Conciliation

Conciliation is a non-binding dispute-settlement procedure under UNCLOS Part XV, governed by Annex V. A conciliation commission examines the dispute, hears the parties, and issues a report with conclusions and recommendations; the parties are not bound by the outcome but must negotiate in good faith on its basis. Compulsory conciliation under Article 298 applies to certain disputes that states have excluded from binding procedures, including some maritime-boundary delimitations. The first compulsory conciliation under UNCLOS was the Timor Sea conciliation between Timor-Leste and Australia, which concluded in 2018 with an agreed maritime boundary in the Timor Sea.