Participants reflected on how to achieve urgent tasks—such as obtaining sufficient ratifications to enable the entry into force of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies under the WTO and of the Agreement on Marine Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction—and how to ensure these global instruments deliver on their ambitious objectives.

Discussions focused on kickstarting the implementation of the new BBNJ treaty, especially by identifying marine protected areas. Many also underscored ocean-climate linkages and highlighted the importance of global cooperation on ocean science.