IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore, opens the 1st session of the IGC

The second session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on an international legally binding instrument under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) will be held from 25 March - 5 April 2019 at UN Headquarters in New York.

Delegates will continue their discussions to address the topics identified in the package agreed in 2011, specifically:

• marine genetic resources, including questions on benefit-sharing;
• measures such as environmental impact assessments and area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; and
• capacity building and marine technology transfer.

Building on the first meeting of the IGC in September 2018, the Conference will be guided by a President’s Aid to Negotiations, which reflects options concerning the package elements and takes into account the views and options presented at IGC-1 as well as other materials produced in the context of the Preparatory Committee.

These negotiations also feed into the broader Law of the Sea agenda, including discussions under the International Seabed Authority. Further, they address several aspects of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly Sustainable Development Goal 14 which concerns life below water, but also the Goals including but not limited to poverty, hunger, health, employment and economic growth, and the global partnership.