Diego Garcia and Falkland Islands: UN Convention on the Law of the Sea

(asked on 22nd October 2026) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the United Kingdom's declaration, under Article 298 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, to exclude military activities from the compulsory jurisdiction of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea applies both to (a) the Falkland Islands and (b) Diego Garcia.


Answered by
Uma Kumaran Portrait
Uma Kumaran
Assistant Whip
This question was answered on 28th October 2026

The UK's declarations pursuant to Article 298, paragraph 1, of UNCLOS apply to all the Overseas Territories of the UK to which UNCLOS has been extended, including the Falkland Islands and the British Indian Ocean Territory.

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