Roszczenia do Bieguna Północnego w świetle konwencji o Prawie morza (unclos)
Claims to the North Pole in the light of the United Nations Convention on the law (unclos)

Summary/Abstract: The North Pole, in line with UNCLOS, at present is the International Area – common heritage of humankind under the jurisdiction of the Sea-Bed Authority. Claims to include the North Pole into the continental shelf exceeding 350 miles may be presented by the Arctic States on the assumption that the Lomonosov Ridges are the prolongation of their continental shelf. The Russian Federation presented in 2001 a submission to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf concerning the continental shelf in the Arctic reaching till the North Pole. This claim has not been accepted by the Commission and the Russian Federation has been asked for a corrected submission. In 2014 the Canadian authorities made a series of statements that Canada will present a claim to the outer limits of the continental shelf in the Arctic reaching not only to the North Pole but 200 miles beyond it. Denmark as foreseen by UNCLOS has a time limit and probably will make a submission before the end of 2014. The main thesis of this article is a proposition to stop the claims of the Arctic States at 350 miles and preserve the present status of the North Pole as the common heritage of humankind. This proposal is based on a number of political, legal, scientific and economic arguments. The area around the North Pole instead of provoking conflicts in the Arctic should become a United Nations Sanctuary protected and maintained by the whole international community.

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