Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf

The Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf is one of the institutions established under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The purpose of the Commission is to facilitate the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea in respect of the establishment of the outer limits of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles (M) from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.

• The Commission performs key functions in the coastal State-process of delineating the outer limits of the continental shelf extending beyond 200 nautical miles from the baselines from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
• The Commission shall make binding recommendations to coastal States on matters related to the establishment of those limits.

The process of establishing continental shelf limits with such extent is a relevant issue to more than 50 coastal States worldwide, including Norway and the other Arctic coastal States.