Vanuatu and other Pacific nations are taking steps to safeguard marine biodiversity in areas beyond national boundaries with the new Boundaries Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty.

The agreement gives countries a platform to raise concerns and influence activities on the high seas—areas outside their Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)—where actions like mining, climate change, overfishing, and growing population could impact their own waters.

BBNJ builds on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), adopted in 1982, which governs the management of waters within a country’s 200-nautical-mile boundary.

The treaty was endorsed by Vanuatu and other nations at the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC) in Nice, France in June this year.

This week, the Department of Ocean and Maritime Affairs hosted its first consultation workshop, bringing together government stakeholders and line agencies responsible for managing and protecting marine resources inside—and eventually outside—Vanuatu’s boundaries.

Acting Director, Tony Tevi, explained the treaty’s importance referring to such activities as deep-sea mining:

“When you rule 200 nautical miles, there is a space outside called the high seas, or anybody’s land. You have Fiji, Vanuatu, and the Solomon’s boundaries, but there is a space in-between. Part of our marine biodiversity is inside that space. So, if someone digs something there, we will also be affected,” said Tevi.

“Countries have now agreed that we must do something inside that space to control it, because it is anybody’s land, any mining company can go and destroy things, and the impact will fall back into our territory.”

Once the treaty becomes law, any country who wants to protect a particular area in the high seas, will have to get a consensus from the United Nations, ensuring that all member countries agree to their concerns about ocean protection.

The three-day workshop, led by the Pacific Ocean Commissioner’s office (OPOC), focused on awareness and capacity-building as preparation for the treaty’s implementation on 17th January next year.

Senior Adviser, Peni Suveinakama, emphasized the treaty’s collaborative approach:

“BBNJ is different in a sense that it requires all organisations to play their role. For example, FFA (Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency) will need to play a role in marine scientific research, SPREP in terms of the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) component of the treaty, and area-based management tools and of course the technology transfer and capacity building. SPC (South Pacific Community) has a role to play. So, when you look at the regional level, all regional organisations have a role to play, it does not fall on one agency alone.”

Suveinakama added that all line stakeholders and line agencies are expected to really understand the BBNJ agreement, so they know when, where and how to play their role.

Mr. Tevi said that Vanuatu’s rich marine heritage and strong commitment to ocean conservation, along with its new Ocean’s Act (recently passed) places Vanuatu in a uniquely position to lead discussions on this BBNJ implementation.