'Arvid Pardo' Commemorative Evening

Malta is honouring the legacy of Arvid Pardo, our first permanent representative at the United Nations, at a commemorative event tomorrow at The Palace, Valletta, being organised upon the initiative of H.E. Prof. Guido de Marco, President of Malta.

The event, which will be presided over by the President, and introduced by Ambassador Alfred Zarb, includes a list of distinguished speakers who will discuss the work and role of Arvid Pardo in his long career at the United Nations. Dr Victor Ragonesi, who at the time of Malta's accession to the United Nations in 1963 served as political secretary to Prime Minister Gorg Borg Olivier, will speak about Arvid Pardo's relationship with Malta. Ambassador Charles Vella will speak about Arvid Pardo the visionary and his role in the United Nations. Mrs Elizabeth Mann-Borgese, the founder of the International Ocean Institute and organiser of the "Pacem in Maribus" conferences, will speak about the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which was born out of Arvid Pardo's concept of the seabed as constituting the common heritage of mankind. The President will deliver the closing statement.

It was in a historic speech on 1 November 1967 that Arvid Pardo expounded on Malta's unprecedented initiative, calling for international regulations to prevent the oceans from becoming a theatre for escalating conflict between nations, to stop sea pollution through negligence and to protect the resources of the sea. Working on this initiative, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a declaration providing that all seabed resources beyond the limits of national jurisdiction constitute the common heritage of mankind. Fifteen years later, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was adopted after attracting a record 159 signatures. The Convention provided the international community with an effective legal framework covering navigational rights, territorial sea limits, rights of passage, questions of economic jurisdiction, the conservation and management of living marine resources and procedures for the peaceful settlement of disputes.

Arvid Pardo, born in Rome in 1914 of a Maltese father, was appointed Malta's first Permanent Representative to the United Nations in December 1964 after a 17-year career at the Organisation. He was subsequently appointed Malta's ambassador to the United States and later to the Soviet Union. Arvid Pardo passed away in June this year.

A painting of Arvid Pardo was specially commissioned from Ray Pitre` and will be presented by the President to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Guests will include Mrs Arvid Pardo.