Fiji represented at the BBNJ first preparatory commission meeting in New York

Fiji is amongst the UN Member States that actively participated in the first preparatory commission (Prep Com 1) for the entry into force of the Agreement under the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) and convening of the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Agreement.

The meeting held in New York from 14th -18th April was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office of the Solicitor General, Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and Conservation International.

Fiji’s Permanent Representative Ambassador Filipo Tarakinikini at Fiji’s Permanent Mission in New York met the Fiji delegation and reaffirmed the Mission’s support to the work undertaken on BBNJ.

The meeting is beneficial to Fiji as contributions to the formulation of the Rules of Procedure (RoP’s) of the COP and of the different subsidiary bodies will guide the work of the institutions while ensuring transparency and accountability in the sustainable use and management of the marine genetic resources beyond our national jurisdiction.

Fiji will benefit from this Agreement through strengthened Multilateralism – Build upon our important role in leading the Ocean Conference, Conference of the Parties on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, leading on the Fisheries Subsidies Negotiations in the World Trade Organisation and achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Secondly, preserve genetic material & diversity, improve fish stock, renewable energy and deep-sea mining potential in the future and lastly, promote global equity and address inequality in the high seas.

An ambitious target has been set to reach the threshold set out in the Agreement of sixty countries ratifying the Agreement by the Third United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France in June 2025 to enable the entry into force of the Agreement. The status of the Agreement stands at 113 countries having signed including Fiji whilst 21 countries are parties to the Agreement.

The two weeks meeting in New York focused on the operationalization of the Agreement through establishment of the Governance framework including the Rules of Procedure (RoP) for the Conference of the Parties (COP) and the subsidiary bodies, financial arrangements and discussions on the modalities for the Clearing House Mechanism.