UNCLOS Process Advances as Cambodia Names Two Conciliators
UNCLOS Process Advances as Cambodia Names Two Conciliators
PHNOM PENH, June 4, 2026 — Cambodia has selected two prominent international legal experts to serve on a conciliation commission under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as part of efforts to resolve overlapping maritime claims with Thailand, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.
The appointments come after Cambodia formally notified Thailand and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on June 2 of its decision to initiate compulsory conciliation proceedings under UNCLOS following Thailand’s withdrawal from the 2001 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which had provided the framework for bilateral negotiations on overlapping maritime claims.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson CHANN Ratana said Thailand now has 21 days from receiving Cambodia’s notification to appoint its own two conciliators to the five-member commission.
Under UNCLOS procedures, Cambodia appoints two conciliators, Thailand appoints two, and both sides jointly agree on a fifth member who will serve as chair of the commission. If Thailand fails to make its appointments within the stipulated period, the United Nations can proceed with the selection process.
According to unofficial information, Cambodia has nominated Danish diplomat and international legal expert Peter Taksoe-Jensen as one of its conciliators. Taksoe-Jensen previously served as Denmark’s ambassador to the United States, Japan and India, and was a legal adviser to former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. He also chaired the UN conciliation commission that helped resolve the maritime boundary dispute between Australia and Timor-Leste from 2016 to 2018.
Cambodia’s second nominee is Professor Jean-Marc Thouvenin, Secretary-General of The Hague Academy of International Law and a member of the Institut de Droit International. He has served as an adviser in cases before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and has extensive experience in international dispute resolution.
CHANN Ratana said that once the commission is fully constituted, it will oversee the conciliation process and facilitate negotiations between Cambodia and Thailand through a series of legal and procedural steps established under UNCLOS.
Cambodia has described the compulsory conciliation mechanism as a peaceful and rules-based avenue for resolving the longstanding maritime dispute. Phnom Penh has stressed that the process is intended to encourage dialogue rather than escalate tensions.
Prime Minister Hun Manet has emphasized that Cambodia’s decision to invoke UNCLOS does not represent a rejection of bilateral discussions. Instead, he said, it places future negotiations within an internationally recognized legal framework accepted by both countries.
The case marks only the second time in UNCLOS history that the convention’s compulsory conciliation mechanism has been formally invoked. Cambodian officials have expressed confidence that the process will reinforce the role of international law and peaceful dispute settlement in addressing complex maritime issues.
The move follows Thailand’s formal withdrawal from the 2001 MoU, a decision Cambodian officials say left UNCLOS as the most appropriate mechanism for pursuing a peaceful resolution of overlapping maritime claims between the two neighboring countries.
