A resolution calling upon the Senate to give its advice and consent to the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Key Points

• This bipartisan Senate resolution calls on the Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), a global treaty that governs how countries use the world's oceans for navigation, fishing, and mineral extraction. The U.S. helped draft the treaty but has never officially joined it.
• Supporters argue that joining UNCLOS would give the U.S. a seat at the table to vote on ocean policy and directly challenge countries like China and Russia when they violate maritime rules. Right now, the U.S. follows these rules but has no formal standing to participate in disputes or negotiations.
• The resolution highlights the strategic importance of the treaty for the Arctic, where melting ice is opening new shipping routes and access to resources. Without ratifying UNCLOS, the U.S. cannot formally claim its extended continental shelf off Alaska, which could stretch more than 600 nautical miles.
• Joining the treaty would let the U.S. participate in the International Seabed Authority, which controls deep-sea mineral extraction as global demand for critical minerals grows. The resolution also notes that over 97% of global internet traffic runs through undersea cables on the ocean floor.
• The resolution is non-binding. It does not itself ratify the treaty but expresses the sense of the Senate that ratification should be a top priority, particularly given challenges in the Indo-Pacific, Arctic, and Black Sea regions.

Votes

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Related Bills

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