Seventh meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (BBNJ)

The seventh meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group (hereinafter, the Working Group) to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction (BBNJ) convened from 1-4 April 2014 at UN Headquarters in New York. The meeting was the first of three meetings (April 2014, June 2014 and January 2015) convened by the UN General Assembly through its resolution 68/70 to discuss the scope, parameters and feasibility of a possible new international instrument on BBNJ under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The outcome of these meetings is expected to contribute to a decision to be taken at the sixty-ninth session of the UN General Assembly.

The meeting was attended by close to 200 participants, including national delegations, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Delegates delivered general statements on Tuesday, and engaged in plenary discussions on the scope (Tuesday and Wednesday), parameters (Wednesday) and feasibility of a new international instrument under UNCLOS (Wednesday and Thursday). The meeting was considered successful in that it engaged delegations for the first time in an interactive substantive debate that created momentum for more detailed deliberations in June 2014. The meeting was also lauded by NGOs for its transparent proceedings. This briefing note summarizes the discussions and outcome of the seventh meeting of the Working Group, and is organized according to its agenda.