Rome – The Meals and Agriculture Group of the United Nations (FAO) has welcomed the approval by UN member states of a landmark legally binding settlement, below the UN Conference on the Legislation of the Sea, for the conservation and sustainable use of marine organic variety in worldwide waters, protecting almost two-thirds of world’s ocean.
FAO is ready to help its Members in implementing the accord, sometimes called the “Excessive Seas Treaty”, on safeguarding Marine Biodiversity of Areas Past Nationwide Jurisdiction (BBNJ), which has been below dialogue for almost 20 years and was permitted at an intergovernmental convention in New York on 19 June after 5 negotiating periods.
Treaty marks new heights
The BBNJ Settlement “is of nice significance to our efforts to sort out environmental challenges and promote the conservation and sustainable use of marine organic variety on the excessive seas,” stated Manuel Barange, Director of FAO’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Division.
The settlement “allows us to finish the authorized and institutional framework for world ocean governance and because of this handle and preserve our treasured marine dwelling sources extra successfully,” Barange added.
FAO has persistently advocated for sustainable and efficient fisheries administration as the easiest way to replenish shares, conserving biodiversity and guaranteeing folks proceed to learn from the ocean’s sources, together with the excessive seas.
In tackling biodiversity challenges, together with these in areas past nationwide jurisdiction, the Group argues that lasting progress can solely be achieved by way of sustainable practices that allow people to revive the well being of marine ecosystems as a part of efficient administration options.
FAO function pivotal
As the one intergovernmental group mandated to undertake the gathering, compilation, evaluation and distribution of world fisheries and aquaculture information, FAO has performed an important function in informing the treaty course of and can help within the implementation of this new legally binding instrument.
The UN company gives common data and statistics to help fisheries administration, policy-making and planning by way of the Coordinating Working Celebration on Fishery Statistics, the Fisheries International Info System (FIGIS) and the Fisheries and Assets Monitoring System (FIRMS).
FAO can be poised to help the implementation of the treaty by leveraging the present community of Regional Fisheries Our bodies, together with regional fishery administration organizations (RFMOs), concerned within the governance of marine areas past nationwide jurisdiction.
Groundwork already laid
Working with its companions by way of the Widespread Oceans Program, FAO has already laid the groundwork for change within the ocean governance of shared marine waters.
Between 2014-2019, this system helped to determine 18 new areas to guard weak marine ecosystems, contributed to the discount of marine air pollution and rebuilt tuna shares to extra sustainable ranges. It has additionally helped to decrease the bycatch, or discarding by fishers of such species as dolphins and porpoises within the Indian Ocean and the menace to marine turtles within the Pacific Ocean, in addition to to construct capability on the BBNJ course of and foster public-private partnerships.
