POBNEWS24, Dhaka, Mar 2, 2022 : Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has submitted an update on the boundaries of the Bay of Bengal to the United Nations.
Detailed updates were presented at the 54th session of the 21-member Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) at the UN headquarters on Tuesday.
Bangladesh’s Permanent Mission to New York said in a statement on Wednesday that revised data on the continental shelf of Bangladesh was officially submitted to the CLCS on October 22, 2020. Then now the updated information is presented.
Secretary of the Maritime Affairs Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chief Rear Admiral Md. Khurshed Alam and other technical experts of the committee.
The continental shelf documents were first submitted to CLCS in February 2011. However, due to unresolved maritime disputes with Myanmar and India, CLCS could not examine the documents submitted by Bangladesh at that time. Later, under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh resolved maritime disputes with Myanmar and India through the International Judiciary.
Based on the judgment of the International Tribunal, the Government of Bangladesh reviewed the data submitted in 2011. Later, on 22 October 2020, Bangladesh submitted a new version of the continental shelf documents to CLCS. This revised submission follows a new tribunal-determined continental boundary of the Bay of Bengal.
Through this presentation, Bangladesh provides scientific and technological information applicable to the protection and use of its rights in the subcontinent up to 200 nautical miles in the Bay of Bengal.
Then a sub-commission constituted for this purpose in accordance with the rules of CLCS will examine the Bangladesh-submitted documents and make recommendations regarding the ownership of Bangladesh. As a result, Bangladesh will be able to start exploring natural resources in the area.
Speaking at the CLCS session, the Foreign Minister said, “Bangladesh is a densely populated country where resources are scarce. The UN’s final recommendation on the continental shelf of Bangladesh will lay the groundwork for the exploration, conservation and development of all living and inanimate natural resources in that vast sea area, which will make a significant contribution to ensuring our sustainable development, energy demand and people’s prosperity. “
The Government of Bangladesh has been working on the presentation of these documents for over a decade. An expert team from Bangladesh Navy, Petrobangla, Bapex, Geological Survey of Bangladesh, Sparso and BIWTA completed the submission through the overall coordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In addition, Bangladesh has received legal and technical assistance from the Commonwealth Secretariat and the United Nations Trust Fund.
