Which statement accurately describes the first UNCLOS round?

Which statement accurately describes the first UNCLOS round?

• A. PH did not participate.
• B. The focus was on landlocked states.
• C. The first round was not inclusive of archipelagic states and focused on landlocked/landlinked areas; baselines defined by rivers, mountains, fences.
• D. RES NULLIUS was declared permanent.

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is how the early UN Conference on the Law of the Sea approached issues of baselines and access. In the first UNCLOS round, the negotiations did not yet center on archipelagic state rights and distinct archipelagic baselines. Instead, the discussions were dominated by how coastal and landlocked or landlinked states could define baselines and the breadth of navigation access, using geographic features as reference points to measure the starting line for the territorial sea. This meant baselines were discussed in terms of natural or recognizable boundaries like rivers or mountain frontiers (and related, somewhat broader ideas about how lines could be drawn), rather than the later, more detailed regimes for archipelagic states that emerged in later rounds. So the statement that best fits that period is that the first round was not inclusive of archipelagic states and focused on landlocked/landlinked areas, with baselines tied to physical features. The other options aren’t accurate descriptions of that phase: one round did involve participation from states like the Philippines, the concept of res nullius is not something declared permanent by UNCLOS I, and the focus wasn’t exclusively on landlocked states.

The main idea here is how the early UN Conference on the Law of the Sea approached issues of baselines and access. In the first UNCLOS round, the negotiations did not yet center on archipelagic state rights and distinct archipelagic baselines. Instead, the discussions were dominated by how coastal and landlocked or landlinked states could define baselines and the breadth of navigation access, using geographic features as reference points to measure the starting line for the territorial sea. This meant baselines were discussed in terms of natural or recognizable boundaries like rivers or mountain frontiers (and related, somewhat broader ideas about how lines could be drawn), rather than the later, more detailed regimes for archipelagic states that emerged in later rounds.

So the statement that best fits that period is that the first round was not inclusive of archipelagic states and focused on landlocked/landlinked areas, with baselines tied to physical features. The other options aren’t accurate descriptions of that phase: one round did involve participation from states like the Philippines, the concept of res nullius is not something declared permanent by UNCLOS I, and the focus wasn’t exclusively on landlocked states.