New York, NY, September 20, 2023 -- Today at the UN Headquarters, H.E. President Wesley W. Simina signed the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, making the FSM the first nation to do so.
After approximately two decades of discussions and 5 years of active negotiations, the international community adopted the final text of an international legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (“UNCLOS”) on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction, also known as the “BBNJ Agreement.”
The FSM was the first to sign the BBNJ Agreement, after it was declared open for signature by UN Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Mr. Miguel de Serpa Soares.
The BBNJ negotiations have been a priority of the FSM through the FSM Permanent Mission in New York, as well as through the Pacific Small Island Developing States (“PSIDS”), the Pacific Islands Forum (“PIF”) and participation in the COP15 UN Biodiversity Conference.
The Simina-Palik administration thanks the hard work and dedication of everyone in the FSM government who contributed to make this significant milestone possible and looks forward to continued collaboration with the international community to effectively conserve and protect the high seas.
