Filling the Governance Gaps
Scope, Parameters and Feasibility of a High Seas Marine Biodiversity Agreement
Wednesday, April 2 1:15-2:45 Conference Room 2 CB
Continue reading An Invitation to the High Seas Alliance Side Event at the BBNJ meeting
Our ocean is at risk as man’s increasing impact on the oceans have put cumulative stresses that threaten not only vulnerable sealife and marine ecosystems, but potentially, human health and serious socio-economic costs. The current governance of marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) is characterized by a fragmented and often incoherent patchwork of regional and sectoral regimes. The time has come for a shift in the past ocean governance paradigm, one that fills the current gaps and expands to be effective for both emerging and future unknown uses.
A healthy ocean is essential to sustaining life on Earth. However, scientific assessments reveal that the loss of marine biodiversity is increasingly harming the ocean’s ability to provide food, maintain water quality, and recover from adverse impacts. Degraded ecosystems, such as those that have lost biodiversity, are less resilient to increased pressure, in particular those resulting from climate change.
At the end of the first post-Rio+20 meeting to consider legal measures for high seas protection, the High Seas Alliance (HSA) concluded that the ship has set sail; slowly and impeded by icy headwinds, but it has set sail.
Continue reading UN High Seas Biodiversity Meeting Ends: High Seas Ship Sets Sail (Slowly)
In plenary on the afternoon of the final day, NGOs made interventions raising concern about the exclusion of NGOs from the BBNJ meeting and asked for assurances that the process will continue in an open and transparent manner. The interventions made on behalf of the High Seas Alliance and its members can be seen below.
During this morning’s plenary session, NGOs were excluded from further discussions at the BBNJ meeting, as States were moved into ‘closed’ working groups.
In contravention of the Aarhus Convention and following similar behaviour at the meeting last year, the Chair ruled that the meeting would continue behind closed doors.
On the first day of the UN meeting to consider biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction, (known as BBNJ) the European Union, G77 & China and the Pacific, Small Island and Developing States, groups were amongst those to speak strongly in favour of an Implementing Agreement under the UN Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS).
One of the few positive outcomes from Rio+20 was the commitment of the international community to urgently address the need for high seas conservation including through a possible new Agreement under the Law of the Sea. The United Nations BBNJ (biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction) meeting in New York August 19 – 23 is the first time since Rio that states have sat down to actually address this and to determine whether or not the will to achieve an Agreement exists.
