Pacific Small Island Developing States

On Monday, 27 March, the third session of the Preparatory Committee established by the UN General Assembly in 2015 to make recommendations on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument 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 (PrepCom 3) convened in plenary in the morning, chaired by Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil. During the brief session, delegates heard from Stephen Mathias, Assistant Secretary-General, Office of Legal Affairs, on progress on marine issues relating to the work of the PrepCom. Delegates then met in an informal working group on marine genetic resources (MGRs) including questions on the sharing of benefits, which met for the rest of the day, facilitated by Janine Coye-Felson, Belize. Considerations on MGRs will continue on Tuesday, 28 March. Side events also took place over lunchtime on experiences of benefit-sharing regimes and their potential relevance to MGRs and capacity building in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), and options for using area-based planning tools in ABNJ. IISD Reporting Services, through its Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) Meeting Coverage, has providing daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report from the 3rd 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.” Our summary and analysis report is 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 View of the opening session chaired by Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil Miguel de Serpa Soares, Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel, on behalf of UN Secretary-General António Guterres Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil Juliette Babb-Riley, Barbados, on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Ali Nasimfar, Iran Ismail Raushan Zahir, Maldives, on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) Drusila Esther Bayate, the Philippines Luis Oña Garcés, Ecuador, on behalf of the G-77/China Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria, on behalf of the African Group L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Chair Carlos Sobral Duarte, Brazil; Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS; and Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS View of the room of PrepCom 3 from the perspective of the dais Janine Coye-Felson, Belize, Facilitator of the informal working group on marine genetic resources Sergey Leonidchenko, Russian Federation Khurshed Alam, Bangladesh Margo Deiye, Nauru, on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Kamal Shali Ghimire, Nepal Pablo Arrocha Olabuenaga, Mexico Alain Tellier, Canada José Luis Fernández Valoni, Argentina Haryo Budi Nugroho, Indonesia Matthías Pálsson, Iceland Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway Rena Lee, Singapore Evan Bloom, US Jihyun Lee and Joseph Appiott, Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat Thembile Joyini, South Africa, consulting with Mehdi Remaoun, Algeria Delegates from the African Group consulting

On Friday, 2 September, the second session of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom 2) on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument 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) convened in plenary throughout the day. In the morning, plenary continued deliberations of possible areas of convergence and areas for further discussion on marine genetic resources, including benefit-sharing. Following an oral report by John Adank (New Zealand), facilitator of the informal working group on area-based management tools, including marine protected areas, plenary discussed possible areas of convergence and areas for further discussion, including on definitions, principles and approaches, and governance. IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB Meeting Coverage, has provided daily web coverage, daily reports and a summary and analysis report in English and French from the 2nd 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.” Photos by IISD/ENB | Mike Muzurakis For photo reprint permissions, please follow instructions at our Attribution Regulations for Meeting Photo Usage Page. Gina Guillén-Grillo and Rolando Castro, Costa Rica Martijn Peijs and Sidney Kemble, the Netherlands James Ndirangu Waweru, Kenya, with Thembile Joyini, South Africa Christian Prip, Fridtjof Nansen Institute, and Kimo Goree, Vice-President, IISD Wini Broadbelt and René Lefeber, the Netherlands John Brincat, EU, with Gina Guillén-Grillo, Costa Rica Margo Deiye, Nauru, for Pacific Small Island Developing States (PSIDS) Sesselja Sigurðardóttir, Iceland Kjell Kristian Egge, Norway Essam Yassin Mohammed, Eritrea John Adank, New Zealand, facilitator of the informal working group on area-based management tools Alistair Graham, Australia, and Jessica Battle, WWF Martin Zvachula, Federated States of Micronesia, reading the ENB Anca Leroy, EU, with Andreas Lunn, Denmark The African Group conferring From L-R: Gabriele Goettsche-Wanli, Director, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); Chair Eden Charles, Trinidad and Tobago; Charlotte Salpin, UNDOALOS; and Alice Hicuburundi, UNDOALOS Ignacio Cazaña, Paraguay Chair Eden Charles, Trinidad and Tobago Maria Pilikou, Cyprus Zentaro Naganuma, Japan Prim Masrinuan, Thailand for the Group of 77 and China Xinmin Ma, China Janine Coye-Felson, Belize Khurshed Alam, Bangladesh John Brincat, EU Maruthadu Sudhakar, India Michael Bliss, Australia Participants consulting Around the Venue Non-Violence, by Fredrik Reuterswärd Sphere Within a Sphere, by Arnaldo Pomodoro A view of the UN headquarters from the rose garden