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Maritime Order in the Global Era

National Interest vs. Common Good of Humanity

Valletta, Malta, 26 September 2025
RE/30242c-is

At an international roundtable consultation convened by the International Progress Organization (I.P.O.) at the Phoenicia Hotel in Malta, scholars and practioners from Australia, Austria, Barbados, Belgium, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, Norway, Spain, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom, and the United States of America discussed the challenges to maritime order in the face of global power shifts and the mounting competition for ocean resources. Dedicated to the memory of Arvid Pardo (Malta) and Elisabeth Mann Borgese (Germany), pioneers of the modern law of the sea, the meeting, inter alia, dealt with problems of marine delimitation, in particular as regards the definition of the continental shelf and the status of islands under UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea); the unilateral assertion of sovereign rights in the high seas; environmental issues of deep sea mining; challenges of sea level rise and threats to marine biodiversity; freedom of navigation in the context of international disputes and conflicts; and problems of maritime arbitration. The discussion also focused on the need to distinguish between disputes concerning territorial sovereignty over islands on the one hand, and conflicts over maritime rights derived from territorial sovereignty, on the other.

The Honorary President of the International Ocean Institute, Prof. Awni Behnam, a former UN Assistant Secretary-General, emphasized the ímportance of ocean governance that is based on the the principle of common heritage of mankind. In his opening statement, the President of the International Progress Organization, Dr. Hans Köchler, highlighted the role of Malta in the development of the modern law of the sea and warned of "a new rush for the resources of the ocean" that ignores the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and challenges the authority of the International Seabed Authority (ISA). He emphasized that another serious issue for the maritime rule of law is how to deal with attacks against, or abduction of, civilian, and in particular humanitarian, vessels and their crews in international waters.

The participants agreed that the tension between the pursuit of national interests and considerations of the common good of humanity, including the interests of future generations, is one of the major challenges to maritime order in the 21st century.

Following their meeting, the participants visited the Malta-based headquarters of the International Ocean Institute (IOI), established by Elisabeth Mann Borgese, and the International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI), affiliated with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a specialized agency of the United Nations.

Upon conclusion of the roundtable, the President of the International Progress Organization hosted a banquet at Palazzo Zamittello in Valletta.

The International Progress Organization will publish the papers presented at the roundtable consultation in its series "Studies in International Relations."

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* Introductory Remarks by the President of the International Progress Organization  

* Exposé

* Executive Summary

* Documentation

* Participants  

* Photo gallery