The problem of the prevention of an arms race on the sea-bed

The twenty-second session of the General Assembly, in 1967, included on its agenda, at the request of Malta, an Item entitled “Examination of the question of the reservation exclusively for peaceful purposes of the sea-bed and the ocean floor, and the subsoil thereof, underlying the high seas beyond the limits of present national jurisdiction, and the use of their resources in the interests of mankind”. The discussion of the item showed that the General Assembly's main concern was to establish an international regime over the sea-bed and the ocean floor beyond national jurisdiction, as a way of assuring that the resources on and under the sea-bed and the ocean floor would be exploited for the benefit of all countries, without impairment of the marine environment, and that those areas would not be used for military purposes.

Related Subject(s): Disarmament