Arvid Pardo : a diplomat with a mission

Abstract

Arvid Pardo was Malta’s permanent representative to the UN General Assembly (1964–71). This paper highlights Pardo’s work as a diplomat who had a vision of changing the way mankind takes care of its natural resources. Even though he is known as the Father of the Law of the Sea, the paper will show that the philosophical notions that were at the basis of the concept of common heritage of mankind were set aside for political reasons with the 1994 Implementation Agreement. This was unfortunate and, at the end of the paper, I question whether the migration crisis which has hit the Mediterranean could have been avoided if the developing countries had listened to Pardo way back in the 1970s.