News Release
WOC CO-ORGANIZING GOVERNMENT/INDUSTRY WORKSHOP ON ROLE OF PRIVATE SECTOR IN NEW HIGH SEAS TREATY
France Engages World Ocean Council to Facilitate Industry Involvement in BBNJ Treaty Workshop with Government Negotiators; Industry Representatives Interested in Participating are Invited to Contact WOC
15 October 2019
The World Ocean Council (WOC) is working to ensure ocean business and investment community participation in the high-level workshop on “The Role for the Private Sector on the High Seas Within the BBNJ Process” (Boulogne-Sur-Mer, 18-19 November).
Hosted by the French Government, the French Biodiversity Agency and Nausicaá, this high-level workshop represents a unique opportunity for the private sector to be updated on the state of negotiations and to dialogue directly with government negotiators working on the BBNJ treaty.
Companies or industry organizations interested in participating in the workshop are invited to contact the WOC at [email protected]. The workshop dates were selected to facilitate attendees being able to subsequently participate in the 7th WOC Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS), Paris, 20-22 Nov.
The World Ocean Council (WOC) is working to keep the global ocean business community informed and engaged regarding the U.N. negotiations to expand the Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to include a new legally binding instrument on the conservation and sustainable use of marine life in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ).
The legally binding BBNJ will create new international high seas regulation on:
• Environmental impact assessments (EIAs)
• Area-based management tools including marine protected areas (MPAs)
• Capacity-building and transfer of marine technology
• Marine genetic resources (MGRs) including benefit sharing
A 2-page WOC briefing on the BBNJ and implications for ocean industries can be found here.
The WOC is an accredited observer to the BBNJ negotiations and has been the only ocean industry organization consistently and actively involved in the BBNJ process over the past decade as this effort to develop the most important new legal regime for the ocean since the establishment of the U.N. Law of the Sea proceeds.
The WOC is working to develop the “BBNJ Business Coalition” for coordinated industry involvement in the BBNJ process. This will advance interaction both: a) among the sectors of the diverse ocean business community and b) between the private sector and other stakeholders. The Coalition will seek to develop coordinated industry input to ensure that the BBNJ will be practical, implementable and engender constructive ocean business community engagement in the conservation and sustainable use of marine life in international waters.
The Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS) 2019 (Paris, 20-22 November), with the theme of “Investing in Ocean Futures: Finance and Innovation for the Blue Economy”, will convene during the same week and further discussions on the BBNJ and its impact for the private sector in a separate session “U.N. Law of the Sea: New Legally Binding Instrument on Biodiversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and Ocean Industries”.
Details on the SOS 2019 Program can be accessed at https://www.sustainableoceansummit.org/program/.
REGISTER NOW FOR THE SOS 2019
Sustainable Ocean Summit (SOS) 2019: 20-22 Nov, Paris
“Investing in Ocean Futures: Finance and Innovation for the Blue Economy”
The SOS 2019 Draft Schedule and Program have been announced. For information on the developing program and to register, visit https://www.sustainableoceansummit.org/.