AGREEMENT ON MARINE BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY OF AREAS BEYOND NATIONAL JURISDICTION
Take a look at the World Economic Forum's “Governing Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction: Roles and Opportunities for the Private Sector” report published last year. In short, it looks into the UN's 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) and focuses on what private stakeholders need to know for the upcoming BBNJ Agreement including data sharing, innovative technology and tools, expectations and potential challenges under the new legal framework.
Why is this important? There is a huge governance gap the agreement covers. It's the first global deal to protect marine biodiversity on the high seas. That's 2/3 of our planet that previously had no such protections. The implications of such a treaty are historic.
You can click here to see the current status of the Agreement (hint: 145 signatories, including 61 as of yesterday. 60 was the important number to note because the Agreement required a 60 member ratification to enter into force, which will happen in January 2026).
The agreement itself has been opened since September 2023 and closes on September 20, 2025 (after that countries can no longer sign, but can join later). The US signed in September of 2023.
This is a huge win and those of us who love and protect the ocean are celebrating.
