Vietnam promotes the Agreement on biodiversity in international waters

On November 1, within the framework of the International Law Week, the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UN), Vietnam and Singapore co-organized the International Seminar on Necessary Preparatory Steps for Effective Implementation of the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity in Seas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ): Challenges and Opportunities, chaired by Ambassador, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to the UN Do Hung Viet.

Ambassador Do Hung Viet and representatives of co-sponsoring countries chaired the discussion. Photo: VNA

The seminar, co-sponsored by Australia, France, Costa Rica, Belize and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), attracted the participation of many leading experts and scholars on the Law of the Sea and delegates representing nearly 100 countries from all 5 continents around the world. The Agreement under the framework of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982 on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ Agreement) will officially come into effect from January 17, 2026, after reaching the milestone of 60 countries ratifying and approving on September 19, 2025.

Attending as the keynote speaker at the seminar, Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh - Vietnam's candidate for the position of judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), shared about the national-level preparations for implementing the agreement, affirming that capacity building and transfer of marine technology is an important component to ensure effective implementation of the BBNJ Agreement, creating a mechanism to help developing countries perfect their domestic legal and institutional frameworks, as well as training and improving capacity in marine scientific research, helping scientists from developing countries to participate substantially in activities of collecting, researching and using marine genetic resources in the high seas and deep seabed. Developing countries should assess their needs and priorities, promote regional and international cooperation, make the most of the institutions and financial mechanisms of the agreement; actively and substantially participate in implementing all four pillars of the agreement, thereby proactively ensuring the interests of their countries; At the same time, it contributes to promoting the protection of marine biodiversity as well as the conservation and sustainable use of resources in international waters.

In his concluding remarks, on behalf of the co-organizing and co-sponsoring countries of the seminar, Ambassador, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation Do Hung Viet expressed his confidence in the future and opportunities that the agreement brings, calling on countries to continue to accelerate institutional and legal preparations at all levels to move to the implementation phase of the BBNJ Agreement in the coming time with the spirit of cooperation, constructive dialogue and goodwill as in the negotiation, signing and ratification phases to bring the agreement into effect in the past time.

The BBNJ Agreement was approved by the UN General Assembly on June 19, 2023, after nearly two decades of negotiations. Opened for signature in New York on September 20, 2023, to date, 145 countries have signed and 75 countries have ratified and approved the agreement. Vietnam is one of the first countries to sign the agreement on the first day of signing and is among the leading countries in completing internal procedures to approve the agreement.

VNA

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/the-gioi/202511/viet-nam-thuc-day-hiep-dinh-ve-da-dang-bi-hoc-tai-cac-vung-bien-quoc-te-4f419c3/