President of Intergovernmental conference on ocean biodiversity Rena Lee voiced hope to draft the first-ever treaty on marine biodiversity.
The fifth session, which runs until August 26, is expected to be the final in a series set in motion since 2018 to draft an international legally binding instrument under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.
“I am hopeful that we can make real progress in these two weeks, with the aim of finalising the agreement as soon as possible,” said Lee, according to the UN News Centre.
The negotiations aim to address marine genetic resources, including questions on benefit-sharing, measures such as area-based management tools, environmental impact assessments, capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology, Lee said.
“Let us strive to deliver on an agreement that will be fair, balanced, implementable and which will attract universal participation,” she said.
For his part, UN Legal Counsel Miguel de Serpa Soares, who also heads the Organisation’s Legal Affairs department and serves as Secretary, upheld that it is time to show the true spirit of multilateral co-operation.
He expressed hope that delegates will exercise even greater flexibility to ensure the ocean “gets what it urgently needs” and not let marine biodiversity collapse on their watch.
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