NEITHER NECESSARY NOR PRUDENT AT THIS STAGE - THE REGIME OF SEABED MINING AND ITS IMPACT ON THE UNIVERSALITY OF THE UN CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA

Ten years after its adoption, the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982 has attracted 53 of the 60 ratifications or accessions required for its entry into force - all but one from developing countries. The developed States have withheld their support because of their dissatis faction with the regime of seabed mining in Part XI of the Convention. This article reviews the development of the UN Convention regime by t he Preparatory Commission and of the competing Reciprocating States re gime, thus providing a background for an account of the recent efforts in the Preparatory Commission and in the UN Secretary-General's infor mal consultations to meet the concerns of the developed States and ope n the way to universal participation in the UN Convention.