The adoption in June 2023 of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement signified a change in tides, not only for ocean governance in areas beyond national jurisdiction, but also for biodiversity conservation. With the expectation that the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and ratification of the BBNJ Agreement will soon come into fruition, stakeholders are becoming increasingly aware of the possible opportunities and challenges that it may bring. This side event considered how the BBNJ Agreement can work in synergy with efforts undertaken by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), including the GBF.

This event featured reports on progress made through the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Global Dialogue, launched in 2016, and highlighted the importance of cooperation and collaboration among regional bodies for achieving global goals and targets.

Existential fault lines may remain, but the Commission’s civil and efficient deliberations resulted in some groundbreaking advances, demonstrating it can protect whales not only from hunting, but from other threats, including bycatch, entanglements, vessel strikes, climate change, underwater noise, and pollution.