BBNJ Treaty

The Agreement 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

Areas beyond national jurisdiction, nearly ⅔ of the ocean, belong to all but no one in particular

It is a global common

BBNJ Treaty

Areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), nearly ⅔ of the ocean, belong to all but no one in particular: It is a global common. In 2018, after more than a decade of studies and two years of preparatory committee meetings, the United Nations Member States began negotiating the Agreement 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 (BBNJ Treaty). The Treaty, which includes binding and voluntary measures, aims to better implement the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, especially to protect and conserve the vast geographical area through better cooperation and coordination of various stakeholders. The Preamble as well as the operative text of the Treaty emphasize addressing biological diversity loss and degradation of ecosystems of the ocean, in particular, due to climate change impacts on marine ecosystems, such as warming and ocean deoxygenation, as well as ocean acidification, pollution, including plastic pollution, and unsustainable use. It also has the goal to advance scientific research, globally. Further, the Treaty will ensure compatibility with existing roles and responsibilities of the various stakeholders. Finally, one of the important aspects of the Treaty, particularly for developing countries, is to address existing inequalities in sharing the benefits (including access) accrued from the organisms of ABNJ and the associated digital sequence information. Such benefits could include a wide range of resources, including collection activity information, samples, information about publication, patents and commercialization. Also, the Treaty includes certain monetary benefit sharing requirements associated with commercialization from utilizing marine genetic resources of ABNJ and the associated digital sequence information.

On 19 June 2023, nearly 200 countries adopted the BBNJ Treaty by consensus. The Treaty consists of the Preamble, 12 Parts, 76 Articles, and 2 Annexes. The 53 pages of text represent over two decades of international collaboration among a wide range of stakeholders, not just countries: scientists, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, civil society, academic, research institutions, and the private sector. Read the statement of UN Secretary-General António Guterres delieverd on this historic day. Also, statements delivered on the floor by the UN Member States and observers on the adoption of the Treaty are available here.

Access the official BBNJ Treaty in the 6 UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish)* here.

* Note that while information on this website is based on the English version of the Treaty, the Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish versions have been harmonized and the texts in each language are equally authentic. Ref. BBNJ Treaty, Art. 76.