The Role of Informal Negotiations in the Search for a Consensus on the Law of the Sea

Nine years after its opening procedural session in New York (3 to 15 December 1973), the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea came to an end. ¹ In view of the difficult negotiations that took place during this period, several observations may be made regarding the role of informal negotiations in the conference. Despite beginning its immense task without any background documents on which to objectively base itself, the conference ended up with a most complete convention.