On the occasion of the second session of the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom2) on the elements of a draft text of an international legally binding instrument under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), the United Nations Environment Programme/Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) co-organized a side event on 31 August 2016 at the UN headquarters. The side event was attended by more than sixty participants representing various United Nations Member States from the Mediterranean region and beyond, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations as well as academia and universities. UNEP-MAP was represented by the Coordinator, Mr Gaetano Leone, and GFCM by Mr Nicola Ferri, on behalf of the Executive Secretary, Mr Abdellah Srour.

This event was an opportunity to brief participants about the Mediterranean experience in underpinning coordinated horizontal governance and to illustrate a concrete example of working cooperation between a regional seas convention and a regional fisheries management organization. While pursuing and enhancing such cooperation in the world’s oceans is a primary goal of the international community, the quest for appropriate and efficient instruments to bring relevant organizations together is growing. In this regard, the side event represented a valuable opportunity to share information on how UNEP/MAP and GFCM tackle common areas of interest and undertake joint activities. 

In this regard, Ms Jihyun Lee, from the CBD Secretariat, noted that sharing lessons and cases of best practices on regional-scale cooperation is crucial for the implementation of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, as well as for the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Ms Barbara Ruis, the panelist from UNEP recalled that joint efforts are needed to implement global policies, while Ms Merete Tandstad, the panelist from FAO, emphasized the crucial importance of the regional approach to major oceans-related issues. The side event also included a Q&A session where participants demonstrated keen interest in the Mediterranean experience and encouraged further cooperation among all actors in the region, including relevant regional bodies and organizations. In light of the global need for improved the governance of oceans and seas, the Mediterranean experience could indeed be showcased as a model of joint cooperation efforts, against the background of a fully-encompassing ecosystem approach, and could be regarded as a reference for other marine areas on the planet.

The presentation delivered at the side event can be downloaded here. 

More information on BBNJ PrepCom2 is available at this link:

http://www.un.org/depts/los/biodiversity/prepcom_files/UNEP_and_BBNJ_PrepCom2.pdf