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DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo signs the BBNJ Agreement at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (Photo courtesy of the PH Mission to the UN)

After almost two decades of negotiations with other United Nations (UN) member states, the country has signed the treaty under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) agreement.

Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo signed the treaty during the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York last September 20, 2023. Ninety-three (93) countries have so far signed the BBNJ High Seas Treaty. It covers a wide range of issues, including:

– The establishment of marine protected areas in the high seas
– The regulation of deep-sea mining and other activities that could harm the BBNJ
– The sharing of benefits from the use of marine genetic resources
– The development of capacity and the transfer of marine technology to developing countries

The Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF), along with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), served as focal points of the Department of Agriculture throughout the crafting of the Philippine positions in the international negotiations on BBNJ. PCAF led the crafting of the country’s negotiating positions on the thematic area on “Capacity Building and Transfer of Technology.” These positions include the inputs and proposals from the members of the PCAF National Sectoral Committees on Fisheries and Aquaculture (NSC-FA) and Climate Change, Environment and Natural Resources (NSC-CCENR). The BFAR, on the other hand, handled the thematic area on “Marine Genetic Resources (MGRs), including access and benefit-sharing.

PCAF has been involved in the BBNJ discussions at the UN since 7th to 9th Ad Hoc Informal Working Group (AHWG) Meetings, which started in April 2014, four (4) sessions of the UN Preparatory Committee, and up to the conclusion of the Intergovernmental Conference (IGC) in March 2023, where the final draft Agreement was adopted by consensus.

The agency also facilitated the conduct of consultations with various stakeholders in connection with the BBNJ, including the 1st National Workshop on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction on February 2016 in Puerto Princesa, Palawan and the Southeast Asia Regional Forum on the Marine BBNJ on January 2017 in Manila. | BM