“Press Release (HRAS): Geneva Declaration on Human Rights at Sea on-line platform launched on World Human Rights Day”, 10 November 2019

[In] response to the emerging public awareness of terrible abuses…at sea,…Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) today, [on World Human Rights Day], launches its on-line platform for the development of the new soft-law instrument; the “Geneva Declaration on Human Rights at Sea” (the Declaration). [40] million persons at sea at any one time...have fundamental human rights…equal to those who find themselves within the territorial jurisdictions of States. [T]hose persons have not been adequately protected…[and] [t]he time is…right to explicitly address the issue of maritime human rights…for all persons living, working, transiting or engaged in any other type of activity at sea in territorial and international waters. The principal aim of the…Declaration…is to raise global awareness…and to mobilise a concerted international effort; [aiming]...to achieve finalised soft-law and voluntarily applied version of the Declaration…that is supported at the State level [globally].

[In]…November the [European] Commissioner on Human Rights…published her written observations in…S.S and Others v. Italy,…effectively [upholding] the founding principle…that “human rights apply at sea as they do on land”…[and] stated…effective protection and promotion of the…rights of refuges, asylum seekers and migrants at sea…requires the full implementation of…obligations under international maritime law, human rights law and refugee law…[to be] read consistently with each other…

CEO of [HRAS], David Hammond, commented: “…we continue to patiently develop the Declaration through a transparent process…, most recently drafting the second version. This new [online] platform ensures that everyone interested can review and comment on the work being undertaken to ensure that we eventually deliver a truly inclusive soft-law document to the international community”.