To contribute to the forthcoming BBNJ negotiations,[1] a multi-author, multi-institutional Policy Brief on Capacity Development as a Key Aspect of a New International Agreement on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) has been prepared within the framework of the GEF/FAO/GOF Common Oceans Project on Strengthening Global Capacity to Effectively Manage Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). The Policy Brief addresses: The capacity that will be needed at national and regional levels to implement the new Agreement; relevant international prescriptions on capacity development and summary of BBNJ discussions to date; existing efforts at providing capacity relevant to BBNJ; options for a clearing-house mechanism; options for a financing mechanism; and possible modalities for linking capacity development actions at global, regional, and national levels.
The Policy Brief will be launched at a United Nations Side Event to be held on 6 September 2018 (13:15 to 14:30, Conference Room 11, UNHQ, New York) on Approaches, Modalities, and Strategies for Capacity Development for a New International Agreement on Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, co-organized by the Government of France, Permanent Mission of Barbados to the United Nations, Global Ocean Forum, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and Ocean Policy Research Institute of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, Japan. See the Side Event agenda here.
There are plans for a follow-up meeting to further advance discussions on BBNJ capacity development which will be held on September 10, 2018 in UN Conference Room 12, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. The invitation can be found here.
Please find the IISD/ENB summary of the event here.
For further information about the Policy Brief, the UN Side Event, and related capacity development efforts, please contact Dr. Biliana Cicin-Sain, President, Global Ocean Forum (bilianacicin-sain@globaloceans.org)
[1] Intergovernmental Conference on an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (General Assembly resolution 72/249). First Session: 4 to 17 September 2018