming the international narcotics trade, and overcoming excessive maritime claims, also rely upon solid principles incorporated into the Law of the Convention. As Secretary of Defense Cohen has stated, "Preserving the peace around the globe requires us to move military forces on, over or under the world's oceans." Perhaps most importantly, the Law of the Sea Convention provides a framework for nations to work out future solutions to increasingly complex problems of the use of ocean space -- solutions which respect a careful balance between coastal and maritime interests, and recognize the economic, environmental and national security interests of all nations. The Convention is thus a shining example of what governments with widely divergent interests can attain if they work together with common resolve. President Clinton strongly believes that it is in the U.S. national interest to become a party to the Convention. There is also strong bipartisan support for the Convention in the U.S. Senate. We are pleased that Germany, France, Japan, and Russia have recently become parties, and it is our hope that we will soon do so as well.

As we see it, the next challenge facing the international community is to take the provisions set forth in the Law of the Sea Convention and put them fully into practice.

In recent years, the Convention has provided the framework for a number of important global agreements that deal with more specific issues of ocean management. This includes the 1995 United Nations Convention on Highly Migratory and Straddling Fish Stocks, which will dramatically improve the management of international fisheries. The United States is one of thirteen countries that have ratified this agreement, and we are actively encouraging other nations to do the same. Our goal is to bring this Treaty into force and begin implementation as soon as possible.

The Law of the Sea Convention also provides the context for the International Coral Reef Initiative, which aims at preserving one of the most productive and biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet -- the rainforests of the ocean. Started in 1994 by the United States and six other governments, the Coral Reef Initiative has evolved into a partnership involving over seventy countries working together and with scientists, environmental groups, and tourism operators. It is already more successful than we had dared hope.

Finally, we also support the global London Dumping Convention, and are working to establish a coordinated approach to dealing with the increasing threat from land based sources of marine pollution, especially from persistent organic pollutants.

As you know, the topic of persistent organic pollutants has come to the fore in large measure because of new scientific evidence linking those pollutants to birth defects and a whole host of other serious threats to public health and the global ecosystem.

Since your session this week focuses on ocean science and technology issues, let me make a more general observations about that last point.

Understand the oceans, including their role in global processes, is one of the great frontiers of human scientific investigation. We are just beginning to understand how much we still do not know about the oceans, how they work and what inhabits them. Just as the Hubbell Telescope is giving us new ideas about the solar systems and the universe, so too are new technologies -- from automated submersibles to sophisticated satellites -- opening our eyes to the vast frontier beneath the ocean surface.

For instance, one recent discovery has changed our fundamental view of life on earth. Scientists have discovered tiny microbes in a hydrothermal vent on the sea floor in the eastern Pacific -- microbes that live without light, under 8,000 feet of water, at a temperature of 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Two-thirds of their genes are different from anything anyone has ever seen. The discovery of these microbes may lead to the development of a whole new generation of medicines, chemicals and other products that benefit us all.

And, for obvious reasons, our ability to formulate sensible ocean policies depends on our understanding how those oceans work. We're relying on continuing scientific research to assess the seriousness of environmental threats, the adequacy of proposed responses, and a host of other essential matters.

As you know, the United Nations Year of the Ocean in 1998 will coincide with the 500th anniversary of Vasco de Gama's historic voyage around the Cape of Good Hope. In becoming the first European to discover a sea route to Asia, de Gama was among a pioneering group of explorers who changed forever the role of oceans in human development. Rather than impermeable barriers that separated countries and continents, oceans became critically important highways for the passage of trade and culture. Our challenge for the 21st Century is to be the next generation of explorers that find new ways of learning about and living with the oceans without destroying their long-term productivity.

Let me close by suggesting that the IWCO can be a strong voice in shaping this international understanding. We hope you will join us in encouraging wider adherence to international agreements such as the Law of Sea Convention and help to develop an international awareness of the unique role of the oceans in the prosperity of our planet. Each of you can play an important role in this effort. And nothing less than the future habitability of the world lies in the balance.

Thank you.

[end of document]

Return to the Department of State Home Page. This is an official U.S.-Government source for information on the WWW. Inclusion of non-U.S. Government links does not imply endorsement of contents.