Pacific Small Island Developing States

Highlights for Wednesday, 28 August 2019 Box spotted puffer fish from the Philippines, photo by Marcelo Halpern The third session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) met in two informal working groups on marine genetic resources (MGRs), including benefit-sharing, and on cross-cutting issues. Delegates also met in “informal-informals” to consider aspects related to both area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs), and environmental impact assessments (EIAs). Delegates dove into choppy waters on Wednesday, opening discussions on some of the key underlying, or overarching, issues that have proved intractable in the past. They shared views on the terms to be included in the new agreement, specifically those related to MGRs, as well as on the most relevant principles on which the future agreement will be anchored. Highlights of the day included, inter alia: Discussions in the informal working group on cross-cutting issues, specifically related to principles and approaches, international cooperation, and implementation and compliance; Discussions in the informal working group on MGRs, touching on the need to align with definitions in relevant frameworks and bodies to maintain legal certainty; Informal-informal discussions on ABMTs, addressing who should be consulted on a proposal for an ABMT, and how these proposals will be assessed; and Informal-informals on EIAs, focusing on strategic environmental assessments, and a list of activities that do or do not require an EIA.  In the corridors, one observer lamented, “it seems like we are stuck in a loop: when we are looking at the substance, decisions are deferred for lack of a definition, and then once we get to the definitions, we are told to wait until we decide on substance.” Others were hopeful that as discussions enter the final stretch, delegates can finally begin to consider the central tenets of the future High Seas instrument, and that those discussions “will help us see the forest for the trees.”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: Janine Coye-Felson, Belize, Facilitator of the informal working group on MGRs; Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS Barbara Boechat, Brazil, on behalf of the Like-Minded Latin American Countries Janine Coye-Felson, Belize, Facilitator of the informal working group on MGRs Gou Haibo, China Fuad Bateh, Palestine, on behalf of the G-77/China Salaseini Tagicakibau, Fiji, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (P-SIDS) Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group Ayodhia Kalake, Indonesia Susan Whelan, Holy See Babajide Alo, Nigeria Neha Lugo, US L-R: Kahlil Hassanali, Trinidad and Tobago, with Fuad Bateh, Palestine L-R: Gou Haibo, China, with Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation Yuko Hara, Japan Alain De Comarmond, Seychelles Drusila Esther Bayate, the Philippines Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway Juliette Babb-Riley, Barbados, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Kenneth Wong, Singapore Gabrielle Chin, New Zealand Vasco Becker-Weinberg, Portugal Katie Hamilton, Australia Adem Bilgin, Turkey John Fintakpa Lamega, Togo Hendrik Segers, Belgium Kukhyun Ahn, Republic of Korea L-R: Ronan Long, Ireland, in conversation with Muhammad Taufan, Indonesia L-R: Felizardo Pulumbarit, the Philippines, in consultation with Drusila Esther Bayate, the Philippines L-R: Teresa Cruz Sardiñas, Cuba, with Maribel Alvárez, Costa Rica Matthías Pálsson, Iceland, with delegates from the Republic of Korea Bird's eye view of the informal working group on cross-cutting issues Miguel de Serpa Soares, Secretary-General of the IGC, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore, and Facilitator of the informal working group on cross-cutting issues Thembile Joyini, South Africa Margo Deiye, Nauru, on behalf of P-SIDS Diedre Mills, Jamaica, on behalf of CARICOM Maria Juliana Tenorio, Colombia, on behalf of the Like-Minded Latin American Countries

Highlights for Monday, 26 August 2019 Horse eye jacks from Cuba, photo by Marcelo Halpern The third session of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) met throughout the day on Monday, 26 August 2019, in informal working groups on capacity building and the transfer of marine technology (CB&TT), and on cross-cutting issues. Delegates also met in two closed-door “informal-informals,” to discuss aspects related to environmental impact assessments (EIAs), and area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas (MPAs).For the better part of the day, they considered types of CB&TT, whether and where to include a potential list of these activities in the new High Seas agreement, as well as matters related to monitoring and review, definitions, and the list over types of CB&TT in the annex. They also considered, as part of CB&TT, the clearing-house mechanism, discussing the types and functions of such a mechanism. Highlights of the day included, among others: Informal-informals on EIAs, which focused on matters regarding monitoring, reporting, and review; Informal-informals on ABMTs, including MPAs, focusing on the objectives of ABMTs as well as aspects related to monitoring and review;  Discussions in the informal working group on CB&TT, on aspects of a clearing-house mechanism, specifically the types and modalities of such a mechanism; and Discussions in the informal working group on cross-cutting issues, addressing other aspects of the clearing-house mechanism. In the corridors, one exasperated developing country delegate was adamant about the need for “hard rules to guide capacity building and the transfer of marine technology” for the effective implementation of the new High Seas treaty, adding that CB&TT needs to be understood as being driven by developing countries. Commenting on the closed-door sessions, another delegate opined that “the format and time constraints prevent us from addressing crucial linkages,” still remaining optimistic that “we will get there.”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 Olai Uludong, Palau, Facilitator of the informal working group on CB&TT L-R: Alice Hicuburundi, Jessica Howley, and Lika Diouf, UN Division of Ocean Affairs and Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS) Kimberly Louis, Saint Lucia, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM ) Ana Elizabeth Villaita Vizcorra, El Salvador, on behalf of the Like-Minded Latin American Countries Sunan Rustam, Indonesia Terje Lobach, Norway Tetsuya Yoshimoto, Japan Oleg Rykov, Russian Federation Evan Bloom, US Marco D'Alessandro, Switzerland Amanda Richards, New Zealand Fuad Bateh, Palestine, on behalf of the G-77/China L-R: Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, in conversation with Mohamed Lamine Sidibé, Guinea Generoso Calonge, the Philippines Sujin Seo, Republic of Korea Harriet Harden-Davies, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO) Fakasoa Tealei, Tuvalu, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (P-SIDS) Hiroko Muraki Gottlieb, International Council of Environmental Law Blaise Kuemlangan, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) Yang Liu, China Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group Katie Hamilton, Australia Carl Grainger, EU IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore, and Facilitator of the informal working group on Cross-Cutting Issues Olai Uludong, Palau, Facilitator of the informal working group on CB&TT L-R: Olai Uludong, Palau, Facilitator of the informal working group on CB&TT, Joan Yang, Nauru; and Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS Delegates from Belize in consultation L-R: Gemma Andreone, Italy, and Eva Vázquez, Spain IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore, with UNDOALOS Secretariat staff and UNDOALOS Fellows IGC President Rena Lee, Singapore, with delegates from Nigeria Closed-door informal-informals