Senior policy makers of South and Southeast Asian countries and marine scientists will gather here on Tuesday (Aug 27) for a two-day event focused on the implementation of the United Nations’ Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, also called High Seas Treaty.
Being an international treaty under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the BBNJ Agreement aims to address the growing concerns over the long-term protection of marine biodiversity in the high seas. The treaty, adopted in March last year, sets precise mechanisms for the sustainable use of marine biological diversity through international cooperation and coordination. In early July, the Union Cabinet, at its meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its nod for the government to sign the agreement.
Organised by the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO) in collaboration with a couple of other bodies, the event is likely to be attended by representatives of countries such as Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste, according to a release of the BOBP-IGO.
