Today marks the opening of the First Session of the Preparatory Commission (PrepCom1) to facilitate the entry into force of the UN Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement).
Over the next two weeks, representatives of governments, global and regional intergovernmental agencies, and other relevant stakeholders will convene at the UN Headquarters in New York to begin discussions on the operation of the Agreement and the first meeting of the Conference of Parties (COP). This will be the first opportunity for many to discuss key topics related to how the Agreement will actually be carried out and through which treaty bodies and rules of procedure following its entry into force.
The opening session for the first meeting of the Preparatory Commission (PrepCom1) for the BBNJ Agreement, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 14 April 2025; Photo by J. Murray Roberts (2025).
The Agreement—which delegates at the organisational meeting for the PrepCom in June 2024 called a “milestone in international law and a triumph for multilateralism”—will only enter into force 120 days following the deposit of the 60th instrument of ratification. As it stands, 21 countries have ratified and become a party to the Agreement.
PrepCom1 will therefore serve not only the vital purpose of preparing for the Agreement and the COP’s implementation, but also encouraging its ratification by providing a forum to sort through some of the yet-to-be developed practical aspects of the Agreement.
The Proposed Organisation of Work, which determines the session schedule of when specific issues will be discussed, is arranged around three primary “clusters of issues” that will need to be addressed by the COP at its first meeting: (1) Governance issues; (2) Issues pertaining to the operation of the Clearing-House Mechanism; and (3) Financial rules, and financial resources and mechanism.
These clusters of issues will be examined across multiple meetings of the Preparatory Commission, which already has a second session (PrepCom2) scheduled for 18-29 August 2025, and a third meeting tentatively scheduled in early 2026.
The Goals of PrepCom1
During the first week of PrepCom1, country and organisation representatives will come prepared to discuss:
- The Rules of Procedure and matters to be addressed at the first meeting of the BBNJ COP;
- The Terms of Reference, modalities, and selection process for the subsidiary bodies (such as the Scientific and Technical Body) of the Agreement;
- The functioning and seat of the secretariat;
- The financial rules governing the funding of the COP, the secretariat, and the subsidiary bodies; and
- Arrangements with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to give effect to funding relevant provisions of the Agreement.
The latter part of PrepCom1 will allow for the continuation of discussions related to operationalisation of the Agreement and its subsidiary bodies, including funding provisions. The final day of PrepCom1, which will be Friday, 25 April 2025, will also provide the space to report on any parallel meetings that have convened outside of the official sessions and allow time for the preliminary exchanges of views on issues to be addressed during PrepCom2.
United Nations Headquarters in New York, NY; Photo by Nils Huenerfuerst (2024) via Unsplash.
Bringing the Global Community Together for a Resilient Ocean
As PrepCom1 gets underway, it represents a critical first step in transforming the aspirations of the BBNJ Agreement into a practical and functional reality. Over the coming days, the foundational discussions on governance structures and financial arrangements will lay the groundwork for an effective and inclusive implementation of the Agreement. This collection of meetings not only brings the global community closer to operationalising a landmark framework for ocean governance, but also serves to maintain momentum for further ratifications. With the ocean’s biodiversity and the health of areas beyond national jurisdiction at stake, the progress made at PrepCom1 can hopefully set the tone for a future shaped by cooperation, transparency, and shared responsibility.
For More Information, please access the following resources:
- To access the official UN documents for PrepCom1, please visit the UN webpage.
- To learn more about the BBNJ Treaty directly from the Co-Chairs of the Preparatory Commission themselves, please check out “Episode 2 - A new Ocean Treaty” from the ANCORS podcast “Negotiating the Ocean” by the Australian Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, available via Spotify here.