At a frantic pace, delegates at the fifth session of the intergovernmental conference (IGC-5) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) worked to conclude an initial reading of several sections of the revised draft text. They met in informal-informals, and in closed drafting- and small-group sessions to discuss:
- marine genetic resources (MGRs), including questions on the sharing of benefits;
- environmental impact assessments (EIAs);
- measures such as area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs); and
- cross-cutting issues, including general provisions, institutional arrangements and final provisions.
In their discussions on MGRs, they broached the testy issue of scope, including the material, temporal, and geographical scope of the new agreement. They also addressed definitions relevant to that part, and held a truncated discussion on intellectual property rights.
Want to dive deeper? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.
On ABMTs, they conducted an initial reading of provisions on: consultations on, and assessment of, proposals, and decision making related to ABMTs, including MPAs. Numerous issues are yet to be resolved.
Delegates meeting in the informal informals on EIAs addressed a technical part of the agreement, including the EIA process, public notification and consultation, and EIA reports. On institutional arrangements, a “small” group of more than 30 delegates met over lunch to address various issues related to decision making.
In the informal-informal discussions in the afternoon, delegates engaged in an interesting debate on the secretariat, with a number of states amenable to a standalone body rather than assigning this role to the UN Division on Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS).
Discussions continued into the evening. On Friday, delegates will meet in an end-of-day stocktaking plenary to chart the way forward for Week 2.
All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For photos from BBNJ, please use the following attribution: Photo by IISD/ENB | Diego Noguera.
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Selected Photos
Delegates met in the morning for the informal group on MGRs, including questions on the sharing of benefits.
Marciniak Konrad and Arianna Broggiato, EU
Roberto Chacón, Nicaragua, delivers his intervention in Spanish assisted by Alina Llano, Nicaragua, translating to English, after official translation is cut off.
Fumie Maruyama, Japan
Jean Kenfack, Cameroon
Fanny Rathe, Switzerland
Informal consultations following the conclusion of the day's discussions on ABMTs, including MPAs.
Thembile Joyini, South Africa, facilitated the informal discussions on institutional arrangements.
Matilda Bartley, Samoa
Ichiro Nomura, Japan
Jessika Woroniak, Canada
María Juliana Tenorio Quintero, Colombia
Tom Diederen, EU
Stoimenova Yordanka, Canada
Giancarlo León, Peru
Susan Whelan, Holy See, and Fuad Bateh, Palestine
Viviana Tinoco Monge, Costa Rica
Michael Kanu, Sierra Leone, for the African Group
Elizabeth Kim, US
Vladimir Jares, Director, UN Division of Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS)
Anna Antonova, Russian Federation
Martin Zvachula, Federated States of Micronesia
Ryan Keightley, Australia
Joseph Vungo and James Waweru, Kenya
Paraiso Souleymane Moussa, Niger
Marco D'Alessandro, Switzerland
Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway
Around the Venue
Delegates from New Zealand and the Republic of Korea meet informally
L-R: Yukiko Kuwata, The Nature Conservancy; Vikki Gunn, Director, Seascape Consultants Ltd; and Chris Mcowen, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC)
L-R: Darius Campbell, North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC), in consultations with Jack Collier and Samantha Watts, UK
Duncan Currie, High Seas Alliance, and Fabienne McLellan, OceanCare
L-R: Sibylle Vermont, Switzerland, and Kathryn Youel Page and Elana Mendelson, US
Jessika Woroniak, Canada
Megan O’Toole and Maja Metzger, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
Bleuenn Guilloux, University of Brest, France, and Aurélie Spadone, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Monument de l'Union Postale Universelle a Berne, a gift from Switzerland and the Universal Postal Union to the UN
The UN Outreach Programme memorializes the Holocaust