On January 22, Palau’s Permanent Representative submitted to the United Nations, Palau’s instrument of ratification for the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).
According to the UN, this is the first instrument of ratification for the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement (also known as the High Seas Treaty) that has been deposited. Furthermore, Chile has achieved another significant milestone by unanimously voting to approve the Agreement.
In response, Rebecca Hubbard, High Seas Alliance Director, applauded Palau in a video message for being the first to officially ratify the historic Treaty and urged other countries to accelerate their efforts in the Race for Ratification. You can watch her message in the video bellow:
The Treaty was signed in New York on 20 September during the United Nations High Level Week. This historic agreement, concluding over a decade of multilateral efforts, complements the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which provides the legal framework for all human activities in the ocean.
Key aspects of the BBNJ treaty include addressing the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), marine genetic resources with a focus on benefit-sharing, Area-Based Management Tools (ABMT) such as marine protected areas, environmental impact assessments (EIA), and capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology (CB&TMT).
United Nations’ five key points on why it is important for the world
- Fresh protection beyond borders
- Cleaner oceans
- Sustainably managing fish stocks
- Lowering temperatures
- Vital for realizing 2030 Agenda
The agreement was officially adopted on 19 June 2023, during the further resumed fifth session of the Intergovernmental Conference on an international legally binding instrument under UNCLOS. The treaty is set to enter into force 120 days after the sixtieth instrument of ratification, approval, acceptance, or accession is deposited. It was open for signature from 20 September 2023 and will remain so until 20 September 2025.