15-26 August 2022, New York – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM) participated in the Fifth Session of the Intergovernmental Conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine Biological diversity of areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), which took place at the UN Headquarters in New York.
In the first week of the Conference, PAM was represented by Hon. Beloica and Hon. Davidovac (Serbia) and by Hon. Khalaileh, Hon. Alajarmeh, Hon. Almomani and Hon. Alzawahreh (Jordan). The second week, Hon. Sawair, Hon. Alsaaideh, Hon. Al Yacoub and Hon. Al Alaqmeh (Jordan) represented the Assembly.
Chaired by IGC President Rena Lee (Singapore), the Conference aimed at finding a common agreement on a text for the first-ever international treaty on Maritime Biodiversity. However, despite some significant progress achieved on key issues, including the redistribution principle for the benefits arising from Marine Genetic Resources (MGR) in a fair and equitable manner, and the need to enhance marine scientific cooperation, delegates were not able to agree on a final text.
The need for an agreement in this field has grown urgent in the past years, not only as a measure to effectively tackle biodiversity loss and climate change, but also for the sustainable management of MGRs, which can major socio-economic impacts at the international level.
Consequently, several environmental groups have called for a resumption of negotiations in the following months, before the next intergovernmental conference in 2023, as negotiations got really close to the finishing line.
Nonetheless, a significant political impasse remains on crucial issues, including the need to develop common standards for environmental impact assessments, the establishment of a solid redistribution mechanism for MGRs and the creation of a robust and equitable financial mechanism for implementing the agreement.
PAM will continue to contribute to the international effort to find an agreement on the Treaty, while bringing up these subjects at all the relevant upcoming events, including the COP27 in
Egypt and its Economic Forum in Tangiers next December, when environmental and ocean issues will constitute a key part of the debate.//