UN, February 20 (IPS) – As the United Nations began negotiations on a legally binding treaty to protect and regulate the high seas, one diplomat was outspoken. commented: “There is a jungle out there”—characterizing an open ocean degraded by illegal activity. and overfishing, plastic pollution, indiscriminate exploitation of the seabed and destruction of marine ecosystems.
Although the origins of the proposed treaty date back to 2002, initial negotiations began in 2018, with a new round of negotiations scheduled to take place between February 20 and March 3. 3.
Discussions will cover the four elements of the 2011 package that guided the negotiations, namely marine genetic resources (MGRs), benefits-sharing questions, and area-based management tools. (ABMT), marine protected areas (MPAs), environmental impact assessment (EIA), capacity building and marine technology transfer (CB&TT).
Without a strong Compact, Greenpeace said it is practically impossible to protect 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030: the 30×30 goal was agreed at COP15 in Montreal in December 2022.
“The oceans support all life on Earth,” said Dr Laura Meller, Oceans Campaigner and Polar Advisor, Greenpeace Nordic. Their fate will be decided at these negotiations. Science is clear. Protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030 is the absolute bare minimum needed to prevent disaster. It was encouraging to see all the governments adopting the 30×30 target last year, but high targets mean nothing without action.”
“This special session, which took place shortly after the last round of talks collapsed, gives us hope,” she said.
“If a Strong Pact is agreed on March 3, it will keep 30×30 alive. Governments must return to the negotiating table ready to find compromises and produce an effective Treaty. We were in overtime. These talks are one last chance to make it happen. Governments must not fail,” she declared.
Dr Palitha Kohona, former Co-Chair, United Nations Special Working Group on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, told IPS that although the goal of the United Nations Preparedness Committee is clear clear, but the details worried the negotiators.
As in previous negotiations on shared global resources, he said, the difficulty involved compromising on “key issues of financing and sharing the monetary benefits of mining.” Marine Genetic Resources” prevented the much-anticipated binding legal agreement from being reached. tool.
“While the conservation of marine biodiversity is a global priority and in line with the SDGs, the developing world feels (with considerable justification) that it should also have access to the resources of marine biodiversity. is expected to flow (spray) from marine genetic resources extraction.”
Past negative experiences of missing out on new and lucrative developments have adorned the thinking of the developing world. He argued that if both sides were to achieve a win/win outcome, then compromises would have to be made.
“The Seabed Authority precedent and many environmental treaties can be tailored to the needs of the proposed treaty. Imaginative and ambitious thinking is needed.”
Given the dire situation facing the oceans and the unimaginable consequences for humanity of the depletion of the oceans’ biological resources, (small-scale fishermen, especially in poor countries are calling for a positive outcome, where protein intake comes mainly from the ocean) Dr Kohona, former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United Nations and now special envoy to Beijing, said: “Let’s hope that pragmatic compromises can be reached in the next round of talks.”
More than 50 countries of the High Ambition Alliance promised a Pact by 2022 and they failed. Many self-proclaimed ocean champions from the Northern Hemisphere refused to compromise on key issues such as financing and sharing the monetary benefits from Marine Genetic Resources until the final days of negotiations. Greenpeace said it provided too little, too late.
The sticking points that must be addressed are financial, capacity building and equitable benefit sharing from Marine Genetic Resources. Resolving these deadlocks depends on the Northern Hemisphere making a fair and credible offer to the Southern Hemisphere.
When asked about the key issues that led to the final pact, James Hanson, a spokesman for Greenpeace, told IPS that finding a deal would depend largely on a financially fair deal behind the scenes. assisting developing countries in implementing the Treaty (how much and who will pay?) and finding a fair compromise in the sharing of monetary benefits from marine genetic resources. The key to resolving these issues will be for the High Ambition Alliance countries to return to the negotiating table with a credible and timely offer on both issues. These countries are the countries that have committed to a Treaty, and therefore it is their responsibility to compromise in order to achieve a Treaty.
China will also play an important role as a power broker, wielding considerable influence over many developing countries. China’s welcome flexibility at the last round of ABMT talks is encouraging and we expect this to continue at this next round.
China’s position on the MGR is still at odds with the EU and this impasse must be resolved through compromise by both sides.
When asked if he expected the outstanding issues to be resolved in the current sessions, Hanson said it seemed all sides were willing and eager to come up with a Treaty at the round of talks. this final judgment.
“The progress made last time, and this special session convened shortly after the final round of negotiations failed, gives us hope. We encourage countries to return to the negotiating table in good faith to compromise and find an agreement, for the benefit of the oceans,” he said.
“For most people, the ocean is far away,” said Pepe Clarke, Ocean Operations Team Leader at WWF International. But the ocean is a dynamic habitat, and the oceans play an important role in the healthy functioning of the entire marine system.”
With two-thirds of the ocean outside national waters, he noted, the High Seas Treaty is an essential prerequisite for protecting 30% of the world’s oceans. “We have the opportunity to reach a legally binding, global agreement that addresses the current gaps in international ocean governance. We are optimistic that the COP15 biodiversity agreement will provide the necessary opportunity for governments to achieve this important agreement,” noted Clarke.
The waters beyond national jurisdiction, known as the high seas, cover almost two-thirds of the ocean, but only about 1% of this vast area of the planet is protected, and even then often very few effective management measures.
The high seas are vital to many important species of sharks, tuna, whales and sea turtles, and support billions of dollars of economic activity annually.
Jessica Battle, Senior Global Ocean Governance and Policy Expert who led the WWF team at the talks, said overfishing and illegality, habitat destruction, plastic pollution and Noise, as well as the effects of climate change, are all common in the high seas.
“Heavily subsidized, industrial fishermen seek to exploit and profit from ocean resources that, by law, belong to everyone. It was a community tragedy.”
She said a legally binding High Seas Treaty would help break down existing barriers between isolated regulators, while creating less cumulative impact and better cooperation across the oceans. – it will create a forum where all ocean issues can be discussed as a whole.
“The high seas, the wildlife that migrate through these waters, and the ocean’s climate-regulating functions need urgent protection from both current and new threats, such as deep sea mining“Declared battle.
Report of the UN IPS Office
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© Inter Press Service (2023) — All rights reservedOrigin: Inter Press Service
