BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
The Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement has the potential to contribute positively to fisheries’ management in the Pacific.
The recently appointed Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, Ms. Elinor Hammarskjöld, said this when she virtually addressed the Honiara Summit on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14.4, on the session supporting fisheries’ sustainability through the implementation of international instruments.
“While the BBNJ Agreement is, of course, not in itself a fisheries management instrument, some of its provisions have the potential to affect fisheries management. some of the provisions, most notably on area-based management tools, including marine protected area and environmental impact assessments,’’ she said.
Hammarskjöld said that the BBNJ agreement will also provide a basis for greater cooperation and coordination of the fisheries sector with other sectors.
“My office has been engaged in a global effort to promote a better understanding of the BBNJ Agreement and to prepare for its entry into force, including by assisting states in undertaking the necessary steps to ratify it,’’ she said.
“The United Nations Ocean Conference will provide an important opportunity to assess progress in achieving the targets agreed in SDG 14.4 and to set a roadmap for continuing and expediting our work.
“I am hopeful that the Honiara Summit will greatly contribute to this process,’’ said Ms Hammarskjöld.
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, also referred to as the High Seas Treaty or Global Ocean Treaty, is a legally binding instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.
The Agreement addresses four themes:1 marine genetic resource (MGRs) and their Digital sequence information, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits; 2 area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs), 3 environmental impact assessments (EIAs); and 4 capacity building and transfer of marine technology (CB&TMT).
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