Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania
In New York, Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Landsbergis signs the UN agreement on the conservation of marine biodiversity
Today, at the signing ceremony of the high-level week of the UN General Assembly in New York, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis, on behalf of Lithuania, signed the 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. Lithuania is among the 52 countries that have joined the High Ambition Coalition on BBNJ. The signing of the agreement, together with other member states of the European Union, will allow the ratification process to begin.
The BBNJ Agreement establishes rules applicable to activities conducted on the high seas and the international seabed. These include collecting and using marine genetic resources and digital sequencing, management measures and marine protected areas, environmental impact assessments, technical capacity building, and marine technology transfer. Areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), nearly ⅔ of the ocean, belong to all. The BBNJ Agreement includes binding and voluntary measures to implement the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea, primarily to protect and conserve the vast geographical area through better cooperation and coordination of various stakeholders.
The prompt signing and ratification of the agreement are of great importance for addressing the threats facing the ocean and the success of the implementation of ocean-related goals and targets, including the 2030 Agenda.
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