Date/Time
16/02/2021 - 17/02/2021 - 2:00 - 5:00
Venue
The Abidjan Convention Secretariat and the STRONG High Seas project (‘Strengthening Regional Ocean Governance for the High Seas’) coordinated by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and implemented together with six partners based in Europe, South America, and Africa are pleased to encourage you to save the date for the project workshop entitled Enhancing the Knowledge Base for Cross-Sectoral Management and Ocean Governance in ABNJ of the Southeast Atlantic, which will take place online on 16-17 February 2021 each day from 14:00 to 17:00 GMT.
This workshop is part of a series of workshops organised under the STRONG High Seas project in the Southeast Atlantic region with the aim to bring together stakeholders to discuss current challenges as well as opportunities for global and regional ocean governance, foster exchange of knowledge and information, and build new networks. It will apply an interactive approach to enable information exchange between participants and explore various topics relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) cover about half of the planet’s surface, have high biodiversity and deliver important ecosystem services. While there is a growing economic and political interest in exploitation of marine resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction, there is no comprehensive legal regime for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in these areas to date. In this regard, the international community agreed in 2015 to develop a global, legally binding agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction under the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (UNCLOS). Pursuant to UN General Assembly Resolution 72/249 of December 2017, the negotiations of this instrument started in April 2018.
This workshop will be interactive and will discuss different topics relevant to ABNJ, present the outputs and outcomes of the STRONG High Seas project and discuss future work, particularly:
- Provide an overview of the current state of the negotiations on an international agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) as well as the underlying work done by the STRONG High Seas on underpinning a global BBNJ agreement through regional and sectoral governance, particularly in view of implementing an ecosystem-based management approach to global ocean governance;
- Provide a setting for States and stakeholders to exchange in regard to lessons learnt and best practices in regional ocean governance, particularly with regard to conservation measures and integrated management of biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction;
- Present and discuss the STRONG High Seas scientific findings on the current or potential contributions of marine areas, and in particular areas beyond national jurisdiction, to human well-being such as economic benefits, jobs and livelihoods and ecosystem services; and
- Present and discuss upcoming research on the monitoring, control and surveillance of human activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction focusing on the Southeast Atlantic.
