United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS)

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 (UNCLOS), also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is an international agreement which lays down a comprehensive regime of law and order in the world’s oceans and seas establishing rules governing all uses of the oceans and their resources. It enshrines the notion that all problems of ocean space are closely interrelated and need to be addressed as a whole.

As of June 2016, 167 countries and the European Union have joined in the Convention. It is uncertain as to what extent the Convention codifies customary international law.