 On 20 December 2010, Mauritius initiated proceedings against the United Kingdom under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to challenge the legality of the Chagos Marine Protected Area (MPA), which the UK purported to declare around the Chagos Archipelago in April 2010.The dispute was arbitrated by the Permanent Court of Arbitration.The sovereignty of Mauritius was explicitly recognized by two of the arbitrators and denied by none of the other three.