This website is hosted by the Maritime Boundary Office of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries to allow readers to learn more about Timor-Leste’s pursuit of permanent maritime boundaries. The Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries and the Maritime Boundary Office do not accept any legal liability for any reliance placed on any information contained in this website (including external links). The information provided is a summary only and should not be relied upon as legal advice. The information and views expressed in this website and in any linked information do not constitute diplomatic representations and do not limit or otherwise affect the rights of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries, the Maritime Boundary Office or the Government of Timor-Leste. The views expressed in any linked information do not necessarily reflect the views of the Council for the Final Delimitation of Maritime Boundaries, the Maritime Boundary Office or the Government of Timor-Leste.
GFM is the acronym for “Gabinete das Fronteiras Marítimas”, which is the Portuguese translation of Maritime Boundary Office.
A term used in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to describe a country which has a coast.
The drawing of a maritime boundary.
At the conclusion of negotiations, State representatives may sign the text of a treaty to indicate their State’s intention to abide by a treaty. For most States, there is a further requirement that a treaty is ratified, before the treaty becomes law.
The territorial sea extends up to 12 nautical miles from a State’s baselines (which are generally drawn along the low-water line of the coast). States have control of the air-space above the territorial sea and the water column, seabed and subsoil below.
The main court of the United Nations, also popularly known as the ‘World Court’. Only States (i.e. countries) can be a party to proceedings before this court. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea gives the International Court of Justice jurisdiction to hear maritime boundary disputes between countries. The International Court of Justice is located at The Hague in the Netherlands.
A tribunal (a body which in some respects is similar to a court) which was established to resolve disputes relating to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This includes maritime boundary disputes. The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea is located in Hamburg, Germany.
A treaty is not legally enforceable or binding on a State until that State has ‘ratified’ it. Ratification is the final stage in giving formal consent to a treaty. After a State has signed a treaty, it will generally give formal consent by either passing an act of Parliament or through a formal statement from a Government.