Alex Oude Elferink kindly alerted me to the "Vavu'u Recommendations"
produced at a South Pacific regional workshop on the implementation of
UNCLOS in August 1999, which included the following:
"22. That in the event of the submergence of islands due to sea level
rise, the maintenance of baselines and zones is secondary to the
maintenance of communities. However, efforts should be made to ensure
that rights to maritime zones and air spaces as established, should be
retained under international law as a useful asset for displaced
people."
I don't know if there has been any international reaction to this
proposal, but it is certainly an intriguing concept.
The full text of the Vavu'u Recommendations can be found at
http://www.paclii.org/other/SPT/1999/2.html
m a r t i n
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Martin Pratt
Research Officer
International Boundaries Research Unit
Mountjoy Research Centre, Suite 3P
University of Durham
Durham DH1 3UR
United Kingdom
+44 (0)191 374 7704 (direct line)
+44 (0)191 374 7702 (fax)
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http://www-ibru.dur.ac.uk (World Wide Web)
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