Cuba, representing the Group of Developing Countries, assessed this result as a victory of diplomacy and multilateralism, a victory of developing countries thanks to the tireless efforts and close solidarity of the countries in the group.

Speaking at the Conference, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations and Head of the Negotiating Delegation, affirmed that today's successful results demonstrate the strong commitment and determination of the Conference in achieving a document to conserve and sustainably use marine areas beyond national jurisdiction. The Ambassador assessed that this Agreement will further consolidate the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) - the Constitution of the Ocean, a comprehensive legal framework for all activities at sea; strengthen multilateralism, be a new milestone in the development of international law and contribute to the implementation of the United Nations Decade on Marine Science for Sustainable Development, and the implementation of Development Goal 14 on the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.

Panorama of the intergovernmental meeting to ratify the treaty on the protection of international waters at the UN headquarters in New York (USA) on June 19, 2023. Photo: THX/TTXVN

In order to ensure respect for the integrity of UNCLOS, in the future implementation of the Agreement, regarding the provisions on the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Agreement considering and proposing zoning for the application of conservation measures, the representative of Vietnam and a number of countries emphasized the interpretation of a number of provisions agreed upon by the Intergovernmental Conference, as shown in the Report of the Intergovernmental Conference.

The UN's approval of the Agreement brought about many emotions, especially for those directly involved in the negotiations, including the Vietnamese interdisciplinary delegation chaired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Public Security, the Vietnam Academy of Sciences, etc., in coordination with the Vietnamese Delegation in New York, because this was the result of a long and complicated process, sometimes extremely fierce.

Ms. Rena Lee, President of the Intergovernmental Conference, described the development of the Agreement as “a huge and vital undertaking.” Including the preparatory activities for the Intergovernmental Conference and the advocacy work in the UN General Assembly, the process took nearly 20 years.

UNCLOS stipulates the freedom of navigation and freedom of fishing on the high seas outside the exclusive economic zone, and stipulates that minerals in the seabed on the continental shelf of countries are the common heritage of mankind; establishes a licensing mechanism and distributes benefits from deep-sea mining, but there is no similar mechanism for marine genetic resources. The Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction specifies and develops UNCLOS in this aspect. This is the third agreement implementing UNCLOS, after the document on migratory fish stocks and the document to implement Part XI of the Convention.

The Agreement consists of 17 Chapters, 76 Articles, 2 Annexes with main contents revolving around a number of issues including: (i) Sharing benefits of marine genetic resources; (ii) Establishing marine conservation areas; (iii) Environmental impact assessment; (iv) Capacity building and technology transfer; and (v) General issues such as the decision-making mechanism of the Conference of Member States, establishment and operation of agencies and institutions to implement documents, dispute settlement, financial mechanisms, etc.

News and photos: VNA