I'm back to NZ after finishing the unique experience of participating in the 25th Edition of the Rhodes Academy of Oceans Law and Policy in Greece.
a fisherman and scholar :-)
I have not done anything like this ever before… the only thing close to it was in 2005 when I did a 2-week training at the World Bank Institute in Paris on Environmental Economics for Development Policy
But yeah, as I wrote before, this is very well regarded training on UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law oil the Sea), something I have been working under in one way or another for almost 40 years… one could say I have been having an affair with UNCLOS, so I thought it sourly be good to formalise our relationship
There are two components to it, a social with alumni from Iceland to Sierra Leone, and from Ukraine to Sri Lanka; and the lecturers that are the top of the top in that nerdiest of worlds… including former and present presidents and judges from ITLOS (International Tribunal of the Law of the Sea)
Some of the lectures taught the lessons in 1st person since they were the negotiators, and that was invaluable, while others were top academics or experts in science subjects (i.e. geomorphologists and oceanographer's - which I enjoyed)… but as well we had practising case lawyers, and that lawyers heavy presence (is law of the sea after all) was perhaps the biggest challenge for someone with my background, lawyers and scientists think different.
My feelings on my deep dive into UNCLOS are both re-vindicating and frustrating… It’s all there! The obligations of conduct and result by flag states and coastal states are blatantly clear, yet even so, after 40 years, we are still trying to get them to comply.
Overall, it was excellent, as I needed to understand how everything “fits” in the bigger picture of UNCLOS, serving as the anchor for many vital organisations and agreements that refer to it.
As expected, the fisheries side was relatively light, as it needed to fit among many other components. Personally, I thought they were a bit too academic and Eurocentric, (I guess is understandable since most lecturers are European) and a bit “doomy”…. Not to say it's all good, because it's not true… but we have examples of fisheries and organisations/areas that are doing well, thanks to the rights provided by UNCLOS. WCPFC and FFA are the first ones that come to mind (Iceland and/or the Faroes are great candidates too); it would have been great to have a relative “success” story presentation.
The other area I would like to have heard from a UNCLOS perspective was the basis for labour/human rights at sea.
In any case, I enjoyed it and learned a lot.
A highlight was being asked to deliver a valedictory, which I accepted on the condition that I would have colleagues of different genders, origins, and ages with me.
Perhaps the easiest way to explain what this training meant is to paste below what I said at the end of the graduation ceremony at the Palace of the Grand Master of the Knights of Rhodes. (amazing place)
Tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou, tēnā koutou katoa
Greetings, Greetings, Greetings to you all in Māori, the language of the country that has been my home for over 30 years.
I acknowledge you and the many more who have called this magnificent place home for thousands of years.
Where I live, no gathering of people starts without a few solemn words of traditional wisdom, and for this occasion, I would like to quote a whakatauki, a Māori proverb that is more than fitting for this moment.
He aha te mea nui o te ao? He tangata! He tangata! He tangata!
What is the most important thing in the world? It is people! It is people! It is people!
This whakatauki talks about the importance of human connection and relationships. This is what creates community and enables people to flourish. It values the human being in all of us and reminds us of what is most important – not money, not success, not a job or a thing – it is people.
In these weeks, we learned much more than the content of the blue book of UNCLOS. We learned from the people and times that created those words, the fears and triumphs, the reservations and aspirations of the many that contributed for decades to what is known as the constitutions of the oceans.
But what I consider a real privilege is that we learned much of that from those who can tell that story in 1st person, those whose life and wisdom have been devoted to its interpretation and as any law, its ultimate use for that most difficult of human creations: Justice
We also learned ourselves from how the Law of the Sea influences each of our professional and personal lives, independently of whether we are involved in navigation, science, dispute settlements, underwater cables, deep seabed regimes, climate change, pollution, fisheries (as in my case), and many other aspects that it will take actually 3 weeks to enumerate and be fair.
Yet besides being a profound collective experience as the people we are, it has I’m sure been a deeply personal one as well. Each of us got here through a different journey (literally and metaphorically) originating in different parts of the world.
Never in my most ambitious imaginings, when I started putting fish in the hold of a coastal trawler in the South Atlantic and subsequently in the Pacific, did I envision being here, studying the paramount law that has governed my existence as a fisherman, and encountering all of you—a remarkable assembly of individuals, replete with experience, dedication, enthusiasm, willingness, and originality. Your presence instils in me the hope that we can overcome the many challenges that we face as people. I am profoundly grateful and honoured to have had the privilege of sharing your time, wisdom, and companionship.
We are here because of the ocean, not one that separates us, but one that brought ALL of us together as one.
