In 1949, the International Law Commission selected both the regime of the territorial waters and that of the high seas as topics for codification. Law of the sea - Regime of the high seas (Analytical Guide / Summary) & Regime of the territorial seas (Analytical Guide / Summary).

The Commission's work culminated with the Conference, UNCLOS I and related Geneva Conventions, 1958:

Audiovisual 1958 Geneva Conventions on the Law of the Sea, Geneva, 29 April 1958

Documentation *

Official Records (vols. I-VII)

Selected preparatory documents (in chronological order): 

Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its first session (A/CN.4/13 and Corr. 1-3, 12 April 1949)

General Assembly resolution 374 (IV) of 6 December 1949 (Recommendation to the International Law Commission to include the regime of the territorial sea in its list of topics to be given priority)

Memorandum presented by the Secretariat, “Regime of the High Seas. Questions under Study by other Organs of the United Nations or by Specialized Agencies” (A/CN.4/30, 23 June 1950)

Memorandum presented by the Secretariat, “Regime of the High Seas” (A/CN.4/32, 14 July 1950)

Laws and Regulations on the Regime of the High Seas, published by the Division for the Codification and Development of International Law (1950). U.N. Doc. ST/LEG/SER.B/2 (United Nations publication, Sales No. 1952.V.1) and U.N. Doc. ST/LEG/SER.B/1 (United Nations publication, Sales No. 1951.V.2)

Report by the Special Rapporteur Mr. François on the Regime of the High Seas (A/CN.4/17, 17 March 1950)

Report of the International Law Commission to the General Assembly on the work of its second session, 5 June – 25 July 1950 (A/1316)

Second Report of the Special Rapporteur Mr. François on the Regime of the High Seas (A/CN.4/42, 10 April 1951)

Report of the International Law Commission to the General Assembly on the work of its third session, 16 May to 27 July 1951 (A/1858)

Third Report of the Special Rapporteur Mr. François on the Regime of the High Seas (A/CN.4/51, 28 February 1952)

Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Regime of the Territorial Sea (A/CN.4/53, 4 April 1952)

Report of the International Law Commission to the General Assembly on the work of its fourth session, 4 June-8 August 1952 (A/2163) (A/2456)

Fourth Report of the Special Rapporteur Mr. François on the Regime of the High Seas (A/CN.4/60, 19 February 1953) (French only)

Second report of the Special Rapporteur on the Regime of the Territorial Sea (A/CN.4/61) and (A/CN.4/61/Add. 1, 19 February 1953)

Fifth Report of the Special Rapporteur Mr. François on the Regime of the High Seas (A.CN.4/69, 5 May 1953)

Report of the International Law Commission to the General Assembly on the work of its fifth session, 1 June-14 August 1953 (A/CN.4/76) (A/2456)

General Assembly resolution 798 (VIII) of 7 December 1953 (Regime of the High Seas)

Third report of the Special Rapporteur containing a further revised draft regulation including changes made in the light of observations of a group of technical experts (A/CN.4/77, 4 February 1954)

Sixth Report of the Special Rapporteur Mr. François on the Regime of the High Seas (A.CN.4/79, 22 March 1954)

Report of the International Law Commission to the General Assembly on the work of its sixth session, 3 June-28 July 1954 (A/2693)

General Assembly Resolution 899 (IX) of 14 December 1954 (Draft articles on the continental shelf)

Comments by Governments on the Provisional Articles concerning the Regime of the High Seas and the Draft Articles on the Regime of the Territorial Sea adopted by the International Law Commission at its Seventh Session (A/CN.4/99 and Adds. 1-9, 1955)

Report of the Special Rapporteur on both the regime of the high seas and the regime of the territorial sea (A/CN.4/97 and Corr. 1 and Adds. 1-3, 2 January 1956)

Supplementary report of the Special Rapporteur Mr. François on the right of international organizations to sail vessels under their flags (A/C.N.4/103, 8 May 1956)

Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its eighth session, 23 April- 4 July 1956 (A/CN.4/104)

General Assembly resolution 1105 (XI) of 21 February 1957 (International conference of plenipotentiaries to examine the law of the sea)

Official Records of the United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea, Geneva, 24 February-27 April 1958 (United Nations publication, Sales No. 58.V.4)


For further information and documentation on the 1958 Conventions on the law of the sea, see the official website of the International Law Commission:
(for the Regime of the high seas),
(for the Regime of territorial waters)

* From the United Nations website on Diplomatic Conferences http://untreaty.un.org/cod/diplomaticconferences/lawofthesea-1958/lawofthesea-1958.html  (viewed on 30 August 2013)

Status database of Law of the Sea conventions (status tables from Chapter 21: Multilateral Treaties Deposited with the Secretary-General)