We reiterate our commitment to the freedoms of navigation and over-flight and other rights, freedoms, and internationally lawful uses of the seas. We remain concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas. We emphasize the fundamental importance of building trust and security and of the peaceful management and settlement of maritime disputes in good faith and in accordance with international law, including through internationally recognized legal dispute settlement mechanisms, including arbitration. We reiterate our strong opposition to any unilateral actions which increase tensions, such as the threat or use of force, large scale land reclamation, building of outposts, as well as their use for military purposes and urge all parties to pursue demilitarization of disputed features and to comply with their obligations under international law. We consider the July 12, 2016 award rendered by the Arbitral Tribunal under the UNCLOS as a useful basis for further efforts to peacefully resolve disputes in the South China Sea. We encourage dialogues based on international law towards early finalization of an effective Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) and we welcome efforts to advance in this direction. We call for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) in its entirety. We firmly reiterate our condemnation for acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, transnational organized crime and terrorism in the maritime domain, trafficking of human beings, smuggling of migrants, trafficking of weapons and narcotics, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and other illegal maritime activities. We reaffirm the importance of national and regional ownership in pursuing the fight against illegal activities at sea. We commend the work done by the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea, the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) and the results achieved by EU, NATO and other multinational naval operations and independent deployers. We commit to pursuing a more holistic approach to support national and regional efforts and their ownership, which remain key in improving maritime security in the existing critical areas. Regional cooperation mechanisms should continue their activities to enhance maritime security, fully exploiting the scope of their founding instrument. We will continue our cooperation at national and international level ashore and at sea in order to fight human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants in the maritime domain – and in particular in those areas requiring the highest degree of attention – also safeguarding against any further loss of life at sea. Joint Communiqué | G7 FOREIGN MINISTERS MEETING 23