On Thursday, everybody’s attention turned to the second session of the Preparatory Commission (PrepCom) for the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), which will take place in August 2025.
In the morning, delegates debated the format and timeline for seeking expert input on the design and operationalization of the BBNJ Clearing-House Mechanism (CHM). They all agreed on the need for such input by developers, representatives, and users of existing CHMs, including those under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO-IOC).
Some hoped such inputs could be garnered ahead of PrepCom II, but most considered that further discussions are needed to clarify the expectations and modalities for expert engagement. Other notable points included India’s suggestion to nominate national CHM focal points to facilitate the process and Switzerland’s suggestion to convene informal online workshops to reflect on specific CHM functions.
France highlighted that the UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted with Costa Rica in Nice, France, will feature a ceremony on 9 June 2025 for states to sign the BBNJ Agreement or deposit their instruments of ratification, acceptance, or approval. France underscored the event constitutes a unique opportunity to reaffirm the collective commitment to the Agreement and send a strong political signal.
In the afternoon, delegates conducted a preliminary exchange of views on matters for consideration at PrepCom II. Many delegates emphasized the importance of facilitating the participation of relevant legal instruments, frameworks, and bodies (IFBs) in BBNJ meetings, with several welcoming the engagement of these IFBs thus far, among others, pointing to the CBD.
Delegates welcomed the United Kingdom’s suggestions to invite IFBs to provide brief summaries of their procedures for cooperating with others, with a view to inform the preparation of a background note for PrepCom II. They also encouraged states that are parties to IFBs to call for these IFBs to respond to the invitation. Norway emphasized the importance of consistency in states’ messaging across IFBs.
Discussions also addressed reporting requirements and financial arrangements, including with regard to the voluntary trust fund, special fund, and scale of assessed contributions. Delegates called on the interim secretariat to draw on the experience of other IFBs to prepare background notes on these issues for consideration at PrepCom II. The Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) suggested discussing provisional guidance for the ninth replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which many welcomed.
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All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For this meeting, please use: Photo by IISD/ENB.