On Monday 19 June, the Intergovernmental Conference on an international legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, better known by its acronym ‘BBNJ’, adopted the text of an agreement relating to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to a standing ovation.
This international Treaty is essential for protecting the oceans, promoting equity and justice, tackling environmental degradation, fighting climate change and preventing biodiversity loss in the high seas (see EUROPE 13135/6). The Treaty will enter into force when 60 parties have ratified it.
The European Union has pledged to support the Treaty’s ratification and rapid implementation through the €40 million EU Global Oceans Programme. It has invited members of the High Ambition Coalition to do the same within their capabilities.
The European Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said: “This is a major win for biodiversity - a game changer for the protection of the ocean and the sustainable use of its marine resources, and it is therefore essential that the Treaty swiftly enters into force and is effectively implemented.”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)