Editorial

Forty-two years ago, Malta's ambassador to the United Nations asked the nations of the world to be aware of the looming conflict that could devastate the oceans, the life-line of humankind's very survival. In a speech to the UN General Assembly, Arvid Pardo spoke of the superpower rivalry (this was at the height of the Cold War) that was spreading to the oceans, of the pollution that was poisoning the seas, of the conflicting legal claims and their implications for a stable order and the rich potential that lay on the seabed.

This intervention set in motion a process that lasted 15 years and saw the setting up of the UN Seabed Committee, the signing of a treaty banning nuclear weapons on the seabed, the adoption of the declaration by the General Assembly that all resources of the seabed beyond the limits of national jurisdiction are the common heritage of mankind and the convening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. What started as an exercise to regulate the seabed turned into a global diplomatic effort to write rules covering all uses of the seas and its resources.

Addressing the 64th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York a few days ago, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi proposed that the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea should be amended to deal with contemporary issues of international maritime concern, such as piracy, which were not catered for by the Convention.

Dr Gonzi argued that while there were some areas where the Convention needed to be improved - such as drug-trafficking and the protection and preservation of the marine environment - there were also other issues that the Convention simply did not address. These included human trafficking, the transport of weapons of mass destruction and climate change.

While it was understandable that the Prime Minister should take the opportunity afforded by this important world stage to flag up Malta's concerns about illegal immigration - and to deflect any criticism of our ability and willingness to cope with the problem - it would be fair to accept, as indeed he did, that the problems caused by international migration went further than just human trafficking across the oceans. The deep-seated problems of mass migration can only be tackled in the countries of origin and transit. The heart of the problem stems from poverty, poor governance and instability. This point has been raised repeatedly and yet...

Where the Prime Minister had a timely and original proposal was on the subject of climate change. Although the meeting of world leaders in Copenhagen later this year will, hopefully, lead to a new global treaty to replace Kyoto, Dr Gonzi's proposal that this should lead to the drawing up of a charter of responsibilities, along the lines of the UN Declaration of Human Rights, which would provide "a declaration of human duties of the present generation, as well as our responsibilities towards future generations... covering the human species... as well as preserving the environment in all its manifestations".

Although the challenges of finding common cause on climate change when world leaders meet in December will be formidable, it would be a natural progression to that agreement if a Declaration on Human Responsibilities Towards Future Generations were then to follow. If that were to happen it would be an outstanding achievement of global statesmanship.

Dr Gonzi's proposal in New York must now be followed up by diplomatic action on all fronts.