The conservation and management of the oceans and the seas require an adequate international legal framework. This framework began to be formulated within the III United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea during the seventies of the last century. It manifested itself in a large international agreement, which has been opened for signature on the 10th of December 1982 – the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea – of which, nowadays, more than 160 States and the European Union are parts of. In fact, the 10th of December 2012 marks the 30th anniversary of its signature. On that occasion, the IV Colloque ordinaire de l'Association Internationale du Droit de la Mer on “The Contribution of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to Good Governance of the Oceans and Seas” will be held at the Faculty of Law, University of A Coruña. The thirty years since the signature of this Convention allow us to examine its impact on the evolution of the maritime legal system, its adaptability to the transformations of maritime relations, and, to discuss the appropriateness or not for developing or reviewing this Convention or some of its rules and institutions.