Greenpeace South Asia commends the Sri Lankan Cabinet for granting the proposal by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism to sign the Convention on Use Beyond National Jurisdiction (BB Diversity Convention).[1] This landmark decision implements a critical step in addressing the mounting threats facing our oceans from unregulated human activities in international waters.
“We appreciate Sri Lanka’s leadership in prioritizing the health of our oceans, especially as the President of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). This step demonstrates a commitment to developing the partnerships needed to conserve marine diversity,” said Anita Perera, Greenpeace South Asia Activist.
By ratifying the BBNJ Agreement, known as the Global Oceans Agreement, Sri Lanka has an opportunity to support large-scale marine conservation, promote sustainable fisheries management and encourage marine scientific research. This is particularly important given the growing overexploitation of international waters, habitat degradation and loss of diversity.
Establishing a robust mechanism for the treaty establishing large protected areas of the high seas – beyond 200 nautical miles (370 km) from the coast.[2 These zones allow marine life to recover from industrial overfishing and pollution while allowing them to thrive. Ecosystems are nurtured. A healthy ocean is essential not only for climate stability, but also for sustaining the livelihoods of millions of people around the world, including Sri Lanka’s coastal communities, fishermen and seafarers.
Greenpeace South Asia recognizes the challenges facing developing countries, such as Sri Lanka, where this agreement is in force, including limited financial resources and technology. We strongly support the call for enhanced capacity building efforts, resource sharing and international cooperation to ensure implementation.
In the past year, Sri Lanka and the wider southern region have faced devastating climate change, including rainfall, heavy flooding, mudslides and coastal erosion. These disasters caused significant loss of life and directly affected the economy. Our environment, covering climate, forests and oceans, is connected, and one system supports the other. It is critical that leaders recognize these connections and prioritize protecting ecosystems that can often better mitigate climate change and extreme weather events.
In the February 2024 issue, Greenpeace’s iconic Sri Lankan debut, the Rainbow Warrior, will coincide with the opening of the Sri Lankan South Office. This milestone marked an important step in public awareness of the critical importance of the UN’s BBNJ (Diversity Beyond National Jurisdiction) convention for ocean conservation and an island nation like Sri Lanka. A series of events will be organized throughout 2024, including public awareness campaigns, social media campaigns and workshops for civil society organizations to empower local groups with knowledge and advocacy tools. Creating networks of priority Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) beyond national jurisdiction Establishing a legal framework or standards for Environmental Assessments (EIAs), equitable sharing of benefits from Marine Genetic Resources (MGRs) and ensuring capacity development for marine conservation , called for prioritizing the signing and ratification of the BBNJ Agreement, which promotes technology transfer and sustainable modernization. to be Greenpeace has provided facilities for letters to presidential candidates. These efforts underscore Sri Lanka’s unique position as an island nation and its potential to benefit from improved marine governance under the BBNJ framework, laying the foundation for the country’s active role in global ocean conservation efforts.
The Global Oceans Agreement is an important opportunity to create large-scale sanctuaries in the high seas. This decision demonstrates a commitment to protecting the usability of marine ecosystems – not just for today, but for future generations. Greenpeace South Asia is keen to work with the Government of Sri Lanka and other regional stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the objectives of the BBNJ Agreement.
