On 19 June 2023, member states of the United Nations adopted, by consensus, the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement).
The BBNJ Agreement is the third implementing agreement to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Like its parent treaty, it has been negotiated around a package deal of issues, namely (1) marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits; (2) measures such as area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; (3) environmental impact assessments; and (4) capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology.
The Commonwealth has started a programme of capacity building and technical assistance for members in their ratification and implementation of this Agreement. The objective of the first webinar in the series, titled 'An Introduction and Overview of the BBNJ Agreement', is to set the scene by providing an introduction and overview of the instrument and situating it within the existing ocean governance framework.
Speakers include:
- Eleanor Petch, International Marine Policy Manager, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, UK;
- David Freestone, Professorial Lecturer and Visiting Scholar at George Washington University Law School;
- Judge Thembile Joyini, International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS);
- Athina Chanaki, Legal Officer, DOALOS;
- Alison Swaddling, Ocean Governance Advisor, Commonwealth Secretariat
The webinar will be moderated by Sarah Lothian, Senior Lecturer and Academic Barrister at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong.
Click here to register for Webinar 1
The other webinars in the series are available for pre-registration now:
Webinar 2: The Access and Benefit-Sharing Regime for Marine Genetic Resources - Thursday, 17 October 2024 Register here
Webinar 3: Area-based Management Tools including High Seas Marine Protected Areas - Wednesday, 30 October 2024 Register here
Webinar 4: Environmental Impact Assessments - Wednesday, 13 November 2024 Register here
Webinar 5: Capacity-building and the Transfer of Marine Technology - Wednesday, 4 December 2024 Register here
Webinar 6: Next Steps: Preparing States for Ratification and Implementation - Wednesday, 15 January 2025 Register here
