The BBNJ Agreement or Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (the BBNJ Agreement), which was adopted on 19 June 2023 under the auspices of the United Nations, and entered into force on 17 January 2026. Currently the Agreement has 88 ratifications to date, representing a major milestone in global ocean governance and the protection of Marine Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction.

The discussions highlighted that the BBNJ Agreement is a transformative opportunity to strengthen ocean conservation and equity, with states acting as stewards of the shared ocean on behalf of present and future generations.  Its success, however, will depend on translating global commitments into concrete national and regional action. This would require robust cooperation, legal alignment, capacity-building, and inclusive partnerships to effectively protect and manage the ocean. Participants stressed the critical role of Governments and other national and regional actors in harnessing the potential of the BBNJ Agreement to benefit SIDS and LDCs.

Their interventions reflected  varying stages of ratification and domestication, while revealing common challenges such as limited technical capacity, insufficient access to data, and the need for sustainable financing mechanisms. Participants stressed that while significant progress has been made, national assessments, cross-ministerial coordination, and regional cooperation remain essential to ensure effective operationalization of the Agreement ahead of the first Conference of the Parties in January 2027.

The session emphasised that while momentum for ratifying the BBNJ Agreement is strong, the real challenge lies in implementation, which will require legal alignment, capacity-building, financing, and access to data. Success will depend on coordinated global and regional cooperation, robust institutional and scientific support, and ensuring that SIDS and developing states are fully included and equipped to participate effectively and meaningfully.

The emphasis of these sessions was to provide a forum for State delegates and other experts to share knowledge and experiences, with particular attention to commonalities and differences in how implementation is likely to take shape, from a legal perspective, at national level. Discussions underscored that effective implementation depends not only on legal provisions but also on practical capacities, including monitoring systems, inter-agency coordination, and addressing geopolitical and transboundary issues such as fisheries management and maritime crime. Capacity-building and technology transfer emerged as cross-cutting enablers, with participants emphasising  the importance of sustainable funding, institutional cooperation, the retention of expertise, and the integration of these elements into domestic frameworks to ensure long-term effectiveness. Participants further highlighted the need for coherent, adaptable legislation underpinned by transparent procedures and stakeholder engagement. They also called for closer integration with existing regimes such as the Nagoya Protocol, clearer allocation of responsibilities for benefit-sharing and notification, and sustained engagement with emerging issues such as intellectual property, traditional knowledge, and long-term capacity development to ensure equitable and effective implementation.