The Philippines reiterated its support to the 2011 package on high seas conservation and management at the 9th meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group (AHWG) last January 20-23 at the United Nations (UN) Headquarters in New York City.
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| A small group convened to draft an informal working paper as a basis for negotiations in plenary during the 9th meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group last January 20-23. (Courtesy of International Institute for Sustainable Development). |
The package states that, “the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ), in particular, together and as a whole, marine genetic resources, including marine protected areas, and environmental impact assessments, capacity-building and the transfer of marine technology.”
These elements, the Philippine delegation emphasized, should be the basis and mandate for the negotiations of the new implementing agreement on the conservation and management of marine BBNJ.
Attended by around 200 participants which includes national delegations, as well as inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations, the meeting was the last of the three series of the AHWG convened by the UN General Assembly pursuant to its resolution 68/70.
It generally aims to serve as venue to study the issue of the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity and the scope, parameters and feasibility of a new international instrument on BBNJ.
Speaking on behalf of UN Secretary-General, Undersecretary-General for Legal Affairs and UN Legal Counsel Miguel de Serpa Soares noted that differences still remain in the deliberations on BBNJ and called upon delegates to “crystallize ideas in areas of convergence” in order to meet the deadline to submit recommendations to the General Assembly.
Meanwhile, Co-Chair Palitha Kohona of Sri Lanka highlighted the growing support for a new legally binding instrument under the UN Convention on the law of the Sea. She noted that such instrument should be holistic and consider the needs of both developing and developed countries.
On the other hand, Co-Chair Liesbeth Lijnzaad of the Netherlands reported that a synthesis of the key ideas discussed in the two previous meetings had been circulated to national delegations in December 2014 as a Co-Chairs’ non-paper containing draft elements of a recommendation to the General Assembly, as well as an updated compilation of state submissions.
The last meeting of the Working Group started with rehashed positions for a new implementing agreement on marine BBNJ. Majority of the participants agreed that a new treaty would provide the urgent and most effective response to the threats on deep-sea biodiversity.
After discussions on the draft elements of recommendations prepared by the Co-Chairs along with the draft texts of other Regional Groups, the G77/China, the largest group of countries in the UN where the Philippines is a member, affirmed its proposal for the UN General Assembly “to convene an inter-governmental conference on BBNJ to elaborate a legally binding instrument under UNCLOS,” to consider convening a PrepCom, establishing the mandate, rules of procedures and calendar of meetings of the PrepCom, and deciding on the specific date of the inter-governmental conference and a timeline for the negotiations.
The Philippine delegation to the 9th AHWG meeting was composed of Atty. Igor Bailen of the Philippine Mission to the UN, Dr. Theresa Lim of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Atty. Asis Perez of the Bureau of Aquatic Resources, Atty. Jose Mostajo and Bertrand Theodor Santos of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Atty. Dennis Guerrero of the Department of Agriculture, Engr. Ariel Cayanan and Sarah Bales of the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries (PCAF) and Atty. Dennis Escolango of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.
The stakeholders, particularly the academe and non-government organizations, have actively participated in the development of the Philippine position through the PCAF, serving as venue for policy development.
-With reports from International Institute for Sustainable Development
Source: http://www.pcaf.da.gov.ph/news/2015/marine.html
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