I encourage all students, particularly those from the Faculty of Law from all universities, to learn about international law, especially maritime law
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has encouraged the young generation to explore international law, particularly the law of the sea, especially since Indonesia is a maritime nation.

At a press conference here, Wednesday, Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono affirmed that understanding the law of the sea is one of the instruments to guard and manage Indonesia's maritime resources in future.

"I encourage all students, particularly those from the Faculty of Law from all universities, to learn about international law, especially maritime law," he emphasized.

Trenggono believes it is necessary to have basic knowledge of international law and current environmental issues for formulating and implementing regulations for marine and fisheries development.

To this end, it is essential to strengthen the development of human resources, especially the younger generation, who can face challenges and play a vital role in strategic environmental change.

The minister also invited the young generation to value and preserve what the country's previous generations had struggled for through the Juanda's Declaration up until the country was finally recognized as an archipelagic state in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in 1982.

"If the boundaries of the Republic of Indonesia were never declared, then Indonesia could not inherit the territory as it is today. For that, we must defend and utilize the territory of Indonesia," he expounded.

Trenggono said the younger generation is expected to become one of the stakeholders involved and contribute to the optimal use of resources while ensuring the sustainability of marine and fishery resources.

The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries is also one of the parties that nominated Prof. Mochtar Kusumaatmadja as a national hero to honor him as one of the figures, who struggled for Indonesia to be recognized as an Archipelagic State at the UNCLOS 1982.

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Translator: M Razi Rahman, Raka Adji
Editor: Sri Haryati
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