The Latin American region’s positive leadership has been tangible towards the final phase of the negotiation of a new legally binding BBNJ Treaty.
In this context, High Seas Alliance representatives held expert meetings for BBNJ working groups in Panama City, Panama and Guatemala City, Guatemala during February, 2020. Foreign Affairs officials from each country provided the chronology of the BBNJ process and updates on the current situation of the negotiations. Additionally, our experts, Mariamalia Rodríguez and Gladys Martínez, presented on two of the elements under negotiation: area based management tools, including marine protected areas, and environmental impact assessment.
In March 2020, a science tour was organized in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where government representatives, academia, civil society and the fisheries sector participated in a session that addressed key elements of the BBNJ Treaty. Foreign Affairs delivered a presentation on the BBNJ process and updated information of current developments. Also, experts presented on marine genetic resources (Juan Correa, SmartIp project Max Planck Institute), marine protected areas (Erick Ross, Blue Solutions) and monitoring technologies in the high seas (Enrique Tuya- Alejandro Canio, Global Fishing Watch).
The broad participation from various ministries and sectors at these in-capital meetings demonstrates these countries’ strong commitment to progress the BBNJ negotiations through the enhancement of national capacities in constructive dialogues, as we head towards the fourth session of the Intergovernmental Conference.