Game-changing international marine protection treaty comes into force

Officially known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, the legally binding UN treaty covers the ocean zones that lie beyond national waters (the “high seas”) and the international seabed area.  These regions make up over two-thirds of the ocean’s surface, representing over 90 per cent of Earth’s habitat by volume. This is because the ocean […]

World News in Brief: Pandemic Treaty Update, DR Congo Ebola Response, More Casualties in Ukraine

World News in Brief: Pandemic Treaty Update, DR Congo Ebola Response, More Casualties in Ukraine

Pandemic Treaty Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the world’s first pandemic trety “a generational accomplishment”, while speaking at the start of a meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on the WHO Pandemic Agreement, taking place in Geneva through Friday. It comes four months after countries adopted the pact. Tedros said the next step “is to bring this […]

Momentum builds towards marine biodiversity treaty, as experts convene in New York

Momentum builds towards marine biodiversity treaty, as experts convene in New York

Formally titled the Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, it was adopted in June 2023 after years of negotiation, and is open for signature until 20 September. With only eight ratifications left before it can enter into […]