Highlights and images for 1 April 2026

On many of the issues under consideration, agreement is within sight. A few obstacles remain, however, and some agenda items will need close attention and increased flexibility for a successful conclusion. At the end of the penultimate day of the meeting, this was the main message from Adam McCarthy (Australia) and Janine Coye-Felson (Belize), Co-Chairs of the Preparatory Commission (PrepCom) for the entry into force of the Agreement 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 Agreement).

Delegates began the day listening to Belgium’s presentation of its bid to host the Secretariat in Brussels, the “diplomatic heart of the ocean,” highlighting operational readiness and independence; diplomacy of inclusion; and foundation of scientific excellence. The selection between the three candidacies by Belgium, Chile, and China will take place at the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP1).

Deliberations during the rest of the morning focused on:

• financial rules and regulations;
• the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Global Environment Facility (GEF);
• the operationalization of the Special Fund;
• the Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM); and
• cooperation with relevant legal instruments and frameworks and relevant global, regional, subregional, and sectoral bodies (IFBs).

On financial rules and regulations, delegates focused their efforts on the outstanding text on supplementary budget proposals and arrears, with landing zones seeming to be attainable. They also addressed cross-cutting contentious references to potential budget-related functions of the finance committee.

Co-Chair Felson emphasized that the draft MoU between the COP and the GEF looks “in really good shape,” and delegates focused on remaining disagreements on the role of the COP in providing guidance to the GEF Council.

On the CHM, many delegates expressed broad support for the development of a prototype for COP1 and future steps, but concerns remain whether the procedure adequately reflects the necessary timelines for delivery at COP1. Many noted that the timeframe for undertaking a procurement process to select a partner to provide technical support for the design and development of a prototype has implications for the decision to be taken by PrepCom III, welcoming further advice from the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS).

On the Special Fund, delegates converged on an ad hoc committee with limited membership, notwithstanding some Parties’ continued preference for an inclusive working group. Further discussions will be required on: composition, in particular whether to follow a regional grouping approach or a structure according to a requirement to make annual contributions to the Special Fund; differentiated membership; voting rights and modalities; ways to include the private sector; and the need to include Indigenous Peoples and local communities representatives as core members.

Facilitated by Co-Chair McCarthy, delegates discussed a revised draft text on arrangements to enhance cooperation with relevant IFBs. Many delegates expressed their appreciation for the revised document but noted outstanding issues. Several delegations requested the deletion of text that promotes coordination between the COP and subsidiary bodies with the work cycles of IFBs, underscoring its burdensome nature and lack of feasibility.

Other delegations expressed concern with the narrow focus of early cooperative arrangements with IFBs “whose work directly intersects with the objectives of the Agreement,” and provided suggestions for broader, more flexible text. Upon expressing their concerns, a group of countries requested bracketing the draft decision before forwarding it to the COP, with Co-Chair McCarthy recalling the Co-Chairs' desire to forward clean text to the COP.

In the afternoon, delegates engaged in informal deliberations. In a brief plenary session, they heard a report on credentials and on the balance of the Voluntary Trust Fund. The Co-Chairs noted that all relevant further revised documents will be circulated in coming hours for delegations to prepare for the last, decisive day of the meeting.