A side event organised by the High Seas Alliance drew a good number of delegates during the BBNJ meeting today. The Panellists addressed the importance of achieving an Implementing Agreement under UNCLOS with strong calls to action.
Moderated by Lisa Speer of the Natural Resources Defense Council, the panel heard from Ambassador Eden Charles of Trinidad and Tobago; Professor Dire Tladi of Pretoria Univeristy; Deputy Secretary General of the Global Ocean Commission Remi Parmentier and Max Alberto Diener Sala, Legal Adviser of the Government of Mexico.
Professor Tladi of Pretoria University asked States in the room to remember that “this is a big deal” and they have “a choice and a responsibility to our planet, to our ocean and to future generations”. Ambassador Charles reminded everyone that we can no longer continue with “business as usual”; The high seas is the common heritage of humankind and that an Implementing Agreement is the most feasible option to address gaps in governance.
Remi Parmentier announced that one of the Commission’s key recommendations will be the support of a new Implementing Agreement in its forthcoming report which will be published in June 2014. Max Alberto Diener Sala concluded that we need a pragmatic approach to deal with fragmentation and globalization; He further urged a detailed mechanism to provide legal certainty to the process of identification, designation and management of Marine Protected Areas.
Cover photo by High Seas Alliance