The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has conducted a horizon scan of possible linkages between the Agreement 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 Agreement) and selected biodiversity-related multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). The Agreement’s effective implementation will depend on establishing cooperative relationships with existing instruments, frameworks, and bodies, according to the report.

Titled, ‘Horizon Scan of Possible Linkages Between the BBNJ Agreement and Biodiversity-related MEAs,’ the technical paper notes that the BBNJ Agreement includes provisions on facilitating and furthering international cooperation and coordination, including coherence and coordination with relevant “legal instruments and frameworks, as well as relevant global, regional, subregional, and sectoral bodies” (IFBs).

The report focuses on the following MEAs that may offer relevant lessons as the Agreement becomes fully operational: the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); and the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS).

As countries prepare for the BBNJ Agreement’s entry into force, the report identifies areas of work in the selected biodiversity-related conventions that align with the Agreement’s four clusters: marine genetic resources, including the fair and equitable sharing of benefits; area-based management tools, including marine protected areas (MPAs); environmental impact assessments (EIAs); and capacity building and the transfer of marine technology. It also highlights areas of work under these MEAs that may serve as lessons for the BBNJ Agreement’s institutional arrangements and supporting mechanisms.

The report stresses that the identification of the interlinkages “is intended as an indicative, non-exhaustive starting point for future dialogue on cooperation and coordination” and that “decisions taken by the parties to the BBNJ Agreement and to the respective Conventions will ultimately guide how these interlinkages are realized in practice and evolve over time.” Produced in collaboration with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), the report was published on 5 August 2025, in advance of the second session of the Preparatory Commission (PrepCom II) for the entry into force of the BBNJ Agreement, which took place from 18-29 August. [Publication: Horizon Scan of Possible Linkages Between the BBNJ Agreement and Biodiversity-related MEAs] [Publication Landing Page]