From 1-4 April 2014, governments will gather at the United Nations in New York, for ground-breaking discussions on whether to launch negotiations for a new High Seas biodiversity agreement under UNCLOS. These discussions will continue at the UN from 16-19 June, with a focus on the ‘scope, parameters and feasibility’ of a new implementing agreement.
The High Seas Alliance has released a series of policy briefs to coincide with these UN intersessional meetings:
HSA Briefing 1: About the High Seas Alliance
HSA Briefing 2: The Need for a New Implementing Agreement Under UNCLOS on Marine Biodiversity of the High Seas
HSA Briefing 3: Equity, Food Security and Capacity-building
HSA Briefing 4: Wonders of the High Seas
To address the issue of the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction, States agreed to take a decision on the development of a new international instrument under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The next meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group will take place from 1 to 4 April 2014. In advance of that meeting, Member States have been invited to submit by 28 February 2014 their views on the scope, parameters and feasibility of such an international instrument under UNCLOS.
See HSA’s Policy Recommendations: English French Brazilian Portuguese Arabic Spanish
On February 3-4, the United Nations considered the role of oceans and sustainable development during the Eighth Open-ending Working Group meeting on Sustainable Development Goals. Read contributions by:
Download the Charter of the High Seas Alliance.
Strong action needed at Rio+20 to secure a sea-change for ocean conservation. Read more, here.