US SR331

Senate resolution urging ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), adopted in December 1982 and transmitted to the Senate on October 6, 1994, but never ratified

As of January 2025, 170 parties have ratified UNCLOS, including 166 UN member states; the United States remains a non-party alongside Iran, Venezuela, North Korea, and Syria

Ratification would give the U.S. standing to participate in treaty disputes, membership in the International Seabed Authority to influence critical mineral policies, and the ability to formally secure extended continental shelf rights off Alaska extending more than 600 nautical miles

Non-party status has prevented U.S. participation in key proceedings, including being denied observer status at the 2016 South China Sea Arbitration at the Permanent Court of Arbitration

Resolution cites extensive bipartisan support from military leaders, including past Secretaries of Defense, Chiefs of Naval Operations, and Combatant Commanders, who testified that accession would strengthen U.S. credibility in challenging excessive maritime claims by China in the South China Sea and Russia in the Arctic