On 18 February 2025, nearly 350 in-person attendees and 250 online participants from across the world will come together for the second Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Symposium in Singapore.
This Symposium—which will build on the success of the first BBNJ Symposium held in Edinburgh, UK in October 2023—will provide diplomats, government officials, international organisation representatives, NGOs, researchers, and other stakeholders with the chance to breathe life into the milestone ‘treaty for the ocean’ adopted in June 2023.
This Symposium—which will build on the success of the first BBNJ Symposium held in Edinburgh, UK in October 2023—will provide diplomats, government officials, international organisation representatives, NGOs, researchers, and other stakeholders with the chance to breathe life into the milestone ‘treaty for the ocean’ adopted in June 2023.
What is the BBNJ Agreement?
The United Nations 2023 BBNJ Agreement, also known as the “High Seas” Treaty, marks a significant potential shift in how our global ocean could be managed.
Applicable to areas beyond the control of any single nation, namely the high seas and the seabed, the BBNJ Agreement would revolutionise governance for a portion of the planet that makes up around 64% of the ocean’s surface and 95% of its volume. As a legally binding international instrument, it would bolster the current ocean governance framework to better manage the biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).
The United Nations 2023 BBNJ Agreement, also known as the “High Seas” Treaty, marks a significant potential shift in how our global ocean could be managed.
Applicable to areas beyond the control of any single nation, namely the high seas and the seabed, the BBNJ Agreement would revolutionise governance for a portion of the planet that makes up around 64% of the ocean’s surface and 95% of its volume. As a legally binding international instrument, it would bolster the current ocean governance framework to better manage the biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ).
What did the first BBNJ Symposium in Edinburgh achieve?
Following the final BBNJ negotiation in New York in February 2023, Mara Founder and Director Murray Roberts assembled the organising committee and chaired the first BBNJ Symposium in October 2023. Anna Gebruk, now head of Mara Events, arranged the Edinburgh meeting, including livestreaming to allow participants to get involved globally.
The first Symposium explored opportunities to achieve the Agreement’s biodiversity conservation and sustainability objectives through panel discussions on the four pillars of the Agreement - (1) marine genetic resources, including questions on the sharing of benefits; (2) measures such as area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; (3) environmental impact assessments; and (4) capacity building and the transfer of marine technology.
With over 500 participants from 50 countries, the first symposium built momentum from negotiation to implementation with a final statement from delegates underscoring the importance of implementing the BBNJ Agreement.
Following the final BBNJ negotiation in New York in February 2023, Mara Founder and Director Murray Roberts assembled the organising committee and chaired the first BBNJ Symposium in October 2023. Anna Gebruk, now head of Mara Events, arranged the Edinburgh meeting, including livestreaming to allow participants to get involved globally.
The first Symposium explored opportunities to achieve the Agreement’s biodiversity conservation and sustainability objectives through panel discussions on the four pillars of the Agreement - (1) marine genetic resources, including questions on the sharing of benefits; (2) measures such as area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; (3) environmental impact assessments; and (4) capacity building and the transfer of marine technology.
With over 500 participants from 50 countries, the first symposium built momentum from negotiation to implementation with a final statement from delegates underscoring the importance of implementing the BBNJ Agreement.
What are the goals of the second BBNJ Symposium in Singapore?
To come into force the BBNJ Agreement needs to be ratified by at least 60 countries by the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in June 2025. So having reviewed the full arc of the Agreement at the first Symposium, the second Symposium from 18-19 February includes six panels discussing ratification and implementation, drawing in perspectives from the Asia-Pacific region:
To maximise the opportunities for discussion Mara Consultants Ltd created a Satellite Events programme on 20 February to bring people together to build on current projects and discuss cross-cutting issues including:
To view the full Satellite Events Programme, please visit the Events page.
To come into force the BBNJ Agreement needs to be ratified by at least 60 countries by the 3rd UN Ocean Conference in June 2025. So having reviewed the full arc of the Agreement at the first Symposium, the second Symposium from 18-19 February includes six panels discussing ratification and implementation, drawing in perspectives from the Asia-Pacific region:
- Panel 1: The BBNJ Agreement and its Contributions to Ocean Governance
- Panel 2: Ratification – Challenges and Opportunities
- Panel 3: Implementation of the BBNJ Agreement
- Research roundtable
- Fireside Chat with Co-chairs of the BBNJ Preparatory Commission
- Panel 4: Cooperation with Relevant Instruments, Frameworks and Bodies (IFBs) under the BBNJ Agreement
- Panel 5: Subsidiary Bodies
- Panel 6: Clearing House Mechanism (CHM)
To maximise the opportunities for discussion Mara Consultants Ltd created a Satellite Events programme on 20 February to bring people together to build on current projects and discuss cross-cutting issues including:
- Advancing High Seas Conservation in line with the BBNJ Agreement: Lessons and Best Practice from the Sargasso Sea (Sargasso Sea Commission)
- Building the Northeast to Southeast Pacific Hybrid MPA Network: A Way to Achieve Early Implementation of the BBNJ Treaty (MarViva Foundation)
- The potential role of the BBNJ agreement as a cooperation and coordination framework with and among other IFBs (Norwegian Centre for the Law of the Sea, UiT The Arctic University of Norway)
- Article 12 in Action: Science-Policy brainstorm on effective implementation of notification requirements (University of Aberdeen; 3BIO; Griffith University)
- Building Strong Institution for the High Seas (High Seas Alliance)
- Ratification of the BBNJ Agreement from a SIDS Perspective: The Ireland WMU-GOI BBNJ Clinic Roundtable (WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, World Maritime University, Ireland; Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), Grenada; International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN))
To view the full Satellite Events Programme, please visit the Events page.
Why is this Agreement important to the future of our global ocean?
Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction are essential to life on Earth ecologically, socioculturally, and economically. Both the seabed and the water column of the high seas support rich biological diversity that researchers are just beginning to understand.
This marine biodiversity has the potential to contribute significantly to food security, medicine and technology advancement, climate regulation, and more. However, areas beyond national jurisdiction increasingly experience the negative impacts of human activities and climate change that are difficult to manage, monitor, and control.
The BBNJ Agreement marks a transformative step toward addressing the long-standing governance gap in areas beyond national jurisdiction. It presents an unprecedented opportunity to protect marine biodiversity, promote resilience, and help ensure the benefits of the high seas are shared equitably for generations to come.
Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction are essential to life on Earth ecologically, socioculturally, and economically. Both the seabed and the water column of the high seas support rich biological diversity that researchers are just beginning to understand.
This marine biodiversity has the potential to contribute significantly to food security, medicine and technology advancement, climate regulation, and more. However, areas beyond national jurisdiction increasingly experience the negative impacts of human activities and climate change that are difficult to manage, monitor, and control.
The BBNJ Agreement marks a transformative step toward addressing the long-standing governance gap in areas beyond national jurisdiction. It presents an unprecedented opportunity to protect marine biodiversity, promote resilience, and help ensure the benefits of the high seas are shared equitably for generations to come.
What’s Next?
In order to realise its full potential, the BBNJ Agreement will need to achieve universal participation by the global community. While 108 countries have indicated their support of the Agreement through signing it, the Agreement will only enter into force once at least 60 countries have ratified it into their own legal systems. As it stands, only 17 countries have done so.
By providing the space to move the conservation forward, the BBNJ Symposiums bring people together from diverse disciplines, backgrounds, and perspectives to envision the future of our ocean.
For those attending the upcoming Symposium, we look forward to seeing you there soon! For those unable to attend this time, key takeaways from the conference will be published here, and we hope to see you at future events.
In order to realise its full potential, the BBNJ Agreement will need to achieve universal participation by the global community. While 108 countries have indicated their support of the Agreement through signing it, the Agreement will only enter into force once at least 60 countries have ratified it into their own legal systems. As it stands, only 17 countries have done so.
By providing the space to move the conservation forward, the BBNJ Symposiums bring people together from diverse disciplines, backgrounds, and perspectives to envision the future of our ocean.
For those attending the upcoming Symposium, we look forward to seeing you there soon! For those unable to attend this time, key takeaways from the conference will be published here, and we hope to see you at future events.
Additional Information:
The full programme for the second BBNJ Symposium to be held in Singapore in February 2025 is available here.
The recordings from the first BBNJ Symposium held in Edinburgh, UK in October 2023 are available here. French interpretations are available here.
The official text of the BBNJ Agreement is available to view via the United Nations’ BBNJ Agreement website here.
The full programme for the second BBNJ Symposium to be held in Singapore in February 2025 is available here.
The recordings from the first BBNJ Symposium held in Edinburgh, UK in October 2023 are available here. French interpretations are available here.
The official text of the BBNJ Agreement is available to view via the United Nations’ BBNJ Agreement website here.