The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council has approved the initial guidelines to expedite the implementation of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdictions (BBNJ) agreement, as signatory countries are lagging behind on the ratification process.
During the ongoing GEF Council meeting in Washington, DC the GEF governing body approved spending of $175,000 per country to support governments in developing the initial BBNJ assessments and carrying out the ratification and implementation process.
Countries requesting support will be assisted in:
- Determining the national situation and identifying the main challenges concerning the BBNJ
- Assessing national legal, regulatory, and policy gaps
- Drafting national legislation and regulations
- Raising awareness
- Developing national implementation strategies
As well, the GEF allocated $5 million for support efforts at a regional and global level, including enabling coordination initiatives, creating rosters of technical and legal experts, and organising training workshops to build awareness.
“Regional and global activities will be supported to achieve economies of scale, foster international cooperation towards the swift entry into force of the BBNJ agreement, and promote implementation readiness,” the GEF Council wrote in its guidelines.
The BBNJ agreement – commonly referred to as the High Seas Treaty – was signed in September by 84 countries worldwide after over a decade of negotiations, though only the Pacific Island nation of Palau has ratified it to date. The treaty will enter into force when at least 60 states have ratified it.
In mid-January, speaking at the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, the UN secretary-general’s special envoy for the ocean, Peter Thomson, called on countries to rapidly ratify the agreement, regarded as a key pillar in the efforts to meet target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) to protect at least 30% of marine ecosystems by 2030.
“We don’t want BBNJ implementation to take decades the way the treaty itself took. We have to get this done quickly. Nature-positive blue economy is what we should all be fighting for”, he said.
The BBNJ agreement aims to provide global governance for marine protected areas outside national jurisdictions, committing countries to safeguard biodiversity on the high seas, with GEF playing a central role in its financial mechanism.
“Timely support to national ratification and implementation readiness will be critical for rapid entry into force and swift implementation of the BBNJ agreement,” the GEF Council said in its guidelines.
On Wednesday, the organisation’s governing body approved a $916-mln spending package on efforts to combat biodiversity loss, nature degradation, climate change, and pollution, with discussions on the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund (GBFF) now set to take centre stage.
The first ever Council gathering for the GBFF is scheduled for Friday.
By Sergio Colombo – sergio@carbon-pulse.com
** Click here to sign up to our twice-weekly biodiversity newsletter **
