50 



tal Maritime Consultative Organization has an international responsi- 

 bility to prevent and control oil pollution in the sea through the 

 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea 

 by Oil. IMCO is also concerned with the safety aspects of ships, drill 

 rigs, buoys, and other such platforms at sea. 



All United Nations organizations coordinate their programs througli 

 the Subcommittee on Marine Science and its Applications, of the Ad- 

 ministrative Committee on Coordination, which reports to the Eco- 

 nomic and Social Council. 



Although intergovernmental organizations other than those within 

 the United Nations system are mainly regional in their extent, one 

 exception. The International Hydrographic Organization, has world- 

 wide interests in (and limited to) hydrography and associated prob- 

 lems of tides and sea level. Its interest in the sea floor is also restricted 

 to its relation to bathymetry. Regional organizations include the In- 

 ternational Council for the Exploration of the Sea, which is concerned 

 with the North Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas, and the International 

 Commission for the Scientific Exploration of tlie Mediterranean Sea. 

 Both of these organizations cooperate with IOC in coordinating re- 

 search in their respective areas. 



VII. U.N. Activities Concerning Seabed Resources 



The decade of the 1960's marked a worldwide recognition of the 

 potential of seabed resources. The United Nations was the obvious 

 forum for expressing concern over these resources. The General 

 Assembly and the Economic and Social Council came to recognize 

 that exploration and exploitation of seabed resources should be carried 

 out for the benefit of mankind, particularly tow^ard satisfying the needs 

 of the developing nations. Several resolutions were adopted and de- 

 cisions made in matters related to seabed resources, with the aim of 

 promoting and facilitating their effective development through co- 

 ordinated international cooperation. 



United Nations activities prior to the 1960's were described earlier, 

 in the discussion on the 1958 Geneva Conventions, particularly con- 

 cerning the continental shelf. Concerning ocean resources beyond the 

 continental shelf, the Economic and Social Council passed a resolution 

 [1112 (XL) on non-agricultural resources. March 7, 1966] requesting 

 the Secretary General — 



(a) To make a survey of the present state of knowledge of these 

 resources of the sea, beyond the continental shelf, and of the tech- 

 niques for exploiting these resources, in co-ordination with those 

 already made by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and 

 Cultural Organization and other specialized agencies and those 

 being prepared ; 



(h) As part of that survey, to attempt to identify those re- 

 sources now considered to be capable of economic exploitation, 

 especially for the benefit of developing countries ; 



(c) To identify any gaps in available knowledge which merit 

 early attention by virtue of their importance to the development 

 of ocean resources, and of the practicality of their early exploita- 

 tion. 



