20 AUGUST 2022 /

INTERGOVERNMENTAL CONFERENCE ON THE OCEAN’S BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY /

The intergovernmental conference to draft the first-ever treaty on the ocean’s biological diversity opened its fifth and likely final session on 15 August 2022, reports UN News.

This session was convened following a decision taken by the General Assembly under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of maritime biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

“I am hopeful that we can make real progress in these two weeks, with the aim of finalizing the agreement as soon as possible,” said UN Intergovernmental Conference President Rena Lee.

The first session of the Intergovernmental Conference was convened at UN Headquarters  from 4 September to 17 September 2018 and the second session from 25 March to 5 April 2019. 

Earlier conferences agreed the following topics:

*       The conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction

*       Marine genetic resources, including questions on benefit-sharing

*       Area Based Management Tools

*       Environmental impact assessments

*       Capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology

The Intergovernmental Conference will be held till 26 August 2022 and is expected to be the final to draft an international legally binding instrument on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.