Negotiating Bloc
Small Island Developing States
Content associated with Small Island Developing States
Curtain raiser
13th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP 13)
Daily report for 6 September 2017
13th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNCCD (COP 13)
Summary report 5–8 September 2017
1st Asia-Pacific Ministerial Summit on the Environment
Daily report for 16 August 2017
23rd Annual Session of the International Seabed Authority
Highlights and images for 21 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee
On Friday, 21 July, plenary resumed at 3:45 pm. Chair Duarte offered draft recommendations arising from informal bilateral consultations, clarifying that: the elements of the draft text of an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) do not reflect consensus; section A includes non-exclusive elements that generated convergence among most delegations; section B highlights some of the main issues on which there is divergence of views; and both sections are for reference purposes because they do not reflect all options discussed and are without prejudice to states’ positions during the negotiations. In addition, the draft included: a recommendation to the UN General Assembly to take a decision, as soon as possible, on the convening of an intergovernmental conference (IGC), under the auspices of the UN, to consider the PrepCom recommendations on the elements and to elaborate the text of an ILBI under the Convention; and an indication that the titles of the two sections be removed (namely, “elements of an ILBI draft text” and “elements requiring most attention towards further progress in the development of an ILBI draft text”) . Plenary was immediately suspended to allow for regional consultations.
7:25 pm: regional consultations are still ongoing
8:59 pm: plenary resumes
9:10 pm: plenary adopts recommendations to UN General Assembly
10:01 pm: Chair Duarte gaveled the meeting to a close
The Earth Negotiations Bulletin summary and analysis of PrepCom 4 will be available on Monday, 24 July 2017, online at: http://enb.iisd.org/oceans/bbnj/prepcom4/
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 4th Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292: Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
Dais applaudes the conclusion of PrepCom 4
Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly
Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil, gaveled the meeting to a close at 10:01 pm
L-R: Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly; Barbara Boechat, Brazil; Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS
Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil, in discussion with John Brincat, EU
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Barbara Boechat, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS
Delegates waiting for the resumption of PrepCom 4
Essam Yassin Mohammed, Eritrea (right), in a conversation with delegates from Cameroon
L-R: Elizabeth Rodríguez Santiago, American Society of International Law, confers with Stella Bartolini Cavicchi, World Ocean Council
Delegates from Iceland reviewing draft text
Delegates from the African Group reviewing draft text
Delegates from Norway and Iceland consulting
Delegates from the African Group consulting
Delegates from Canada consulting
L-R: Zentaro Naganuma, Japan, with Ma Xinmin, China
L-R: Evan Bloom, US, with Zentaro Naganuma, Japan
L-R: Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS, with Alfonso Ascencio-Herrera, International Seabed Authority (ISA)
L-R: Alain Tellier, Canada, with
Ma Xinmin, China
L-R: Zentaro Naganuma, Japan, with Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway
L-R: Alain Tellier, Canada, confers with Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil
Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil, with Matthías Pálsson, Iceland
L-R Maxim Musikhin, Russian Federation and Larisa Chernysheva, Russian Federation, in conversation with Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil
Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil (right), in discussions with Evan Bloom, US
Duncan Currie, Greenpeace (center), with delegates from the Russian Federation
L-R: Tallash Kantai, IISD Reporting Services, in conversation with Matthías Pálsson, Iceland
L-R: Tidiani Couma, Joëlle Casanova, and Florian Botto, Monaco
Delegates from China
Delegates from the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS)
Delegates from Latin America and the Caribbean
Delegates from the African Group
Participants from the High Seas Alliance
Highlights and images for 20 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee
On Thursday, 20 July, in an afternoon plenary, delegates considered a further revised Chair’s text including: a draft recommendation to the General Assembly on the substantive elements of an international legally binding instrument (ILBI), indicating that the structure and elements reflect the outcome of the PrepCom discussions, and are not exclusive and without prejudice to the position of states during the negotiations; a procedural recommendation to the General Assembly to take a decision, as soon as possible, on convening and intergovernmental conference (IGC) under the UN auspices, to consider the PrepCom’s substantive recommendations and to elaborate the ILBI text under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), with a starting date as early as possible; and two sections, one on elements of the draft ILBI text (section A) and the other on elements that require most attention towards further progress in the development of a draft ILBI text (section B).
Following a round of comments, Chair Duarte acknowledged that the revised draft did not fully reflect all positions; noted concerns expressed by some delegations and those requesting more time to make a decision; and adjourned the session, expressing willingness to exhaust every effort to arrive at consensus, in line with the PrepCom mandate, and inviting delegates to share suggestions with him.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 4th Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292: Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Barbara Boechat, Brazil; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS
John Brincat, EU
Lois Young, Belize, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
Luis Oña Garcés, Ecuador, on behalf of the G-77/China
James Ndirangu Waweru, Kenya
Hina Saeed Baig, Pakistan
Luke Daunivalu, Fiji, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS)
Juan Carlos Mendoza García, Costa Rica
Maxim Musikhin, Russian Federation
Rena Lee, Singapore
Khurshed Alam, Bangladesh, on behalf of the Least Developed
Countries (LDCs)
Ismail Raushan, Maldives, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS)
Essam Yassin Mohammed, Eritrea
Ryan Fung A Loi, Suriname
Ariel Cayanan, the Philippines
Evan Bloom, US
Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Mexico
Mohamed Atlassi, Morocco
Florian Botto, Monaco
Ma Xinmin, China
Narayanane Saravanane, India
Alain Tellier, Canada
EU delegates consulting immediately after the end of the session
Delegates from PSIDS consulting
Delegates in informal consultations
L-R: Elisa Morgera, IISD Reporting Services, in a discussion with John Brincat, EU
L-R: Alistair Graham, Australia, in a conversation with Gerardo Irimia, Panama
L-R: Susan Whelan, Holy See, in a conversation with Julian Jackson, The Pew Charitable Trusts
A delegate looking at IISD web coverage
Delegates from India
Daily report for 20 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee
Daily report for 19 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee
Highlights and images for 18 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee
On Tuesday, 18 July, delegates met in plenary throughout the day to continue consideration of a revised Chair’s text containing draft recommendations to the UN General Assembly. Discussions focused on the following draft elements of a new international legally binding instrument: general elements, including use of terms, scope of application, objectives and relationships with other instruments; general principles and approaches; marine genetic resources; area-based management tools, including marine protected areas; and environmental impact assessments.
Chair Duarte proposed concluding consideration of the revised Chair’s draft on Wednesday morning; holding informal consultations with interested delegations on Wednesday afternoon on difficult points on a non-objection basis; and if no reformulation is possible, developing another section in the draft recommendations to deal with non-consensus points.
IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis report from the 4th Session of the Preparatory Committee Established by the UN General Assembly Resolution 69/292: Development of an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction. The summary and analysis report is now available in HTML and PDF.
Photos by IISD/ENB | Franz Dejon
For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page
L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UNDOALOS; Barbara Boechat, Brazil; Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS
View of PrepCom 4 participants
Zakieh Taghizadeh, Iran
Alice Revell, New Zealand
Jean Kenfack, Cameroon
María Claudia Vélez Crismatt, Colombia
Paulo José Chiarelli, Brazil
Metod Špacek, EU
Teresa Cruz Sardiñas, Cuba
Michael Googan, Australia
John Fintakpa Lamega, Togo
Larisa Chernysheva, Russian Federation
Martin Zvachula, Federated States of Micronesia
Ma Xinmin, China
Margo Deiye, Nauru, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS)
Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group
Rena Lee, Singapore
Evan Bloom, US
L-R: René Lefeber, Tom Diederen, and Wini Broadbelt, the Netherlands
Alistair Graham, Australia, in a conversation with delegates from China
Zentaro Naganuma, Japan, confers with Diedre Mills, Jamaica
L-R: Evan Bloom, US, in a discussion with Zentaro Naganuma, Japan
Joan Yang, Nauru (second from right) in a discussion with delegates from Canada and Switzerland
Delegates from the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) consulting
Delegates from the African Group in informal consultations
Publications at PrepCom 4
Daily report for 18 July 2017
4th Session of the BBNJ Preparatory Committee