The common heritage of mankind as a means to assess and advance equity in deep sea mining

A key objective of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as stated in its Preamble, is to contribute to the realisation of a just and equitable international economic order which takes into account the interests and needs of mankind as a whole and, in particular, the special interests and needs of developing countries. As for any other principles of international law, the context within which the principle of the common heritage of mankind (CHM) has been developed is essential to understanding the philosophy behind it, its evolution and more particularly, the challenges faced today for is effective implementation as a means to advance the concept of equity in the context of deep sea mining (DSM mining).