The United Nations General Assembly (UN) has just approved a resolution on the Agreement on Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity in Areas Outside National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). next September. In the context of the "health" of many oceans being seriously threatened, BBNJ is expected to revitalize the oceans on Earth.
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| Illustration. Source: vietnam.vnanet.vn |
The resolution of the UN General Assembly welcomed the official adoption of the BBNJ Agreement in June, marking an important milestone when officially ending the arduous negotiation process lasting nearly two decades.
The United Nations General Assembly called on countries to consider signing and ratifying the agreement quickly to take effect, and decided to add the title on BBNJ to the annual agenda of the UN General Assembly. The Agreement will be opened for signature within two years from September 20 and will enter into force 9 days after 120 countries have acceded/ ratified it. Considered a victory of diplomatic efforts and multilateralism, the BBNJ Agreement was born with the goal of creating the basis and motivation for conservation activities and sustainable use of the seas outside the jurisdiction. nation. International waters cover nearly 60% of the Earth's surface and more than 50% of the world's oceans. This is the place that produces a large amount of oxygen that people breathe every day, and helps to limit climate change by absorbing CO60 emissions. In addition, the sea is also home to areas of biodiversity. In the study, published in the journal The Lancet, a team of scientists highlighted that the oceans, from coastal waters to high seas and deep seabeds, are indispensable for health and life. human remains. However, because international waters are an area that is not under the jurisdiction of a country, over the past time, no agency or organization has been responsible or tasked with managing an important but easy-to-use "treasure". this damage. The protection of international waters has also been neglected for a long time. The above worrying situation poses an urgent need for a legal framework to expand the scope of environmental protection to international waters.
In that context, the birth of the BBNJ Agreement is considered an important step in the journey to protect the ocean. Emphasizing that the passing of BBNJ is a miracle, Csaba Korosi, President of the 77th UN General Assembly, said that countries have jointly laid the foundation for better management and protection of the oceans for future generations. . The Agreement not only establishes a framework and method for equitable sharing of benefits from the high seas, but also has provisions on measures to zoning marine conservation, as well as assessment and prevention of negative impacts that activities The impact of exploitation and research on marine biodiversity. The agreement also establishes and operates agencies and institutions for the implementation of the instrument, dispute settlement, financial mechanism, etc. The document is also considered a step forward in the global effort to protect 30% the world's land and sea area by 2030, ratified by countries at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15) at the end of 2022.
Experts said that the early signing, ratification and implementation of the BBNJ Agreement by countries is a matter of vital importance to the oceans. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized that the world's oceans are increasingly facing serious threats such as climate change causing global warming, pollution, overexploitation, and changing ecosystems. sea. Accordingly, in 2021, more than 17 million tons of plastic will be dumped into the oceans. This number could double or triple by 2040. In addition, ocean acidification and rising temperatures are threatening marine species and ecosystems. Scientists say that the ocean surface temperature continues to hit record highs.
Recently, the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that after the Mediterranean Sea recorded a new record high in temperature, the North Atlantic region also reached an unprecedented temperature, earlier. a few weeks compared to the time when the highest annual temperature is recorded here. The imminent dangers to the ocean are a warning and urge countries and international organizations to act quickly. Experts affirmed that the early signing, ratification and implementation of the BBNJ Agreement by countries will help the world build one more shield to jointly protect the sea - a valuable common asset of mankind.
According to People
