A resolution urging the Senate to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea is a treaty that 170 countries have ratified to set the rules for who controls what in the world's oceans — including territorial waters, shipping routes, undersea mining rights, and military navigation. The U.S. helped write it and already follows its rules in practice, but has never formally ratified it, putting us in the company of Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, and Syria. This resolution urges the Senate to finally ratify the treaty, arguing that staying on the sidelines weakens the U.S. position in key disputes — particularly against China in the South China Sea, Russia in the Arctic, and over control of critical undersea minerals and internet infrastructure. Without ratification, the U.S. can't vote in the International Seabed Authority, can't fully participate in maritime boundary disputes at The Hague, and lacks standing to formally challenge other countries' excessive territorial claims. Multiple Secretaries of Defense, Chiefs of Naval Operations, and combatant commanders from both parties have endorsed ratification, as has the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — noting that American companies need the legal certainty the treaty provides to invest in deep-sea resource exploration, especially off the Alaskan continental shelf.