Kofi Ampeah Woode
The National Coordinator of the Ghana Boundary Commission (GhBC) – Major General (Maj Gen) Emmanuel Kotia (PhD), has informed the United Nations Division for Oceans Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) of Ghana’s renewed commitment towards the proper management, use and protection of its maritime space, and plans to organize an African Conference on Maritime Boundaries and the Law of the Sea.
The GhBC Boss informed DOALOS when he held talks with its Director – Mr Vladimir Jares, in a meeting which is part of the Commission’s efforts to engage relevant local and international institutions that can help it achieve its mandate, on Wednesday, 21 June 2023, at the offices of DOALOS, Room DC2-0450, United Nations, New York, NY 10017, United States of America (USA).
Opening the discussions, Maj Gen Kotia indicated that his presence was first of all, to introduce himself, the GhBC and its mandate to the executives of DOALOS, to forge ties of collaboration between the UN Agency and his outfit, and to urge the UN institution to support the endeavour of the African Conference on Maritime Boundaries and the Law of the Sea.
He revealed that it has been the vision of the African Union (AU) for its Member States to operate well-structured Boundary Commissions, to ensure among other roles, peaceful delimitation and management of maritime boundaries amongst them.
General Kotia further indicated that Ghana conducted an inspection of the common maritime boundary with its neighbour Cote d’Ivoire, which was determined by International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) some six years ago, and that his outfit aims to conduct same activity, jointly with its Ivorian counterparts, on a jointly agreed date.
General Kotia also revealed that as part of the cooperation between Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, the Boundary Commissions of the two States will undertake a joint disposition of the common map on the maritime boundary and its coordinates to DOALOS, possibly in September 2023.
Dr Kotia also requested DOALOS to consider inviting participants from Ghana, to partake in all capacity building and training activities organized by the body, as means of enhancing the knowlege and skills set of the team in charge of effectively managing the maritime boundaries of Ghana.
Welcoming his guests, Mr Vladimir Jares expressed excitement on meeting the team from Ghana and warmly welcomed General Kotia to the 2 UN Plaza building, which houses DOALOS, and recounted the efforts made by Ghana in the past, particularly for being the first West African country to have fully defined the outer limits of its external continental shelf.
He continued by indicating the readiness of DOALOS to collaborate with Ghana, and assured the delegation of DOALOS’ preparedness to invite participants from the Commission for capacity building programmes, as well as technical assistance.
With regard to the deposition of maps on the maritime boundaries, Mr Jares highlighted the introduction of a new format required by the UN with regard to the technical presentation of the map and its coordinates, and shared the guide with his guests, explaining the standardized data system used for submission, to make it easier for DOALOS to work on submissions.
He expressed his outfit’s resolve to support GhBC’s upcoming event, and requested that the Commission provided DOALOS with information on the events and maritime activities, to enable DOALOS promote and publicize the upcoming GhBC event on UN platforms.
DOALOS discharges depository responsibilities of the UN Secretary-General under the Convention, other than treaty depositary functions, by maintaining and improving the existing geographic information system for the deposit by States of charts and geographical coordinates concerning maritime zones, including lines of delimitation, submitted pursuant to the Convention, and giving due publicity thereto.
It also provides capacity-building and other assistance to developing States, in particular the least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, as well as coastal African States, in the field of ocean affairs and the law of the sea, through training, fellowships and technical assistance, as well as through financial support from voluntary trust funds managed by the Division.
