Oceans and Law of the Sea

Adopting Marine Biodiversity Treaty ‘Important Step Forward’ in Advancing Ocean Health for Generations to Come, Secretary-General Tells Intergovernmental Conference

As the Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty continued its resumed fifth session, the Secretary-General sent a message to delegations, urging them to adopt a robust and ambitious agreement that advances ocean health for future generations.

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s remarks to the Economist’s tenth annual World Ocean Summit and Expo, in Lisbon, today:

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in China today said he is deeply saddened by the tragic loss of lives and destruction caused by the 5 September earthquake in Sichuan Province. He said the Organization stands ready to assist and support the Government of China’s valiant rescue efforts.

The Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty continued its resumed fifth session today, as the President of the Conference, underscoring that “the time is ticking”, urged delegations to focus on the “must-dos” and “must-haves” to close on the text.

As the Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty went into its second week of negotiations focusing on an updated text, some delegations expressed concern that not all proposals have been reflected in the revisions and called for flexibility, confidence-building and maintaining integrity of the process under the auspices of the Conference President’s leadership.

The Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty convened its fourth plenary today, as the President of the Conference encouraged delegations to make an effort to work through the text focusing on “must have” provisions.

​​​​​​​The Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty continued its resumed fifth session today, as the President of the Conference noted that delegates were “four days closer to the finish line” of achieving that goal.

The Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty convened its second plenary session today, hearing reports from facilitators and feedback from participants on the developments of the small working groups tasked with tackling different aspects of the draft agreement.

The Intergovernmental Conference to draft a new maritime biodiversity treaty resumed its fifth session today, as the President of the Conference called on delegates to find through commitment, flexibility and creative approaches a text that bridges the existing gaps.