DILI, 16 May 2025 (TATOLI) – On the second day of the Dili International Conference themed: “Navigating Challenges: Law of the Sea and Maritime Dispute Settlement,” Timor-Leste Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão urged nations across the globe to strengthen international cooperation and uphold maritime law amid growing geopolitical tensions, maritime disputes, and environmental challenges.
Addressing an international audience at the conference—including Judge Heidar, President of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, as well as diplomats, legal experts, and academics—Gusmão emphasized the ocean’s role in connecting humanity and supporting global economies, while also underscoring its deep cultural and economic significance for Timor-Leste.
“The ocean holds extraordinary biodiversity and great mystery. It is essential to the survival and wellbeing of future generations, especially as the impacts of climate change worsen,” Prime Minister Gusmão said at the conference, in Dili today. “In Timor-Leste, a Small Island Developing State, the ocean is central to our cultural identity. It supports food security, employment and our economic development.”
However, Gusmão said that the ocean has also become the center for rising geopolitical tensions and environmental degradation.
“Some of the world’s most entrenched disputes are over maritime boundaries,” said the Prime Minister. “Because of this, it is essential that nations work together to promote unity, a sense of common purpose and peace.”
He noted that more than 200 unresolved maritime boundary disputes worldwide continue to threaten peace and stability amid the weakening of the international legal, economic, and trade systems established after the Second World War. “That is why now, more than ever, we must work to uphold international law and build global solidarity.”
He stressed that, in a time of global disruption, countries must stand united in defense of international law, adding that the law should be the primary mechanism for resolving disputes and maintaining peace.
Gusmão drew upon Timor-Leste’s own experience in resolving its maritime boundary with Australia through the first successful use of the Compulsory Conciliation mechanism under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Gusmão draws from his country’s experience – international law gives even the smallest nations—like Timor-Leste—a voice to secure their sovereign rights. “That is why Timor-Leste again turned to international law to defend our sovereign rights and resolve our maritime boundaries with Australia.
Gusmão praised the landmark High Seas Treaty—an agreement adopted in 2023 to protect marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction—as a key step toward sustainable and equitable ocean governance, particularly in the context of combating climate change, a growing threat to marine ecosystems and coastal nations, especially Small Island Developing States (SIDS) like Timor-Leste.
Timor-Leste ratified the Treaty in September 2024, joining global efforts to safeguard marine biodiversity through environmental assessments, marine protected areas, and fair benefit-sharing from marine genetic resources.
He said: “Ratification of the Treaty will only be the beginning. The task ahead is to implement its provisions effectively — to translate legal principles into conservation outcomes.”
Gusmão lauded recent advisory opinion from international courts under UNCLOS that affirm state obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, describing it as a win for climate justice and for nations most vulnerable to the climate crisis.
Gusmão urged global leaders and institutions to act with urgency and shared purpose, saying the ocean must remain a source of connection, not conflict.
“And we must protect marine biodiversity for future generations. I hope that long into the future, Timorese children will still marvel at our coral reefs and witness the blue whales along our shores. To achieve this, we must act together, with shared purpose and a vision for a nature-positive future,” Gusmão highlighted.
The Dili International Conference brought together participants from the Pacific, ASEAN, CPLP, the g7+ nations, and legal and policy experts from across the globe.
Journalist: Camilio de Sousa
Editor: Filomeno Martins
