An organizational meeting of the Preparatory Commission (PrepCom) for the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement and the convening of the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Agreement elected the Co-Chairs and a Bureau and agreed on the dates of the meetings of the Commission. It also agreed on the Commission’s programme of work.

As the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) summary report of the meeting highlights, the Intergovernmental Conference on an international legally binding instrument 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) concluded its work on 19 June 2023, adopting the BBNJ Agreement.

Delegates celebrated the achievement as a “triumph for multilateralism,” concluding a negotiating process that spanned nearly two decades. Many acknowledged the Agreement “could not have come soon enough, as threats to the ocean and its biodiversity continue to increase,” ENB writes.

The Agreement opened for signature on 20 September 2023. It will enter into force once 60 countries submit their instruments of ratification, approval, acceptance, or accession.

To ensure the BBNJ Agreement is operational following its entry into force, on 24 April 2024, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted resolution 78/272, establishing the PrepCom.

The organizational session of the PrepCom elected Janine Coye-Felson (Belize) and Adam McCarthy (Australia) as Co-Chairs. Delegates also elected Bureau members and adopted the schedule of its future meetings and programme of work.

Delegates agreed the Commission will meet for two sessions of two weeks each, pending approval by the UNGA: from 14-25 April 2025; and form 18-29 August 2025.

The programme of work is comprised of clusters of items, including:

• Governance issues;
• Issues pertaining to the operation of the Clearing-House Mechanism; and
• Financial rules, and financial resources and mechanism.

The PrepCom convened at UN Headquarters in New York, US, from 24-26 June 2024. [ENB Coverage of Organizational Meeting of the Preparatory Commission for the Entry into Force of the BBNJ Agreement and the Convening of the First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Agreement]