Commitment to marine biodiversity affirmed

VILNIUS - At the meeting of the UN Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction in New York from Aug. 19-23, the EU delegation, headed by the Lithuanian EU Presidency’s team, represented an ambitious EU and its member states’ position on a new implementing agreement under the Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS) to protect and conserve marine biodiversity in the high seas and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction.

The Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group reaffirmed the commitment made at the Rio+20 to address high seas protection. After intense negotiations, a result has been reached - the recommendations for the UN General Assembly were adopted. The outcome document suggests to initiate a preparatory process and to examine the feasibility of the new implementing agreement under the Law of the Sea Convention, as well as to discuss the scope and parameters of such an agreement, in the framework of the working group already at the 68th session of the UN General Assembly.

To this end, the UN working group agreed to hold focused discussions of issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction on the basis of views submitted by States in writing.

Non-governmental organizations are contributing actively to the success of the process of the protection of the high seas.