Caribbean Community

Highlights for Thursday, 22 August 2019 Art installation of marine plastic pollution by Greenpeace and the High Seas Alliance The third session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) met on Thursday, 22 August 2019, in an informal working group on environmental impact assessments (EIAs). Delegates also met in two closed-door “informal-informals” to discuss: marine genetic resources (MGRs), including questions on the sharing of benefits; and area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs). During the informal working group on EIAs, delegates discussed scoping, screening, and impact assessments and evaluation. Highlights of the day include: Informal-informals on MGRs, with discussions focusing on the historically contentious issue of the fair and equitable sharing of benefits; Informal-informals on ABMTs, focusing on the monitoring and review of areas under protection; and Discussions in plenary on scoping, screening, and impact assessment and evaluation related to EIAs, where delegates considered the role of the state and other entities in the conduct of these activities, and whether to include socio-economic and cultural impacts as part of scoping measures. In the morning, Facilitator René Lefeber (the Netherlands) summarized Wednesday’s informal-informal discussions on EIAs, which focused on decision making, and the relationship with EIA processes under other relevant global, regional, and sectoral bodies. On decision making, he noted, inter alia, that divergent positions remain around whether this should take place at the national or international level. On the relationship with EIA processes under other relevant global, regional, and sectoral bodies, Lefeber highlighted that participants considered whether, among other issues, there is potential for developing common standards between the new agreement and relevant bodies, under the discussion on global minimum standards for the conduct of EIAs. In the corridors, some shared that segments of the informal-informals were “getting tense, as delegates continue to provide suggestions based on deeply entrenched positions which are sometimes polar opposites of each other,” without discussing how to bridge these long-standing disagreements. Noting that “these issues will define the course of the entire treaty,” one delegate suggested that the Conference consider designating “a lot more time” to address them.For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from BBNJ IGC-3. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Informal Working Group L-R: IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore, and René Lefeber, the Netherlands, Facilitator of the informal working group on EIAs View of the informal working group Tetsuya Yoshimoto, Japan Wini Broadbelt, EU Sora Lokita, Indonesia Yordanka Stoimenova, Canada Sonam Yangchen, Bhutan Jean Kenfack, Cameroon Janice Mose Kamakeza, Solomon Islands Rishy Bukoree, Mauritius Veronica Bustamante, Ecuador Maria Pia Benosa, the Philippines L-R: Janine Coye-Felson, Belize, conferring with Juliette Babb-Riley, Barbados Huang Yingni, China Tanvir Ahmad Torophder, Bangladesh Jihyun Lee, International Seabed Authority Daniel Leal Matta, Guatemala, for the Like-Minded Latin American Countries Cymie Payne, IUCN Lisa Speer, Natural Resources Defense Council John Fintakpa Lamega, Togo Evan Bloom, US Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation Kahlil Hassanali, Trinidad and Tobago, for the Caribbean Community Delegates from Kiribati reviewing draft text L-R: Michele Ameri, Fernando Cabrera Díaz, and Amanda Stoltz, UNDOALOS L-R: Aung Thura and Maria Antoinette Trillo, UN conference officers Delegates from the Philippines Delegates from Namibia, Solomon Islands, and Nauru L-R: Fran Humphries, Alexandra Phelan, Fernanda Jiménez, and Hiroko Muraki, International Council of Environmental Law Photos in the corridors

Highlights for Monday, 19 August 2019 Bigfin reef squid from the Philippines. Photo by Marcelo Halpern The third session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) began in New York on Monday. For this meeting, delegates have, as a basis for their negotiations, a draft text of an agreement containing treaty language, prepared by IGC President Rena Lee (Singapore) and the UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea.In opening statements, both IGC President Rena Lee and Under Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel Miguel de Serpa Soares pointed to the recent Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), noting that BBNJ can be a part of “turning the tide” on global biodiversity loss.As delegates exchanged general views and began an in-depth consideration of the draft text, the highlights of the first day include, inter alia: Divergence in understanding on fundamental issues, including the timeframe for the conclusion of discussions on the ILBI; Agreement on the need to have an article on “General Objectives,” separate from objectives relating to specific aspects of the 2011 package; Divergence on the application of the instrument, and the need for a separate article on sovereign immunity, given that this is reflected in UNCLOS; and Discussions on the future instrument’s relationship with existing instruments and frameworks. In their general statements, several supported the common heritage of humankind as an overarching principle governing marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. Many also highlighted the importance of capacity building and the transfer of marine technology to operationalize the future instrument.In the corridors, delegates and participants exchanged ideas on the potential trade-off between the timely conclusion of the IGC considerations and the quality of the new treaty. While some cautioned against “self-imposed” deadlines, others underscored the urgency of the issues under discussion, stressing that “time matters.” Most agreed, however, that informal deliberations throughout the session will allow for fine-tuning the text and hopefully bridging existing divergent opinions.For more details on the day’s negotiations and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from BBNJ IGC-3. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Francis Dejon For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. View of the opening plenary L-R: Dais during the opening session with Miguel de Serpa Soares, Secretary-General of the IGC, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel; IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore; Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division of Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore Miguel de Serpa Soares, Secretary-General of the IGC, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, UNDOALOS Feda Abdelhady-Nasser, Palestine, on behalf of the G-77/China Perks Ligoya, Malawi, on behalf of the Least Developed Countries Andreas Papaconstantinou, EU Martin Mainero and Fernando Marani, Argentina, reviewing draft text Janine Coye-Felson, Belize, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Carlos Mata, Uruguay, on behalf of the Like-Minded Latin American Countries Essam Yassin Mohammed, Eritrea Yang Liu, China Juliette Babb-Riley, Barbados, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Juan Cuéllar Torres, Colombia, on behalf of UNCLOS non-parties Delegates from Chile consulting Evan Bloom, US Yedla Umasankar, India Mohammad Kurniadi Koba, Indonesia Anne Christine Brusendorff, International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Peggy Kalas, High Seas Alliance Rishy Bukoree, Mauritius L-R: Muhammad Taufan, Haryo Nugroho, and Sora Lokita, Indonesia Informal Working Group on Cross-cutting Issues Lionel Yee, Singapore Hwang Junshik, Republic of Korea Diedre Mills, Jamaica Yocasta Valenzuela, Dominican Republic Ma. Angela Ponce, the Philippines Luis Oña Garcés, Ecuador Side Event presented by Greenpeace and High Seas Alliance: A Strong Global Ocean Treaty, Javier Bardem is onboard, are you? L-R: Farah Yasmin Obaidullah, Women4Oceans; Sofia Tsenikli, Greenpeace International; Javier Bardem, Actor and environmental activist; Sandra Schöttner, Greenpeace Germany; and Jennifer Jacquet, New York University Javier Bardem, Actor and environmental activist Jennifer Jacquet, New York University

Highlights for Wednesday, 17 July 2019 As 16 countries present their VNRs, questions remain as to whether we will be able to achieve the SDGs by 2030. Posted by IISD Reporting Services on Wednesday, 17 July 2019 At the HLPF on Wednesday, 16 countries presented voluntary national reviews (VNRs) during two sessions, in the morning and afternoon. VNR presentations were made by Central African Republic, eSwatini, Iraq, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Tonga, South Africa, Rwanda, Kuwait, New Zealand, Chad, Ghana, Israel, Timor-Leste, Tanzania, and Vanuatu.Meanwhile, the General Debate continued in parallel throughout the day, with 73 Heads of State, Heads of Government, ministers, and ambassadors making statements, which can be accessed here.For more details on the day's events and to hear what delegates said in the corridors, see our daily Earth Negotiations Bulletin. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, provided daily web coverage and daily reports from HLPF 2019. In addition, IISD Reporting Services has published a summary and analysis report from the meeting, which is now available in HTML and PDF. Photos by IISD/ENB | Kiara Worth For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Voluntary National Reviews Mona Juul, Vice-President, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Félix Moloua, Minister of Economy, Planning, and Cooperation, Central African Republic Tambo Gina, Minister for Economic Planning and Development, eSwatini Nouri Al-Dulaimi, Minister of Planning, Iraq George Gyan-Baffour, Minister for Planning, Ghana Gale Rigobert, Minister of Education, Gender Relations, Innovation, and Sustainable Development, Saint Lucia Zeev Elkin, Minister of Environmental Protection and of Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage, Israel Slavica Đukić Dejanović, Minister without Portfolio in charge of Demography and Population Policy, Serbia Semisi Lafu Kioa Sika, Deputy Prime Minister, Tonga Philip Mpango, Minister of Finance and Planning, Tanzania Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane, Minister of Tourism, South Africa Craig Hawke, Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the UN Claudine Uwera, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Rwanda Fidelis Manuel Leite Magalhães, Minister of Legislative Reform and Parliamentary Affairs, Timor-Leste Issa Doubragne, Minister of Economy and Development Planning, Chad Khaled Mahdi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for Planning and Development, Kuwait Ralph Regenvanu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, and External Trade, Vanuatu Video presentations are shown as part of the country VNRs. General Debate Delegates gather in the Trusteeship Council to listen to the General Debate. Bocchit Edmond, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cults, Haiti, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Lois Young, Permanent Representative of Belize to the UN, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Julio César Arriola, Paraguay, speaking on behalf of the Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs) Hala Helmy El-Said, Minister of Planning, Monitoring, and Administrative Reform, Egypt Maria Ubach Font, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Andorra Mohammad Javad Zarif, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Iran Francis Kai Kai, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Sierra Leone Mohd Radzi Md Jidin, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs, Malaysia A delegate listens to the discussions from the gallery. Around the Venue Delegates speak informally at the start of the session. Kehkashan Basu, World Future Council Danilo Arsenijevic, Serbia President Thomas Esang Remengesau, Palau Rafael Da Soler, Brazil Delegates speak informally between sessions. A delegate reads the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) to keep up to date with the meeting's proceedings. An exhibition hosted by Singapore shares information on innovative waste systems.