The sixth meeting of the United Nations Open-ended Informal Consultative Process on Oceans and the Law of the Sea (the Consultative Process or UNICPOLOS) will convene from 6-10 June 2005 at the headquarters of the United Nations, in New York.

With resolution 54/33 (A/RES/54/33) of 24 November 1999, the General Assembly established the Open-ended Informal Consultative Process in order to facilitate the annual review of developments in ocean affairs. The General Assembly decided that the Consultative Process would consider the Secretary-General's annual reports on oceans and the law of the sea, and suggest particular issues to be considered by the General Assembly, with an emphasis on identifying areas where intergovernmental and inter-agency coordination and cooperation should be enhanced. The resolution further decided that the General Assembly would, at its 57th session, review the effectiveness and utility of the Consultative Process. General Assembly resolution 57/141 (A/RES/57/141) of 12 December 2002 extends the Consultative Process for an additional three years, with the aim of reviewing its effectiveness and utility at the 60th session of the General Assembly.

The sixth meeting of the Consultative Process will organize its discussions around the following areas: (a) fisheries and their contribution to sustainable development; and (b) marine debris, as well as issues discussed at previous meetings.

In resolution 58/240 of 23 December 2003, the General Assembly recommended that time be allocated during the fifth meeting of the Consultative Process to convene an international workshop to consider a regular process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, including socio-economic aspects (GMA). The second session of the GMA International Workshop will be held following the sixth session of the Consultative Process, on 13-15 June, 2005.