Practical policy solutions for the final stage of BBNJ treaty negotiations

Fran Humphries; Harriet Harden-Davies

doi:10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104214

Practical policy solutions for the final stage of BBNJ treaty negotiations

Mar Policy. 2020 Dec:122:104214. doi: 10.1016/j.marpol.2020.104214. Epub 2020 Sep 25.

Authors

Fran Humphries¹, Harriet Harden-Davies²

Affiliations

¹ Law Futures Centre, Griffith Law School, Griffith University, Nathan Queensland, 4111, Australia.
² University of Wollongong, Squires Way, Wollongong, NSW, 2500, Australia.

Abstract

The oceans are facing a catastrophic decline in biodiversity. States are now in the final stage of negotiations for an implementing agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to fill governance gaps for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. This paper outlines the apparent areas of convergence and divergence between States on the 2019 draft treaty text. It outlines the contributions of the articles in this Special Issue "Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Treaty: the Final Stage of Negotiations", which offer suggestions for breaking negotiation deadlocks and practical ideas for transformative governance change. As States prepare for the postponed fourth and final (planned) negotiating session, we hope that this Special Issue will offer a useful tool for decision-makers and other stakeholders by offering creative ideas for BBNJ governance and for reaching timely agreement on the BBNJ treaty text.

Keywords: Areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ); Biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ); High seas; Marine biodiversity; United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).